I've used the bacon thread for recipes and ideas and made my first run at making my own bacon last weekend. Still have questions not addressed in the bacon thread.

Costco was out of belly's that day so I went to a local mexican meat market in Leander and they broke 2 frozen whole bellies out of an IBP box for me. I paid what they asked. Said they had not had that request before. I laughed. Not unreasonable on $.

I skinned the bellies, cut up into workable sizes (4 total slabs) and then proceeded to brine for 7 days. Smoked them last weekend and have had them refrigerated since. I sliced up one of them the other day on my 8.5" slicer from Academy, which actually worked just fine. The bacon was amazing. Did one brown-sugar/bourbon, one black pepper and 2 regular. However...

I have a gripe in that the capacity of the meat tray on my slicer only accommodates 6"-7.5" slabs and my slabs are 9-11" when cutting across the grain. I have to hold it at a weird, and unsafe angle to get it through the slicer. Otherwise, the slicer worked flawlessly. Plenty of power and cutting ability. Nice, clean slices.

Are there any recommendations for a proper slicer for bacon? Yes, I know a sharp knife works fine, and I have plenty of them, but want consistency and a larger cutting capacity/throat on the slicer. Not looking to break the bank, would pay up to $350-$400 for the right slicer as I plan to do this again soon.

Suggestions?

I have one of these, not perfect, but gets the job done. I can get through a whole slab fairly quickly.

https://www.amazon.com/ChefsChoice-Electric-Stainless-Cantilever-Continuous/dp/B0058VCYWS/ref=sr_1_4?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1518649207&sr=1-4&keywords=meat+slicer

Have you considered rolling it (like pancetta) while slicing?

I have the same. It doesn't have a large enough tray I'm my opinion, though I've been able to make it work. Sometimes wish I had a bigger one.

schmendeler said:

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Have you considered rolling it (like pancetta) while slicing?

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this was going to be my suggestion

Or just cut it in half

Keep an eye open on restaurant supply store auctions. You can maybe find a slicer for a steal.

https://mainauctionservices.com

I've bought multiple items from these guys. Just make sure you double check the auction location else you'll have a 4 hr drive to pick up the item.

I have a meat slicer that was a wedding gift, probably a relatively cheap one. I've never had good luck with it on slicing something long like a pork belly. The tray and the way it holds the meat leaves a lot of room for the meat to move, which always seems to end up with the back end of the slab of meat having a curve to it.

Could be me and just not knowing how to operate it correctly, even if it seems pretty straight forward. How do you guys keep the meat square to the blade so you get good uniform cuts?

Make sure that its as cold as possible for slicing. 28-30F is best if you're using a mechanical slicer. You might have to go a little warmer if you're slicing by hand with a knife. Commercial bacon processors slice around 28F.