Home slicer for bacon

[BamaNapper]

I'm looking for a suggestion for a home slicer for bacon. Lots of models out there, but I'm not looking to slice cheese or lunch meats. Those products come in a 6" block or tube. But a pork belly, while only a couple inches thick, is about a foot wide. The carriages on most home slicers don't look like they give enough travel to slice a pork belly.

My small home slicer gave up the ghost this morning while I was slicing up about 20# of bacon. The part that broke is obsolete so the slicer is trash. This was a 7" or 8" slicer and I have always been frustrated that I had to roll and curl the belly because the carriage would not pull back far enough from the blade. Today i was slicing buckboard bacon, which is made from shoulders, and it was the same fight.

Y'all are the largest knowledge base I know of. Any thoughts on a suitable slicer? I only use it a few times a year so I really can't justify the cost of a commercial unit. I know someone out there has a home slicer that they're running bacon through.

[JimB..]

I have never made bacon, but I’m curious why you don’t just cut it in half before slicing it.

[Winger Ed.]

When I was looking for one, I was surprised at what they cost once you got beyond the Chinese trash.

I started looking for used or rebuilt ones.
I found a older, commercial, 13" Hobart for $500. it was used, but had a new ($200) blade on it.

[country gent]

When we were making bacon we always used a big thin bladed knife similar to a fillet fnife that was razor sharp. the block was chilled just short of freeing to stiffen it then a very light coat of cooking oil on the blade sliced nicely but then we didnt want paper thin either

[BamaNapper]

I have never made bacon, but I’m curious why you don’t just cut it in half before slicing it.

I have done that. Same bacon, just in 6" long slices. I guess to answer your question, its just a matter of presentation. And I admit that's a rather silly reason to spend 5x the money on a slicer. If it comes down to spending hundreds more for a slicer with a long carriage, I'll happily eat 6" bacon or put up with folding or rolling it to run it through the slicer.

[GregLaROCHE]

I big quality slicer will cost a lot these days. You could always freeze it and cut it with a band saw.

[country gent]

You lose a lot to the band saw blade. About .040 per cut so every 3-4 cuts youve got a strip in the chip pan. one of the wavy knife edge type bands would be better. A small table top band saw with a rip fence might work.

[MaryB]

I use this knife to slice bacon. When not in use it resides in its sheath in a drawer https://www.countryknives.com/shop-b...slicing-knife/

$74

Also use it on turkey, ham, beef, cutting jerky... anywhere I want uniform slices.

[Minerat]

I use one of these to slice jerkey meat. As long as you run the knife over a steel before each use it works very well. Should work for bacon too.

https://www.amazon.com/TSM-Products-...047020&sr=8-22

[GregLaROCHE]

Cutting with a knife takes practice to get consistent slices, but it works.

[BamaNapper]

I use one of these to slice jerkey meat. As long as you run the knife over a steel before each use it works very well. Should work for bacon too.

https://www.amazon.com/TSM-Products-...047020&sr=8-22

Okay, I'm intrigued. It wouldn't be the fastest option, but I can see it being useful for a couple purposes. Thanks for the recommendation.