Update and Redux: J – Bacon and I have a long history. Way back in the day, it was on burgers. They HAD to have bacon on them. Then, I discovered salmon BLTs. Nice. Soon after we began Be Mindful. Be Human.. Luke showed us how to make our own bacon.
Oh, my. I was ruined forever. Pretty much no commercial bacon I tried after that could hold a candle to ours. We make our own bacon regularly, of course. Several styles, but pepper bacon is the one we make most. When we run out and need to buy a bit from the store, I feel like I’m sluming. [BTW: The recipe below scales easily to 12 pounds of pork belly.]
J – Double your pleasure…
Bacon pleasure, that is. One of the wonderful parts of the lamb we broke down last week was the breast. It’s sort of a super-mini version of pork belly, with very little fat. Lamb bacon sounded over-the-top good. Luke suggested that, since we were smoking lamb bacon, we should do half a pork belly as well.
Why waste the smoke? Fine by me!
Lamb bacon is really thin. So, having lamb bacon and eggs isn’t all that realistic. We’ll probably do a carbonara, or something equally decadent. Can’t wait.
Making lamb bacon is like making any other cured and smoked meat. Of course, different seasonings for different meats. Smoking time is based on weight.
First part is the cure. Just cover both sides of the piece with the salt(s) and pepper mixture. Wrap in plastic, for the lamb, or in a covered hotel pan for larger meats like pork. Refrigerate for 3 days, turning each day. After curing, dry thoroughly. Smoke, covered, on your grill at a steady 200 degrees, using your choice of wood chips. There should be a pretty good amount of smoke. Lamb takes about 45 minutes. Half a pork belly takes about 90 minutes, or so.
| Bacon Two Ways: Lamb and Pork |
- 1 pound lamb breast, trimmed and fat removed, boneless
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ⅛ cup salt
- ¼ teaspoon pink curing salt
- 6 sprigs rosemary, stems removed and leaves chopped.
- Freshly cracked pepper to taste
- In a small bowl, place salt, sugar, pink curing salt. Mix well.
- Place lamb breast in a pan. Sprinkle ½ seasoning on each side.
- Cure for 3 days. Flipping over every 24 hours.
- After curing, dry thoroughly.
- Rub with cracked pepper and chopped rosemary
- Heat your grill to a steady 200 degrees,
- Smoke, covered, using your choice of wood chips. There should be a pretty good amount of smoke. Lamb takes about 45 minutes.
- Remove when done and let cool completely.
- Wrap and store in the refrigerator.
- Cook as you would any bacon.
- Enjoy!
After smoking, you’re done. Cook some up and eat it with your favorite dish.
You’ll probably never buy commercial bacon again. We’re not planning on it.