I have always loved bacon, and although I haven't gotten into pig butchery (yet), it seems time to learn how to make some charcutterie. Where better to start than bacon? First stop was mario's for some pork belly. Mario was in the basement looking for some deer meat when I took this photo. He's a real deal old school neighborhood butcher at 622 Metropolitan who has rabbits and osso buco for sale and a cadre of old italian men hanging out in his shop.
I picked up 6 pounds of meat, which is 1/2 of a pork belly. I don't know what the pig's name was or who raised it. I doubt it spent the last weeks of its life dining on hazelnuts and heavy cream, but it still looks pretty yummy and this is my first attempt, so I'm going to keep it cheap and simple. I mixed up a rub consisting of 1 cup of coarse sea salt and 1 cup of light brown sugar. I cut the pork into 2 pieces to fit into 2 large ziplock bags; massaged them with the rub and put them in the fridge.
I decided to forgo the saltpeter; I can save it to make black powder for the flintlock rifle i'll use to stun my pigs before I bleed them. Plus I don't care how pink it looks and if this bacon works out, it's not going to be around for very long anyway. For now, it needs to cure for a week and then i'll smoke it!
I have always loved bacon, and although I haven't gotten into pig butchery (yet), it seems time to learn how to make some charcutterie. Where better to start than bacon? First stop was mario's for some pork belly. Mario was in the basement looking for some deer meat when I took this photo. He's a real deal old school neighborhood butcher at 622 Metropolitan who has rabbits and osso buco for sale and a cadre of old italian men hanging out in his shop.
I picked up 6 pounds of meat, which is 1/2 of a pork belly. I don't know what the pig's name was or who raised it. I doubt it spent the last weeks of its life dining on hazelnuts and heavy cream, but it still looks pretty yummy and this is my first attempt, so I'm going to keep it cheap and simple. I mixed up a rub consisting of 1 cup of coarse sea salt and 1 cup of light brown sugar. I cut the pork into 2 pieces to fit into 2 large ziplock bags; massaged them with the rub and put them in the fridge.
I decided to forgo the saltpeter; I can save it to make black powder for the flintlock rifle i'll use to stun my pigs before I bleed them. Plus I don't care how pink it looks and if this bacon works out, it's not going to be around for very long anyway. For now, it needs to cure for a week and then i'll smoke it!
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