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Pork shoulder...bacon?

5,625 Views | 25 Replies | Last: 6 yr ago by AggieGunslinger
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10:09p, 7/11/18
It's been remarkably easy to make great bacon, starting with pork belly. But at $3+/lb, and HEB peddling pork shoulders at $1/lb...my frugal side came out. Carve some big chunks off of a shoulder, cure and smoke (hickory, 145-150 deg internal), will it be bacon, or ham? Answer in my household: bacon.... but looks a little different. The lean-to fat ratio varies greatly, but it sure tastes great!



Used Morton's Tender Quick, and McCormick's Smokehouse Maple seasoning (and some extra black pepper)
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MookieBlaylock
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10:33p, 7/11/18
AG
That ain't bacon

Might as well move to Canada or eat turkey bacon and save some calories

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LEJ
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10:56p, 7/11/18
Looks damn good
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MROD92
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11:31p, 7/11/18
jgh85Ag
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3:48a, 7/12/18
AG
Buckboard bacon. Hi Mountain seasonings sells a cure.

https://www.himtnjerky.com/Buckboard-Bacon-Cure.html

Have not made it in a while but it is good. Try a loin next.
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FIDO 96
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4:32a, 7/12/18
AG
This is how you OB! Nicely done!
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NColoradoAG
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11:00a, 7/12/18
Any method to butchering the shoulder?
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GSS
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In reply to NColoradoAG • 12:10p, 7/12/18
NColoradoAG said:
Any method to butchering the shoulder?
I tried to cut the pieces such that each would have a nice combo of lean and fat. One piece turned out 80-85% lean. "Grain" seems to matter very little, when slicing/cooking.

And the smaller/thinner pieces were slightly saltier, due to me not adjusting the cure quantity. Easily corrected for the next batch (and there will be another batch).

The meat around the blade bone is quite lean, so I normally save that section for BBQ ops.
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BurrOak
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12:16p, 7/12/18
AG
Looks good OP. I may have to try that.

Somewhat of a hijack here. Has anyone ever tried making bacon out of ground meat? I saw this in a Western Hunter meat processing book I ordered a few years ago, and the author was sure raving about how awesome it was. I think Ryan Hatfield was the author, but I might be wrong. He was using ground elk meat with added pork fat I believe. I tried it, but it turned out pretty meh and didn't hold together very well. That was also the first time I ever attempted to cure anything and probably did something wrong. Basically, take a cake pan and fill it with about 5 lbs or so of your ground meat. Let that sit in the fridge to form a "slab" of meat similar to a pork belly. Then add the cure/spices just like you would a regular slab of bacon, and cure it in the fridge and smoke the same way.
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HTownAg98
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In reply to BurrOak • 12:39p, 7/12/18
That is referred to as "sausage."
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Finn Maccumhail
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1:39p, 7/12/18
AG
Not bacon because bacon, by definition, is from the belly. But, it looks delicious and I'm sure it is delicious.

Just because a meat is cured and smoked doesn't make it bacon. There are tons and tons of different kinds of cured meats, some smoked and some not. Perhaps it's a bit elitist but technically, cured pork shoulder is coppa. Although coppa is traditionally cured and dried but not smoked.
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PrimeSATX
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3:09p, 7/12/18
AG
NM
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AgEng06
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In reply to Finn Maccumhail • 3:29p, 7/12/18
AG
Oh come on... Next you're gonna tell me that turkey bacon isn't really bacon.
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Finn Maccumhail
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In reply to AgEng06 • 3:44p, 7/12/18
AG
AgEng06 said:
Oh come on... Next you're gonna tell me that turkey bacon isn't really bacon.
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normaleagle05
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7:39p, 7/12/18
AG
My local bbq joint/brewery did their Sunday special last month as a 'bacon' cheeseburger using a house cured pork shoulder. It was pretty awesome.

I've got ten pounds of pork belly in the cure right now. Charcuterie is getting to be a habit, and I expect it'll evolve into an obsession.

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jgh85Ag
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In reply to NColoradoAG • 8:23p, 7/12/18
AG
NColoradoAG said:
Any method to butchering the shoulder?


Go to Costco and buy boneless shoulders.
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jgh85Ag
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8:33p, 7/12/18
AG
If we are going to worry about food terminology, let's get rid of chicken/shrimp fajitas first.
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JYDog90
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In reply to jgh85Ag • 5:56a, 7/13/18
AG
In before the inevitable sausage kolache debate.
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ought1ag
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8:47a, 7/13/18
AG
I like food!!
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AggieGunslinger
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9:37a, 7/13/18
AG
I cook my briskets in a rib rack so the fat is on the side.
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BurrOak
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In reply to normaleagle05 • 9:40a, 7/13/18
AG
I've started to dabble in it a little by myself. I recently ordered Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman. All I've done so far is his bacon, and it turned out awesome. Very informative and lots of good stuff in it.
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A.G.S.
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9:41a, 7/13/18
AG
Is there a charcuterie thread? Either here or on the Food board?

I've done a lot of bacon, but just started some other curing endeavors this year, and I'm definitely interested in learning more.

Made a venison tenderloin into essentially bresaola and it was damn tasty. Plan to use the same recipe/process for some duck breasts this year, assuming I can shoot straight.

Wanna move on to some bigger cuts though.
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BurrOak
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In reply to A.G.S. • 10:17a, 7/13/18
AG
A.G.S. said:
Made a venison tenderloin into essentially bresaola and it was damn tasty. Plan to use the same recipe/process for some duck breasts this year, assuming I can shoot straight.
I did the same thing using a backstrap. Man, it was delicious.

My next endeavor was going to be curing a whole wild pig hindquarter that came off of a fat sow. But I lost it when it when I had my freezer incident.
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A.G.S.
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In reply to BurrOak • 10:39a, 7/13/18
AG
That's a tragedy. I think I remember reading that thread, and instantly feeling the painful memories of when that happened to me. Lost a deer, a hog, and about 20 pounds of gator when my roomate unplugged the freezer.

Luckily, with the smaller cuts utilizing my fridge seems to be ok.

In order to move to something like a whole ham I think i'll need a dedicated refrigerator that I can better control the temp and humidity.
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normaleagle05
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In reply to BurrOak • 8:55p, 7/13/18
AG
BurrOak said:
I've started to dabble in it a little by myself. I recently ordered Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman. All I've done so far is his bacon, and it turned out awesome. Very informative and lots of good stuff in it.

I've read Charcuterie cover to cover and have done a number of his recipes. They're all good but i did manage to make a not great peice of salmon no better. I'll be buying Salumi to go with it. I really like the cold smoked andouille recipe on page 165.
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cupofjoe04
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In reply to AggieGunslinger • 1:12a, 7/15/18
AG
AggieGunslinger said:
I cook my briskets in a rib rack so the fat is on the side.
Do you stir it in a pot first? Or is that just for internet forums?
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AggieGunslinger
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In reply to cupofjoe04 • 9:34a, 7/15/18
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