maple bacon

here is something i can hardly believe myself

i shunned bacon

for 5 years

it was complicated

and in hindsight

foolish

i mean really

religious convictions aside

i can't think of a reason NOT to eat it

it is 

just. that. good.

recently

curing my own bacon has elevated to
obsession status
a few bats of my baby blues
and
 hubster agreed to buy a smoker

it was time

he is itching to make venison jerky

and of course

i have my bacon thing

here is my first attempt

and an honest report

it is good

now

i made the mistake of washing off the brine, but not soaking the bacon before smoking

which meant
it came out very salty
i soaked it after the smoke

in desperation

which meant
i not only soaked out the salt, i also soaked out the smokiness

so i cold smoked it again

and it just isn't perfect

but it is close

maple-brown sugar-rosemary bacon

(printable recipe)

3lbs pork belly

1/4 cup +/- kosher salt

1/4 cup +/- brown sugar

3 Tbs good quality maple syrup

1 Tbs fresh rosemary

place pork belly in a large tupperware type container

3 Tbs maple syrup & rosemary sprig (post curing)

apple or cherry wood chips for smoking

rub all sides with salt

mix together the brown sugar, maple syrup and rosemary. rub all sides of the pork belly with the mixture. cover and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.  after 24 hours, repeat the process and place back in the refrigerator.  check daily, if liquid begins to gather on the bottom, pour it off and place back in the refrigerator.  at 5-7 days, you should be done. the pork belly will be a bit more dense, and firm.  rinse the pork belly well and dry with paper towel. slice off a small piece and fry.  if too salty, place the belly in a bowl of cold water and place in the fridge for 1 hour. dry, slice off a piece and fry a piece.  if it is still too salty, repeat the soaking process, 1 hour at a time.  once the bacon is to your liking, dry off.  rub the fatty side with maple syrup and place rosemary sprig on top. 

meanwhile prepare your smoker

i smoked my bacon at 120 degrees and smoked it to an internal temperature of 130.  there are so many different philosophies on this. you can cold smoke it, hot smoke it, not smoke it at all.  this will not keep in the fridge like store bought bacon...it does not have nitrites.  it is best to cut what you will eat within a week, then freeze the rest.

it is very important to keep your pork belly at proper temperatures and to keep all surfaces it touches very clean. this is not a time to be lenient in your sanitary rituals.  bacon should not be eaten raw, once cured and smoked, it should be cooked fully before enjoying.

Tuesday Night Supper Club-Indian Spiced Shrimp and Pork Belly Corn Salad

i have been looking for ways 

to use

the bounty from the garden

we have more zucchini

than....

well

we have a lot of zucchini

tonight's shrimp dish

is indian in nature

and the 

corn salad

is a bit vietnamese

both are easy

and can be put together quickly

Indian Spiced Shrimp
(printable recipe)

1 lb raw peeled and devined shrimp

olive oil

1/2 red bell pepper--thinly julienned

1 large clove garlic--finely minced

1" fresh ginger--finely minced

2 small red thai-bird chilis--finely minced

1/4 cup onion or shallot--finely minced

1 cup zucchini in 1/2" dice

1 generous Tablespoon tomato paste

3/4-1 cup water

zest of 1 lemon

juice of 1/2 lemon

Spice Mixture

2 tsp cumin seed--toasted and ground

2 Tbs coriander seed--toasted and ground

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or more to taste)

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp granulated garlic

pour enough olive oil on the bottom of a skillet to just cover.  add the zucchini, garlic, thai-bird chili, ginger and onion. cook for about 5 minutes...you want to really smell the aroma, but you don't want the garlic to burn.  if it starts to get too hot, add a bit of water to slow down the cooking. add the red bell pepper and the spice mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes.  mix in the tomato paste until everything is coated, then add in the shrimp.  let the shrimp get good and coated, then add about 3/4 cup water at first.  stir until a nice sauce begins to form.  cook until the shrimp is cooked through...about 10 minutes or so.  add more water if the sauce gets too thick.  check for salt and pepper.  sprinkle the lemon zest on top and squeeze juice of 1/2 lemon over.  give 1 more stir and then you are done.

Pork Belly Corn Salad
(printable recipe)

2 ears of corn--cooked and kernels cut from the cob

2 green onions--finely chopped

1/2 red bell pepper--finely chopped

4" of pork belly--cooked--then sliced and pan fried*

6 chives--finely minced

2 Tbs fish sauce

1 Tbs seasoned rice vinegar

1 tsp cider vinegar

1 tsp black pepper

mix everything together and serve warm, chilled or room temperature

*for my pork belly..i marinated it overnight in root beer.  i then cooked it in a roasting dish at 325 sitting on top of green apples...with a splash of soy sauce and a generous sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper. i let it just cook and cook and cook for about 5 or 6 hours.  i then keep it in the freezer for moments like these!

you might have noticed

that i had a little yogurt dip

to help squelch the spicy bite of the cayenne

this is just 

1 cup of non-fat greek yogurt

1 scallion--finely chopped

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt and pepper

and a few Tbs of chopped fresh mint

mix it all up and let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour before serving

EAT UP!!
i am linking up to my own linky..
tuesday night supper club
i hope to see you and your recipes there!

I am also linking up to Two for Tuesday's
blog hop which is pretty great too!