ABSORPTION REFRIGERATION EFFICIENCY

it's pure heaven...

BLTs, boston baked beans and bacon, fresh cooked bacon bits on an orange, feta and beet salad, bacon wrapped asparagus, oysters rockafeller with spinach puree topped with fatty bacon, and bacon breadsticks with romano cheese are some of things on our menus for the next week, but there is also maple syrup bacon cupcakes and bacon baklava coming soon to our round up of bacon recipes…

To make bacon at home use the back belly pork meat (closest to the loin). American bacon is known as streaky bacon and is brined with lots of water to add weight to the product as well as nitrates and preservatives. (Consider that Hormel bacon is over 40 percent water and you know where those profits are pumped full of water and chemicals thus bringing home the bacon for Mr Hormel.

But you can do it yourself at home! I found an organic hog farm (photos of piglets next week when they let me into the pigpen!!) and this was key, you have use good (organic would be great) fresh meat (within 48 hours of slaughter) to make really good bacon and keep it really cold (hovering at freezing) while you are doing this, so winter is the best time (or in your new fangled Frigidaire, Madame.)

There are two steps, and the second is optional. First you cure it: Brine, box, or bag it’s up to you. I had a nice wine wood box so I boxed it.

There are two main ingredients: Salt and Sugar. Salt is the primary ingredient, with sugar added to offset some of the salt's harshness (you can use dark brown sugar, organic demerara or maple syrup), and to keep the meat more moist and soft during aging. The ratio is 7 parts salt to 3 parts sugar for all you math geeks, my husband included. If you have 3 normal sized slabs of pork belly (9 inches by 11 inches) you would use 700g of salt and 300 g of sugar. You can also add a teaspoon of salpeter (nitrates) if you can find it. One of the reasons that bacon keeps so long and was a staple for over winter and long sea voyages is that it's been both brined and smoked.

Optional spices:
freshly ground black pepper
bay leaves, finely chopped
juniper berries, lightly crushed
coriander seeds, crushed
pink peppercorns, crushed or any herbs that your heart desires

and you wont find this on any other blog or recipe, my secret ingredient: tablespoon of lapsang sujong tea leaves crushed in a mortal and pestle will add just a hint of smokiness from the get go.


To Brine: Dissolve salt and sugar in water ingredients in boiling water. Cool. Pour over meat in crock. Bacon takes between 2 to 3 weeks. Drain and smoke.

To Bag: After rubbing with cure, pop them in the fridge. Every day for the next seven, flip the bags over. The salt/sugar/syrup acts as a cure, flavoring the meat as it draws moisture out.

To Box: Grab a good handful of the dry-cure mix and rub it all over the surface of the meat. When the belly is thoroughly salted all over, place it in a clean box or tray, again non-metallic (wood, plastic or ceramic is ideal). After 24 hours, the meat will have leached salty liquid into the container. Remove the bellies, pour off this liquid and rub the meat all over with more cure. Repeat the process daily. The bacon will be ready in just four days, though if you cure it for longer (up to 10 days), it will keep for longer.

Important thing no matter which method: kept at a constant 38F. Temperatures lower than 36F will cause the curing action to stop. Temperatures above 40F will cause the meat to spoil.

Next step: Smokin’. Before you smoke the bellies, you must further dry them so that a pellicle forms on the outside of the meat. A pellicle forms as a result of the cure pulling water soluble proteins up to the surface of the meat. When these proteins dry, they form a shiny, sticky coating over the meat, which will absorb the smoke much better. The meat will not take smoke until the surface is dry.

Smoking: (don’t use pine wood or resinous woods, hardwoods are great, I happened to use grapevines because I have them)

Cold-smoke the meat at a low temperature over a long period of time. I did this in my wine box cleaned out and lined with foil and I added embers next to the meat, covered quickly, then added cloth on top and then a cardboard box to keep the smoke in. The low temp ensures that you get the maximum smoke penetration and gives you a rich color on the meat. If you use an commercial smoker, try to keep the temperature of the smoker between 80F and 100F. When you start going above this the surface of the meat will start to seal and the smoke will no longer penetrate the meat. Smoke the meat for about 8 hours, or until you are happy with the color and smell.

Bacon cured and smoked in this fashion is perishable and needs to be frozen or stored in a refrigerator until devoured. Total cost for bacon until the end of the year: 7 euros.

Can measure 4 different temperatures. Temperature readings are streamed to the serial port. Also for use in my GeekHouse project.