My first attempt at cottage bacon, buckboard bacon, bacon or whatever you wanna call it...

Fareway had pork butts on sale for 99 cents a pound last week, so I figured I am not out much if it did't turn out. I picked up this 9 pounder and had them de-bone it (he looked bored and saved me the trouble)....



Got out my brisket knife and filleted it out best I could to get a uniform thickness....



Then I put on the rub, the recipe I used...

9lb pork butt boneless
5 tablespoons kosher salt
1 cup white sugar
4 tablespoons restaurant ground black pepper
3 teaspoons paprika
3 teaspoon pink curing salt



I rolled it back up, it looks good already, lol.



I then wrapped it tight in plastic bags, and put it in the fridge...



The recipe for the rub (which I modified slightly to my taste) called for a 7 day rest in the fridge for pork belly, but this is a little thicker so I left it for 10 days in the fridge, turning it daily then I rinsed it off well. It looked like this after that, patted dry...



I then left it uncovered like it is and put it in the fridge for 24 hours.

Today I smoked it at 200 degrees until it was 150 degrees internal temp with fruit wood pellets, apple & cherry. It came out like this after cooling in the fridge for several hours after smoking...



Then to the slicer....



And finally a sample, it was very good and tastes like bacon. If someone blind folded you you'd swear it was bacon, so I must of done it right.



The 9 lb pork butt yielded just over 7 lbs of finished product. I was happy about that considering the bone was included in the 9 lbs from the store. I figure all in, spices, meat, pellets, etc.... maybe cost me $1.35/lb.

I love it when a plan comes together.

Heck yeah looks great

Looks really good

I never heard of cottage bacon til a few years ago. My in laws get hogs done at a locker frequently and they gave us some. Amazing stuff-id rather have it over regular bacon.

It looks good and you definitely can't buy bacon for $1.35 a pound.

Keith

That looks great thanks

I have one in the frig now. I looked at a three pound pack of Cloverdale bacon the other day in the store it was $21 + change. Over seven dollars a pound. That was what got me making what ever you call it.

It's called Irish Bacon.

Looks like (Boco ) Canadian Bacon ,when you sliced it. But if it looks like bacon and tastes like bacon…it must be bacon. Bettah than 5.99 lb

It looks real good.

What slicer you running now?

I cut those pork shoulders into steaks and just freeze. Also grind them and make sausage. High as meat is getting you would think more people would be doing it. i just buy high mountain spice kits. including their bacon kit. I bought one of those small apartment type fridges several years ago for curing bacon or whatever in. Works great.

Good job,ADC.

Very nice! A also have a pork loin in the fridge as we speak beginning the brining process. I'm doing half with Tenderquick, the other half with a homemade recipe. I did a sample on some thin pieces overnight and fried it for breakfast. It may be the best pork I ever ate.
I'm tired of digging through bacon in the store looking for a package that a little meat along with the fat.

U the man

I think people just don't know these days how to butcher a big piece of meat down into smaller cuts. A lot of people pay $1 lb more for cut up chicken vs. whole chicken. I buy a lot of big pieces of meat like roasts, briskets, pork loins (bone in sometimes), pork butts, whole chickens and turkeys etc.... Almost always cheaper to cut them up yourself and the home made ground meats are always a lot better and less fatty than what you buy pre-ground. If the whole meats have extra fat, I cut it off and freeze it to add to venison as well. I could afford to buy the stuff already cut up or ground, but I enjoy butchering it up.

looks good. I tried making some last week but it didn't turn out. Way to salty , going to try it again but with a different recipe. Got to insulate my smoker better before I do the next one.Couldnt get it over 180 and its getting colder outside.

After I started making my own bacon (buckboard), we haven't bought any from the store in almost a decade. Leaner, heathier, and you know exactly what's in it.

I like thick cut, heavily peppered bacon. And the stuff you buy in the store just doesn't compare. Not to mention, When I get the pork on sale, it comes out to a little over $1.10/lb





did you soak it after you were done with the cure? I always soak mine for 1-3hrs after I take it out of the cure, in cold water. It really helps remove the salt.