Wild Boar Bacon (Smoked)

Bacon is a treasure for any food lover. The mixture of intense fat and salt makes it pair well with most ingredients.

It was only natural to set out and try to make wild boar bacon.

Wild Boar Bacon Smoked

This recipe below makes some of the best bacon I’ve ever had. Feel free to eat it straight, or pair it with wild boar sausages or venison burgers.

Best Cut For Hog Bacon

One of the hardest parts of making wild boar bacon is selecting the right cut.

Wild Boar Bacon Smoked

The belly meat is the usual cut for bacon, but on wild hogs, there is very little meat, little fat, and the flavor is often overpowering.

Instead, to make wild boar bacon you should use a cut a little further up from the belly and beneath the bottom of the ribs.

This cut has ample fat and more meat than the belly, although you will still be using the side of the belly.

Curing The Meat

The most important step in making bacon is the curing process.

Wild Boar Bacon Smoked

Curing the meat does a few things, 1. it prevents any bacteria growth, 2. it tenderizes the meat, 3. it makes it a nice bright color, and 3, it adds flavor to the meat.

Seeing that curing does so much for the bacon it’s crucial to get this step right.

When curing wild boar bacon you will need to do a dry brine.

A dry brine means applying the curing salt and other ingredients directly to the meat without using any liquids.

Brine Mix

Understanding the curing salt mixture is essential to properly curing the bacon and not making anyone sick.

Wild Boar Bacon Smoked

Common salts used for curing bacon are Prague Powder no1, saltpeter, or colorozo salt if you are in Europe.

The main active ingredient is sodium nitrite in Prague powder and colorozo salt and potassium nitrate in saltpeter.

Depending on which part of the world you are in you will have different choices of the above salts.

For 1lb of hog bacon, you will require 1 gram of sodium nitrite, or potassium nitrate, and 10 grams of kosher salt.

Examples for 1lb of bacon:

Prague Powder – 1 gram, plus 10 grams of kosher salt

Colorozo salt – 11 grams

Saltpeter – 1 gram, plus 10 grams of kosher salt

Along with the salt, add some sugar and black pepper.

Steps:

Wild Boar Bacon Smoked
  1. Mix all the ingredients together and rub all over the bacon
  2. Vacuum pack the bacon or place it in a zip loc bag
  3. Set in fridge for 7 days, turning each day.
  4. The longer you brine the meat the saltier it will become. I find seven days to be perfect for 3lbs of wild boar bacon.
  5. Do not brine for less than 4 days as this is not enough to fully cure the meat.
  6. After 7 days remove the meat and rinse
  7. Return to the fridge on a wire tray to dry.

Drying the meat in the fridge forms a pellicle, which allows the smoke to adhere better to the meat. This gives the bacon a much more intense smokey flavor.

Wild Boar Bacon Smoked

Smoking Wild Boar Bacon

While you could slice and cook the meat after it’s cured, I highly recommend you don’t and smoke it instead.

Wild Boar Bacon Smoked

To smoke the meat:

  1. Set your smoker to about 170-180F
  2. Place bacon in the smoker
  3. Smoke for about 5 hours or until 150F internal temperature
  4. Allow to cool before slicing and frying

I like to use stronger flavored wood for wild boar bacon. My favorite is hickory but oak is another great choice.

Wild Boar Bacon Smoked

If you like real strong smoke you could use mesquite. I find lighter woods like cherry and apple, are lost on bacon, and best kept for wild boar ham.

Cooking Hog Bacon

Once the bacon is smoked allow it to rest and cool before slicing.

This will let the muscles relax and also makes for easier slicing.

Wild Boar Bacon Smoked

You could eat the bacon as is, once it has been held long enough at 145F.

But to get real value from it you will need to fry it or grill it.

Toss it on the pan and crisp it up for a real treat. I also like to serve it with wild boar sausages or my favorite is topping venison burgers with wild boar bacon.

Wild Boar Bacon Smoked

Wild Boar Bacon

You tried standard bacon, now try something better. This bacon is sweet, savory, salty, and smoked. Can be served cold, or crisped over high heat. No matter how you try it, you will love it.
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Course: Breakfast, Main
Cuisine: International
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 hours
Servings: 16
Author: Rusty

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs hog meat note 1
  • 33 grams curing salt note 2
  • 1.5 tbsp black pepper whole
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar

Instructions

  • Lightly crack the black pepper
  • Add all the ingredients to a bowl, minus the meat, and mix
  • In a container, cover the hog meat entirely with the mixture
  • Place in a veccum bag and seal, or use a ziploc bag.
  • Place the sealed meat in the refrigerator for 4-7 days (longer means saltier), turning everyday
  • Remove the meat from the bag and thoroughly rinse and pat dry.
  • Place on a wire rack with a container underneath to catch drippings. Return to the fridge for 12-24 hours
  • Set your smoker to 170-180F, add in your favorite wood
  • Place the bacon in the smoker over a drip tray and smoke for approx 5 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 150F
  • Allow to cool before slicing, then fry on a hot cast iron pan or under the broiler

Notes

  1. Wild boar bacon doesn't come directly from the belly, but rather a little further up towards the ribs.
  2. Curing salt is a mixture of normal salt and sodium nitrite. The mixture is 10-1 if using Prague powder. I.E 10 grams of kosher salt for 1 gram of Prague powder, this will cure 1lb of bacon.

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