Homemade Buckboard Bacon

Well I completed the whole 20lb of pork boston butt into buckboard bacon. The 1st batch, 2 slabs made by taking a huge 10lb half boston butt roast, deboning it, and splitting it into 2 near equal slabs. They were seasoned with tenderquick, kosher salt, black pepper and granulated garlic, and brown sugar. Into large plastic bags and into a cold frig they went for 6 days. This was rinsed and patted dry on day 6. Next I rolled it as tight as possible and trussed it with baking twine from one end to the other. Pork butt rolls went into smoker which runs at 200F to a max of 250F. Filled the smoker pan with maple (was out of apple) wood chips twice. Once at start, and 1.5 hours later. Turned rolls over at 2.5 hour point. Removed this batch at 4 hours. Internal temp was 150F. Chilled in frig for a few hours, and Sliced and bagged product later in evening, and taste tested same. Folks I shared with liked it but I felt it was too salty and strong in flavor.
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Yesterday I did the second batch. There were a couple of changes. After curing in frig for 7 days, seasoned and in bags, I decided to break the rules. I read somewhere about rinsing cure seasonings off meat, but not soaking meat in water. Sorry, but the 1st batch was too strong, my prerogative. After rinsing very well, I filled the bag up with clean water and poured that off twice. Then I went for the gold, and filled the bag up with clean water and let them soak in frig for 2 or 3 hours. Drained bags again, patted slabs dry, rolled and used skewers to keep rolls neat and tight rolled and very even. Then I tied / trussed rolls. Pulled the skewers out and popped rolls in smoker. Everything else was as above except smoked to 4.5 hours total (it was cooler outside and raining most of smoking period). Internal temp was 150F. Chilled in frig over night, and sliced and taste tested this morning. I ate 2 big BLTs. It was much better than yesterdays batch. Very good flavor, and not to salty or strong. I will do this again, and again, and again.
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I have pictures. See them posted below.

 

just some of Tacs Buckboard Bacon

 

Guess who? about 8 lb BB Bacon

 

Dang Chief, I hope you wear a cover out in that Florida sun! . Good looking bacon tho.

 

Tacmotusn, wow it looks so great even better in a bigger picture..lol
I have another 5 pounder of bacon in my frig, and will try what you did on you second batch!!!! Thank you for explaining it so well.

This is my pepperoni in the oven and my 2 pound bacon. It is awesome.

 

I need your pepperoni recipe. Details. As much as you can provide. Pretty pretty please. This may turn out to be a real good winter.

 

Home-made Beef Pepperoni Recipe

I put all of the ingredients together and stirred it and then put it in the hamburger. I spent a lot of time mixing it by hand.
I put it in the frig. for about 60 hours. It said 48-72. That being the least time or max time. Then I brought it out at 60 hours and rolled it in logs. Mine are not very good looking and fat. I need to work on that next time. Hope that works out.

You have to turn them a QUARTER TURN every 2 hours. A total of 8 hours. MIne are not completely round and had a hard time on the turn...lol

Again, I love the way you displayed your bacon. It looks scrumptious. As I said, I am going to try your way(on the bacon) on my next one.

 

I have copied your recipe and printed it below.
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Home-made Beef Pepperoni

• Time 480 minutes
• Serves 16

Ingredients

• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 2 tspn liquid smoke flavoring - delete if using wood smoker
• 2 tspn ground black pepper
• 2 tspn mustard seed
• 1 1/2 or 2 tsp crushed fennel seed (optional) - use
• 2 tspn crushed red pepper (optional) - use
• 1/2 tspn garlic powder
• 1 tspn paprika
• 1 tspn cayenne
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 TBS plus 1 tspn Morton's Tender Quick salt

How to make it

• Mix seasonings and meat thoroughly (use your hands).
• Cover with foil or cling film and refrigerate for 48-72 hours.
• Preheat oven to 200F
• Roll meat into two long logs.
• Use your broiler pan, or place a rack on a pan that can drain, on a cookie sheet and place the rolls on the rack.
• Bake at 200 degrees for 8 hours.
• Rotate logs every 2 hours.
• Sausages will be pink when finished, and should be fairly dry and firm.
• Wipe off excess grease and allow meat to cool.
• You can roll the sausages in cracked black pepper, if you like, before cooling.
• Wrap and chill.
• To serve, slice into thin pieces.
• You can refrigerate them for up to 2 weeks or freeze for longer.

 

@tacmotusn IMO:

no liquid smoke if you are wood smoking
I love fennel, I'd use it
me, I prefer crushed red pepper, no cayenne or paprika here
tsp is always teaspoon in every recipe I've used. TBS = tablespoon.

 

As an aid to turning properly I would suggest you form your logs as a desired round log on one of those thin flimsy cutting sheets. Then apply a bit of pressure with something like a metal frying spatula/turner to flatten out top and bottom slightly. You are not actually trying to form a cube, but just to give yourself a somewhat flat spot to keep it from rolling. Not that I think near square would hurt a darn thing. Turn it 1/4 turn and repeat. At that point, you should be in business!

 

Hi tacmotusn,
I did not use fennel, but, would have if I had had it.
I did not use the liquid wood smoke. I see no reason why you could not put it in the smoker.
I used paprika and cayenne. I put 1 tsp per 2 lbs of meat so I used 2.5 since I had 5 lbs.
I used 2 tsp. Teaspoons red flake pepper per 2 lbs.

Good Luck, Sir!

 

Thank you, tacmotusn for the idea for the spatula. It would have been hilarious watching me do it the way I did. I did use a piece of cellophane to make the roll..lol my square roll...lol
Your idea would have worked perfectly. I will do it next time and have really nice round logs..lol
Thank you very much!

 

Let me also add, one spice missing from pearlsby's recipe is rosemary. If it were me, I'd add just a little bit. It is one of my all-time favorites to add to many beef recipes.

 

You are right, Tobit. I love Rosemary. I keep Rosemary to dry. So, I should have thought of it.

Take note tacmotusn and use some Rosemary!!

Thanks, Tobit!!

 

Actually I have a metal nonstick baking pan aprox 6 x 10 x 2, I could line it with foil or saran wrap, pack the meat spice mixture into it tightly to 1/2 inch of the top. Invert and plop that sucker down on my plastic cutting sheet. Would have a rectangular blob of seasoned meat 6 x 10 x 1.5 inch. with a sharp knife and a firm downward pressure cut into 2 pieces 3 x 10 x 1.5. Once more lengthways and I would have 4 square logs 1.5 x 1.5 x 10 inches. Why not square pepperoni? Uniform and easy to rotate.

 

Yes, good idea! I have a square pan too. You sure do have good ideas @tacmotusn!!

 

Why not just push it through a tube, and pack it from one end? Would that be feasible?

 

nope, not touching this..

Kellroy,, go hunt already.