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Equipment to make Make Delicious Bacon

There are so many options when it comes to equipment for making your own delicious bacon. When I first started planning this write-up, it got a bit scary writing down all the different equipment that you could use- there are so many options! But hopefully, it helps whether you are smoking/cooking the bacon and then cutting it into nice thick …

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The Most Useful Dry Curing Meat Curing Books I Have Read

Here is a helpful rundown of the best books I have found on meat curing, dry curing, and smoking food; these are books I have re-read and used as references throughout this site, the best of the best! Best Most Useful Meat Curing Books These ‘go-to books‘ are very useful for someone trying to learn dry curing and smoking; they’re …

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Gift Ideas for Meat Curing & Smoking

Here are my top picks on some novel suppliers to try, useful tools & books for info or inspiration that are worth giving to someone or giving to yourself! I’ve tested many different tools and equipment over the years, and I thought it would be useful to share some of the all-time most helpful and practical equipment I have used, …

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The Best Portable Smokers for Camping (with Analysis!)

I love to bring a portable smoker camping, I’ve checked out a lot and reckon that I’ve come across the best around. There was a fair bit of analysis that went into portable smokers, and some smokers are best for different types of scenarios. As an update to this, I’ve now included RV camping options and also expanded on what would …

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How Does a Pellet Smoker Tube Work? (Smoking Guide)

How a pellet tube smoker is simple, there are quite a few different ways that you can use it, which I want to go over. I’ve had a lot of fun playing around with pellet tube smoking both cold smoking and hot smoking on various different types of smokers for 20 years. I looked around for the right type of …

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Some Charcuterie Idea Recipes for Beginners (Meat Curing & Smoking)

When you start with charcuterie as a beginner it can seem overwhelming with all the variations out there, in our very online connected world (low information diet is the key I reckon). The definition of charcuterie encompasses a lot more than dry-cured meats for most people, which I guess now becomes whatever you want to highlight your charcuterie board (but …

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How Much Curing Salt Per Pound of Meat? (Tool & Calculator)

Meat Curing Calculator Tool Method Equilibrium Dry Curing or Equilibrium Wet Brining Meat Weight lb kg g Pink curing salt % Salt % Water % % Calculations Pink Curing Salt 1.59 g or 0.056 oz (optional depending on preference or recipe) Sea Salt 15.88 g or 0.56 oz Water 0.181 litres or 0.048 gallons Information About Salt Per Pound for …

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Cold Smoked vs Hot Smoked Bacon – Which is Better?

Smoking bacon either with the cold or hot smoked method can both lead to some excellent outcomes. There are quite a few differences and remember, pretty much all the bacon you buy will be cold smoked. I have tried both hot and cold smoking using various different techniques and equipment. So I thought I would share what I’ve learned over …

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How to Match & Pair Smoking Wood for Flavor to Meat

Matching wood to meat can be simple, so I like to use universal smoking wood as a first choice. I’ll explain this in detail; it’s a simple and effective method of pairing smoking wood with different types of meat. Some flavors are better suited to the more substantial types of smoking hardwood available. From my experience, I think they all …

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The Delicious World of Cured Meat, but is Cured Meat Keto?

Cured meat has many forms, and keto is a diet that has some cross-over, it needs some explaining, however. I’ve been involved in keto as a lifestyle and personally tried many of the other diets and lifestyle programs. Since I have a deeper understanding of cured meats than most folks, here is, hopefully, some helpful information that elaborates since cured …

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How to Cure Wild Game Meat (Know How, Pictures & Tips)

When I first started curing wild game meat a few decades ago, I based my ideas on the techniques used for lean, dry curing, and Italian recipes. The results were fantastic! At the end of the day, meat is meat, and wild meat is generally leaner. Curing the meat allows a whole other level of appreciation from what you harvest …

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Getting to Know the Main Ingredients for Curing Meat

The main ingredients for curing meats vary between the styles and methods, but one ingredient is always sea salt. I love all the different styles I have discovered for cured meat and use rivals in them at home. I’ve savored many years making recipes and using the craft of cold smoking, hot smoking, low & slow to dry curing meats. …

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Steps on How to Cure Meat with Salt (with Pictures)

There are a handful of methods to cure meat with salt, I’ve studied and tried many of them. Curing meat has so many different variations; the meat curing world is infinitely much larger than Italian classic salami or salumi. This post is an overview to explain each step and how I use salt to cure meat in different ways. When …

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How to Make Awesome Bacon at Home- (Variations & Guide)

After a few decades of studying and making bacon, I want to share what I’ve learned to help you discover how to make bacon with accurate salt perception so you can enjoy it exactly how you like. Being a huge bacon lover, I’ve tried quite a few techniques and styles on how to make bacon at home. I have showcased …

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How to Cure Meat Before Hot Smoking (Dry & Wet Curing)

This completely depends on your interpretation of curing; some experts say it’s a salt-curing effect, and others say it’s the nitrates/nitrites added to a dry or wet/brine-curing mix. Hence, the confusion. Hot Smoking, especially cooking and baking meat until the internal temperature is cooked and safe to eat. Warm Smoking, which is in between cold smoking and hot smoking, is …

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Tools & Equipment for Smoking & Grilling Meat

I get asked a fair bit what ideal gift ideas someone who loves smoking meat would want. So here is a breakdown of what I find super useful for someone who loves smoking and grilling. Sometimes you just want to know what other equipment could help bring out the best in your cooking. Tools for any Style of Meat Smoking  …

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Beginners Guide to Smoking Meat (Techniques & Pictures)

As a beginner, once you get your head around the basics of smoking food it just gets easier and easier. Rather than dealing with each different smoke technique, this is a beginner guide to go over all the approaches you can do at home that I have learned over the years. I’ve learned, practiced, and taught people all the different styles possible. …

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Methods of Curing Meat

The different methods for curing meat date back thousands of years. Although the methods have been refined over the years, the essence of curing meat still remains the same. Dry curing and smoking meat is all about the preservation effect of salt. I researched its history and have used these methods for several decades. This site offers many articles based …

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Complete Guide to Tea Wok Smoking Food

When I started smoking food in a wok with tea and wood, it was awesome to try out all kinds of flavor combinations. Because you can do this inside without a smoker, many people can give it a go. Fish fillets turned out amazing, but then I realized there were so many other options available for light smoking. So I …

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How Much Does a BBQ Smoker Cost? Charcoal, Electric or Gas

I am always interested in all kinds of smokers and how much they cost. I spend too much time in the BBQ stores, that’s for sure. I’ve been to many BBQ conferences, festivals, and events. I love smokers and the flavors you get from them, with meat but also heaps of dairy and vegetables. The old kettle classics and the …