Mike CHS
Herd Master
What was considered "done" when your DH was smoking the bacon. Did he go by temp or something else. I haven't tried to do my own bacon but I have access to fresh pork quarters and might try the bacon myself.
Feeder Pigs 2017
- Thread starter Baymule
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- #122
Baymule
Herd Master
I told him not to let the temp get too high, didn't want it roasted! He kept the temp from 150 degrees to under 200 degrees for 2 hours per half side. We only put a half side, cut in half on the pit at a time.
Mike CHS
Herd Master
Thanks - that gives me a pretty good idea what you were shooting for.
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- #124
Baymule
Herd Master
Keeping our 10 month old and 2 year old grand daughters today. I pulled them around in the wagon. The 2 year old wanted to see the pigs.
Catherine: I want to see the pigs.
Mamaw: We don't have them anymore.
C: you don't?
M: we made them into meat and they are in the freezer.
C: in the freezer? Eat the pigs!
M: do you like bacon?
C: yes
M: I will cook you some. It came from our pig Spot.
We went in the house and I got out a package of bacon. I defrosted it then baked it in the oven. We kept a conversation going about growing pigs and eating them. I gave her a piece of bacon and she thoroughly enjoyed it. Then she had a jelly sandwich made with Mamaw's jelly. God is good.
Catherine: I want to see the pigs.
Mamaw: We don't have them anymore.
C: you don't?
M: we made them into meat and they are in the freezer.
C: in the freezer? Eat the pigs!
M: do you like bacon?
C: yes
M: I will cook you some. It came from our pig Spot.
We went in the house and I got out a package of bacon. I defrosted it then baked it in the oven. We kept a conversation going about growing pigs and eating them. I gave her a piece of bacon and she thoroughly enjoyed it. Then she had a jelly sandwich made with Mamaw's jelly. God is good.
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- #126
Baymule
Herd Master
We gave our daughter some bacon when she got here to pick up the girls. She went back for seconds and kept saying how good it was. She said bacon like that couldn't be found even in a gourmet restaurant. We sent her home with some bacon, loin, and smoked sausage.
misfitmorgan
Herd Master
Looks delicious Bay!!
mystang89
True BYH Addict
@Baymule I've read through his you BUTCHERED the pic but the friend of mine is saying the pig needs to sit in a brine, in the fridge, for a couple of weeks to cure. Can you tell me what you do after you get the pig skinned. Do you immediately cut it into pieces and then freeze? What is the process after it's gutted to when it's finished?
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- #129
Baymule
Herd Master
@mystang89 I did not brine the meat. What I did was to place the quartered pieces on ice in large ice chests. If you wanted to do this, then shake some salt over the top. As the ice melts, the salt will mix up with the ice water and brine your meat. Or you can dissolve salt in some water and pour it in the ice chest. All it does is draw the blood out of the meat, but if you hung the carcass and bled it out immediately after shooting the hog, then that is really not needed. I have brined deer carcasses in ice water, draining the water and adding ice daily to soak the blood out of the meat. With the hog, I drained the ice chest daily and added more ice for a couple of days. But that was because I was helping to process the second pig that was slaughtered.
If you soak the pig meat in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks in brine, then you are going to wind up with some slimy, nasty, well on it's way to being spoiled meat.
If Mr. Friend knows so much, give him his pig and let him have at it. But for yours, let's operate a little smarter. It is not necessary to brine the meat at all, nor do you need to soak it in ice for days and days. I'd say that you could start processing the next day or two after getting it packed on ice. I certainly didn't waste any time getting mine in the freezer. What was left in the ice chest was all the pieces I ground for sausage. I packed some for pan sausage and some I stuffed and DH smoked on the pit. 
On the bacon, cut all you can off the ribs down to the belly. Then cut into several more manageable pieces. THIS you brine in the refrigerator for several days-a week and you are getting up to the line on the slimy ick. Not there, just getting up to it, so if you brine the bacon for a week, you are still safe, but I wouldn't go over that. Smoke it low (150 to 200 degrees) and slow. Smoke it no less than 2 hours, longer is better, like up to 4-6 hours. But if you are tired and just want to git 'er done, 2-3 hours is still good.
Be careful with salt rubs. I followed directions on one slab of bacon, rubbing salt into the meat as described and would up with bacon so salty that we could barely eat it.
If you have any more questions I will be happy to help. I am no pig butchering expert, but I did it and we ate it.
If you soak the pig meat in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks in brine, then you are going to wind up with some slimy, nasty, well on it's way to being spoiled meat.
If Mr. Friend knows so much, give him his pig and let him have at it. But for yours, let's operate a little smarter. It is not necessary to brine the meat at all, nor do you need to soak it in ice for days and days. I'd say that you could start processing the next day or two after getting it packed on ice. I certainly didn't waste any time getting mine in the freezer. What was left in the ice chest was all the pieces I ground for sausage. I packed some for pan sausage and some I stuffed and DH smoked on the pit. On the bacon, cut all you can off the ribs down to the belly. Then cut into several more manageable pieces. THIS you brine in the refrigerator for several days-a week and you are getting up to the line on the slimy ick. Not there, just getting up to it, so if you brine the bacon for a week, you are still safe, but I wouldn't go over that. Smoke it low (150 to 200 degrees) and slow. Smoke it no less than 2 hours, longer is better, like up to 4-6 hours. But if you are tired and just want to git 'er done, 2-3 hours is still good.
Be careful with salt rubs. I followed directions on one slab of bacon, rubbing salt into the meat as described and would up with bacon so salty that we could barely eat it.
If you have any more questions I will be happy to help. I am no pig butchering expert, but I did it and we ate it.
The aging process I believe is more important for wild hogs as opposed to home raised.
