Cowboy Charcuterie
Cowboy Charcuterie (Buckboard Bacon)
I found out about this great recipe while talking pork bellies with a guy in Costco. I knew he was making bacon because he was flipping the bellies over and looking for the right size. He was also very friendly and was involved with his church. As we spoke he asked “you ever fixed buckboard bacon?” I had never even heard of it. "It is like bacon except you use a pork shoulder." So that started me looking around for recipes and I came across this one of considerable worth. It takes longer to prepare but is cheaper and doesnt have to be fried. Additionally as with all recipes there’s varying opinions about trimming the fat off the pork. I trim off any thick fat cap leaving a thin layer of fat on the outside and all the internal fat.
This uses the equilibrium method at 2.25% cure.
Cowboy Charcuterie (Buckboard Bacon)
INGREDIENTS
Note: 2.25% cure, (ingredients below for 1000g pork butt) See Note 1 below.
1000 g small pork butt
22.5 g kosher salt
2.5 g Cure #1
10 g black pepper coarsely ground
50 g honey
3 cloves garlic large; pressed
INSTRUCTIONS
Trim the fat (as desired) and weigh the meat in grams. Divide by 1000, then multiply each ingredient above by that number. For example, if your belly weighs 2650 g, you need to multiply the ingredients specified above by 2.65. It's much easier using metric, using Imperial (US Customary) measurements may be a little more challenging.
Combine the salt, Cure #1, and black pepper in a small bowl.
Rub the dry cure mix evenly on all sides of the pork butt. Evenly apply pressed garlic.
Place the meat into a large ziploc bag and drizzle the honey spreading it evenly over the meat. Seal and refrigerate for 8-10 days, flipping and massaging once daily. Remove as much air as possible while sealing the bag.
Remove the meat from the bag, scrape off excess seasonings and pat dry with paper towels.
Place the meat on a sheet pan with cooling rack. Refrigerate uncovered overnight.
Meanwhile, preheat your smoker/smokehouse to 200-225 deg F.
Smoke for 4-6 hours, depending on how smoky you want your buckboard bacon and how much color you want on it. Remove from smoker/smokehouse when an internal meat probe reaches 155F.
Chill the meat for 10-12 hours.
Hang the bacon in a cool room or a curing chamber for 5-7 days to dry at about 55F and 75% relative humidity. If you don't have a cold room or a curing chamber, simply wrap the meat twice in unglazed butcher's paper and refrigerate for a week.
Remove wrap, slice and vacuum seal in small bags. Ready to eat. Refrigerate and/or freeze for longer storage.
Urban Cowgill October 2023
