Beef Bacon
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Why Joe, WHY ???!!!
Now I have to do this…
Merry Christmas to you too Brother. !!! -
Why Joe, WHY ???!!!
Now I have to do this…
Merry Christmas to you too Brother. !!! -

If you haven’t had beef bacon you should really try it. I’ve had it a few times prior to trying this recipe from Jess Pryles. It’s been hit and miss at best. This recipe is super easy and provides excellent results every time. It’s been a hit at the shop and even sought out by Adventists buying meat on the down low. Resist the urge to cut thick slices as it tends to be chewy. Thin sliced is the way to go!
INGREDIENTS:
3-4lb beef navel
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon pink curing saltINSTRUCTIONS:
CURE: Add all the dry ingredients together to create a rub mix, then rub into the surface of the beef, pressing it onto the sides to make sure it’s well coated. Place the belly into a large zip top bag, making sure as much of the cure mixture as possible makes it into the bag. Place the bag into a fridge to cure for 3-5 days. Once a day, massage the liquid that accumulates in the bag and flip it over.
DRY: After the curing process is complete, remove the meat from the bag, and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Pat the belly dry with paper towel. Ideally, you will now return the uncovered belly to the fridge to dry out overnight, but if you can’t wait for this step it’s not essential.
SMOKE: Preheat a smoker to 200-215f. Place the belly into the smoker and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 150f. Once at temperature, cool then return to fridge to allow for easy cutting.
COOK: Thinly slice the bacon and cook in a medium-low heat skillet until crisp. Bacon will last up to 14 days in the fridge - simply slice off pieces as needed. Unlike pork bacon, beef bacon is best when thinly sliced.
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I have made bacon out of pork butt but I never thought about beef. I have never come across beef navel but I do have a meat processor close by and will check on availability. Is there any other part of beef that could be cut to smoke as bacon. Just curious but is the cure necessary for beef or does help with the color?
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I have made bacon out of pork butt but I never thought about beef. I have never come across beef navel but I do have a meat processor close by and will check on availability. Is there any other part of beef that could be cut to smoke as bacon. Just curious but is the cure necessary for beef or does help with the color?
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Yes, cure is going to help set the color
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If you haven’t had beef bacon you should really try it. I’ve had it a few times prior to trying this recipe from Jess Pryles. It’s been hit and miss at best. This recipe is super easy and provides excellent results every time. It’s been a hit at the shop and even sought out by Adventists buying meat on the down low. Resist the urge to cut thick slices as it tends to be chewy. Thin sliced is the way to go!
INGREDIENTS:
3-4lb beef navel
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon pink curing saltINSTRUCTIONS:
CURE: Add all the dry ingredients together to create a rub mix, then rub into the surface of the beef, pressing it onto the sides to make sure it’s well coated. Place the belly into a large zip top bag, making sure as much of the cure mixture as possible makes it into the bag. Place the bag into a fridge to cure for 3-5 days. Once a day, massage the liquid that accumulates in the bag and flip it over.
DRY: After the curing process is complete, remove the meat from the bag, and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Pat the belly dry with paper towel. Ideally, you will now return the uncovered belly to the fridge to dry out overnight, but if you can’t wait for this step it’s not essential.
SMOKE: Preheat a smoker to 200-215f. Place the belly into the smoker and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 150f. Once at temperature, cool then return to fridge to allow for easy cutting.
COOK: Thinly slice the bacon and cook in a medium-low heat skillet until crisp. Bacon will last up to 14 days in the fridge - simply slice off pieces as needed. Unlike pork bacon, beef bacon is best when thinly sliced.
Joe Hell joe I have a question on the pepper you used on the beef bacon was it regular black or coarse ground
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Joe Hell joe I have a question on the pepper you used on the beef bacon was it regular black or coarse ground
craigrice It was whole pepper that I fan through my spice grinder just prior. I used the same cure on some pork belly yesterday. It will be interesting to see how that turns out in comparison. I’ll be out of town when it’s ready to hit the smoker so hopefully my co-workers get it right! lol
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craigrice It was whole pepper that I fan through my spice grinder just prior. I used the same cure on some pork belly yesterday. It will be interesting to see how that turns out in comparison. I’ll be out of town when it’s ready to hit the smoker so hopefully my co-workers get it right! lol
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Joe Hell Navel is a longer drive for me, have you ever done it with brisket?
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