Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Food, Cooking, and Game Preparation Buckboard Bacon (pics)

A friend sent me a link to Hi Mountain Seasonings and highly recommended their Buckboard Bacon cure. I decided to give it a try & ordered a lb,enough to do 25 lbs of pork shoulder.The brochure that came with it said the settlers used the leaner cuts of pork for bacon as the fatty meat we use today was rendered for lard and soap. Sounds reasonable enough to me! I snagged 15 lbs of pork shoulder which when de-boned & de-fatted (most of the fat anyway) I figured 12-13 lbs of meat. Cut into around 2-2 1/2 lb slabs,then used cotton twine to tie up the scraps and the more raggedy looking chunks. Then rubbed in about 1/2 of the lb of dry cure,being sure to get it into all the nooks and crannies.I put into one gallon freezer bags (double bagged)& let it sit in the fridge for 10 days,turning it over on the 5th day. I pulled it outta the bags this morning and let it soak in cold water for 2 hrs,drained it and then let it sit for another hour or so to bring it up to room temp.Ran it into the smoker for 45 minutes or so at 140 degrees with no smoke and then ran it up to 200 and started throwing the smoke to it. I didn't have enough maple to do the whole batch so I mixed what I had with apple,and it worked out pretty good! Smoked it until it reached an internal temp of 140,which took about 4-5 hrs depending on the thickness's. You'r supposed to chill it overnight before slicing but after waiting on this stuff for 10-11 days that warn't an option! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
It tastes more like ham then bacon,but I think I'd kick a Honeybaked outta the way to get to some of this. If I do say so myself! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> The package doesn't say what they use for seasonings,but it tastes like theres more in there than just salt,sugar and nitrites. I might try making my own dry rub next time,as they do rape you on the shipping if you just buy a lb. Or maybe buy a 6 pack for $30 delivered, if the Warehouse doesn't carry it.I was going to apply some Montreal Pepper Steak seasoning before smoking,but I figured it'd be too much salt,and I was right. I'll toss some coarse ground pepper at the next batch.

HiMountain Seasonings Link

Smokin'


At Last!


Ready To Fry

Now THAT looks GOOD !

Some time back I made a real deal with one of the Texas guys. Actually not a deal just a kindness in return for a promise fulfilled.
i got a couple smoked wild hog back straps that looked very much like your smoked bacon..and it was simply supurb eats.
any lean pork seems to smoke up quite well. it is getting close to that time of year again when temps cool down and the smoker gets put to use. first off will be about 10 pounds of mixed Jalapino and scotch bonnet peppers to make a little seasoning. Then some salmon and other critters as the season goes on. This year there will be a lot of smoked oysters around Christmas time.

Bullwnkl.

It is good stuff. It ended up being lunch & dinner today. I'll probably wait till fall to do much more smoking as my smoker does a good job in cooler weather but I had a heck of a time keeping the temp down to 200 as soon as the breeze died down early evening.
I'm going to make a trip down to the coast maybe between deer and elk season to load up on mussels for smoking.The limit was 150 per person so if I can get a couple more people to go it'd be a pretty good haul.

A postage paid box is on the way, just put some in a zip lock and drop it in the mail. Thanks. I can't stand to look at that without fantasizing putting a forkful in my mouth. Didn't realize I was that far gone......... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Regards, sse

P.S. I've got a skillet with some Pepsi in it waiting for the goods to arrive.

sse

I get all the oysters I can handle from a friend who is a oyster farmer. He is clearing a beach off of clumps and only wants singlels as they bring the best price....I am not fussy about clumps. the temp is dropping so the smoker will be seeing some use soon.

Bullwnkl.

You bet

Let's see;
A half dozen slices of your Bacon, 4 or 5 eggs (over easy), two or three German egg pancakes, a cup of coffee. I don't think it could get any better than that! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
Sheese, I'm setting here salivating! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Well, throw in a pile of fried potatoes with peppers & onions,& you'll almost have a meal there! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

...and throw in about eight more cups of coffee...!

It looks dang good. My questions: Was that "hot smoked" from raw? You didn't "cure" it first...it was pork shoulder. de-boned/defattted, dry rubbed, aged, and smoke cooked? Correct?

Cooking/Eating? Did you, after smokeing, fry this meat, or eat it just as smoked?

Its a dry rub that has sodium nitrites to effect an actual cure.Just rub it in and let it cure for 10 days in the fridge.I fry it like ham,(or nuke it if I'm in a hurry)and I'm not real positive as to whether its necessary,though I think it probably is. I emailed the seasoning co. re that this morning and haven't got an answer back. IIRC pork needs to reach an internal temp of 170-180 to be fully cooked & you only bring this stuff to 140. as far as I know the nitrites only inhibit bacterial growth. I did find the cure today at Sportsmans Warehouse and its $4.19 a lb.,enough for 25 lbs of meat. Beats the $30 delivered price for 6 lbs from Hi Mountain.