The last two pigs I've shot have been pretty good sized. The bellies were really thick and I am curing some bacon in my fridge right now. For those of you who've never made bacon, you really should give it a go. I explain each of these a little more over at my silly blog, but here are the basic tools you need to make bacon:

1. Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing by Ruhlman.
2. Coarse Kosher Salt
3. Pink Salt (6.25% sodium nitrite)
4. Dextrose
5. Pork
6. An Electronic Scale
7. 2 gallon Zip lock bags
8. Refridgerator
9. Smoker
10. Fresh Spices

Its such an easy process, I hate to think of all the fine pork belly ground into sausage. Or worse left lying.

Here is some of the last batch I cut into lardons to add to a pot of pinto beans:


For those of you who've made bacon before, can you add to the tools above?

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm bacon!

I didn't think wild pigs were fat enough to make bacon.

That looks good. I'm going to look that up, "The craft of salting, smoking and curing". by Ruhlman. Thanks for the post.

Sneaky it depends on the pig. I had to trim fat from my last pig. But it's my favorite part so I didn't trim that much

Good to know. I'll start looking for it.

Real bacon was never that fat to begin with, it's only gotten that way over time because they feed the absolute hell out of them these days.

Just remember that, if there's not enough belly meat to make bacon, you can always make Canadian bacon out of the back strap, the technique is the same.

If it does stink just get the water hose and soap out

nsmike, that's my next adventure in curing. Canuck Bacon.

true bacon is the back ( I just learned recently )

from French German root - meaning the back end
I was confused about Canadian Bacon til now.... learn something everyday


your bacon looks good, what 's your method of peeling the skin off?
do you do it on the carcass or trim with fillet knife on the table ?

Wiki bacon has lots of info. I simply skin the pig. I've seen Steve Rinella burn the hair off, which was pretty bad [censored], but I keep shooting them at night. If I get a mornin pig I'll try it so I can see what I'm doing.

Looks good. I love bacon

I've tried burning the hair off and it was a miserable failure. Stinks, the stink gets in the skin, it leaves the root of the hair in the skin, and did I mention the stink - yuck. Now scald and scrape works really well, but is a real chore alone. Much better with friends and a few beers.

Man that bacon looks good.

-ww

Good idea

Thanks Wader, I'll save myself the trouble.

I've recently started making my own bacon (first batch was finished about a week ago actually) and it is AMAZING! I had to buy a pork belly, but I would love to make it out of a shot hog. The book he mentioned (Charcuterie) is an amazing book if you have any interest in any kind of meat preservation (sausage, pastrami, smoking etc.)I've learned more from that book than any other thing.

The tools look great to me, My first batch was just cure and black pepper (I'm not a sweet bacon kind of guy), but next time I would like to try several kinds to see what I can make happen.

Bacon actually use to be (100 years ago) very fatty because hogs use to eat whatever was leftover scraps and what not and a lot of hogs back then were simply rendered for lard. Recently (from the 50's or so until the last maybe 10 years) Hogs got extreamly lean (cattle had a similar thing happen) there was a huge push for very lean meat to be served and that is what the industry did. Within the last 10 years the industry has gone back to a more "natrual" kind of hog where they feed them out quite a bit more to really get a good cover on them. All that being said I think a wild pig would make great bacon, even if it was lean. But that is just because I tend to like my bacon very meaty. I like the ends and things to render for lard because nothing makes food better than adding some bacon fat to it!

I guess I'll just have to get that book. Sounds like I'm missing out on all kinds of fun.

yha, lots has changed since the dark-ages. back in the cap&ball day's ta the age of piracy, the R-15 matie most have figured out bye now, i'm postaddic can remember whin the hogs were raised the pasture or hog pens, now adays its big ol hog barns. got hooked on hog hunten, years ago on first deer lease, the 24/7/365 made it worth getting lease. if tis blessed & get one down bye feeder or food plot for deer gonna try the bacon on public land 2or more miles back in got too many rough miles on these ol bones, settle for store bought good tips

Ruhlman. Is liking this thread
I know I already ordered his book

As the son of a meat cutter and grandson of an old German farmer, I got well acquainted with butchering hogs and makin' bacon, ham, and lots of different types of sausage.

Not processed but 1-2 wild hogs but the basics are the same. We scalded domestic hogs and used cup shaped scraper to remove hair from the hide. Often time left he hind on when curing bacon. I'm surprised if no one has had bacon with a "bacon rind" on one side.

Those who think the bacon is good, I'd suggest curing the hams. Great stuff.

ruhlman is the man I've had the book for 2 yrs and have been told by a few people that they have a new love for hunting since they have learned how to cure the pastrami,and polish sausage are my fav's