Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[yorkdude]

I got a call from my go to Butcher in Clay Center, he has 3 skin on fresh bellies, each about 12#.
You may remember seeing a photo or two of some I have gotten from them in the past.
My question is this, I have never done bacon with the skin on, I got to think it will affect the cure and I am awfully sure I don't want it on them.
So my question is, how the heck do you get it off ? Filet it off I suppose? Has anyone done it ? Any other suggestions ?
If these are like the others I have gotten they will make fantastic bacon, I just don't want to screw it up.

[Canadian John]

I've only done it twice. A sharp, very sharp knife is in order. I used a skinning and small fillet knife that worked well. They do tend to get gummed up with the fat..The skinning knife was best.

[SparkyLB]

While I have never done this, I would assume (sorry) that the process is the same for removing the skin from a salmon fillet, but perhaps necessitating a bit more strength. 

Pick a short end, from about 1/4" up, slice down towards the opposite end at a 45 degree angle, making a 1/4" high triangle, but don't cut through the skin.  Then, using the lip you created, hold it down, and with a fillet/boning knife held parallel to the cutting board, have at it. 

FWIW, back in the day I hunted a bit in Canada, where a Canadian guide is required for American hunters.  The guide provides meals, and we had bacon almost daily for breakfast.  I recall the bacon was the only I've ever tasted that had the skin on it.  It was unexpected, but not unpleasant.  With a bit more cure time, I suppose all the cure made it through all the meat only through the flesh end. 

[Bentley]

Just like a fish, easier as the skin of a pig does not rip any where as easy as a fish!

So my question is, how the heck do you get it off ? Filet it off I suppose?

Good, thought it was just me and I was lazy!

I took the skin off a belly once. The only reason I bought skin on was so I could do my own cracklin's. It's work and a lot of it. I won't be doing it again...

[Trooper]

When you get the call from the butcher saying he's got three bellies with skin on
you say -

"start cutting off the skin. I'll be over to pick up the bellies soon"


That's what butchers are for.

[yorkdude]

Just got back from grabbing the bellies.
23.96 combined, never tried them skin on but have known this butcher for a long time, he tells me to cure them as I normally do.
Anything above 130 the skin should peel off, no effect on the cure but a slightly different look on the peeled side.
Then fry up for chiraccones.
Here’s a few pics of us getting started, you will see 1 little hair patch I am pointing to it, other than that they look fantastic.
He is the saltiest ole butcher I have ever met, he is “old school cool”. There aren’t many of them left unfortunately.

[bregent]

> he tells me to cure them as I normally do.

You'll want to decrease your cure by 10% - that's the approximate amount the skin weighs and it does not absorb cure. For example, if you normally cure at 120 ppm, go to 108 ppm.

[yorkdude]

> he tells me to cure them as I normally do.

You'll want to decrease your cure by 10% - that's the approximate amount the skin weighs and it does not absorb cure. For example, if you normally cure at 120 ppm, go to 108 ppm.

Thanks for the heads-up, I ran out of kosher salt so I can adjust on the 2nd belly. The 1st one is lounging already.
I will have to check further to see if I have hurt the other. I looked around other places as well and honestly did not see that info about reduction.
Hopefully it will be O.K. ?

[bregent]

> he tells me to cure them as I normally do.

You'll want to decrease your cure by 10% - that's the approximate amount the skin weighs and it does not absorb cure. For example, if you normally cure at 120 ppm, go to 108 ppm.

Thanks for the heads-up, I ran out of kosher salt so I can adjust on the 2nd belly. The 1st one is lounging already.
I will have to check further to see if I have hurt the other. I looked around other places as well and honestly did not see that info about reduction.
Hopefully it will be O.K. ?

Don't worry about it. Folks use a pretty wide range of cure rates, so it's not going to hurt the product. But there are recommended safe maximum levels and if you don't reduce, you could exceed those levels. Personally I feel that cure is a safe and necessary chemical to use, but still try to use the minimum levels. If you exceed the max level one time, it ain't gonna hurt you.

[Bentley]

Just started 9.31 lb. slab myself.  Man, when the best you can do making it yourself is $2.99/lb, bacon is getting expensive.  But I also guess it is different for normal people, when you drink one maybe 2 shots, you can get that premium stuff...when you drink a Quart of Whiskey at a time, you pretty much get Safeway Whiskey.  Same with bacon I guess, if you have a couple of slices a week, and not a pound at a sitting...you can get that Black Label @ $6.5/lb...

[yorkdude]

Just started 9.31 lb. slab myself.  Man, when the best you can do making it yourself is $2.99/lb, bacon is getting expensive.  But I also guess it is different for normal people, when you drink one maybe 2 shots, you can get that premium stuff...when you drink a Quart of Whiskey at a time, you pretty much get Safeway Whiskey.  Same with bacon I guess, if you have a couple of slices a week, and not a pound at a sitting...you can get that Black Label @ $6.5/lb...

I paid $3.00 per.
That is a tad higher I think than the last time but honestly don't remember.
He did say that more people are doing it, or in his words "attempting" it.
He says attempt because a lot of them he never sees again, I thought that was kind of funny.

[yorkdude]

4 and 5 days on the dry cure.
Have never seen this much liquid this quickly, also firming up quicker?
I have attached a few pics.

[Bentley]

I looked at mine after 3 days and felt the same way about the liquid...strange.

[yorkdude]

11 days of cure, 3 days drying in the fridge and onto the DBs.
Going for 4-5 hours. We will see.
First pic is 1/2 hour in, second is 2 1/2 @ 150

[SparkyLB]

Looking great!  Are those 1 lb. chunks?