Problem with my BBB, Need some help......Please......

[diggingdogfarm]

The misunderstanding and confusion will come in calling it a combination of brining and dry curing, which it is not, instead of calling pumping/massaging, which it is in the context of the recommended levels of nitrate/nitrate.

 

[alblancher]

Diggy,  that's why I was very careful not to have an opinion one way or the other about the technique you described.   We talk quite often about dry cures, soaks and pump and soak.  Unfortunately I am not as familiar with pump and massage. 

From your description it appears that you are injecting a brine and then coating with a dry cure but until I get a chance to learn more about the technique and it's application that's about all I can say.  I am home from work now so I hope to get a chance to do a bit more reading. 

200 ppm is std for immersion/pump

 

[chef jimmyj]

Please don't confuse the issue, what I do is defined as "pumping", where the maximum recommended safe level a nitrite is 200ppm. I'm well within safe limits.
See the Processing Inspector's Manual for more details.

Hey Dog can you confirm I am looking at the right page and Manual. I am looking at page 28 of the Processing Inspectors Calculation Handbook http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FSISDirectives/7620-3.pdf    It says...

" Pumped and/or Massaged Bacon (rind-off): An amount of 120 ppm sodium nitrite ( or 148 ppm potassium nitrite), ingoing, is required in pumped and/or massaged bacon...Etc..."

Further down...

" Dry Cured Bacon (rind-off): A maximum of 200 ppm nitrite or equivalent of potassium nitrite (246 ppm) can be used in Dry Cured Bacon....Etc..."

If this is the manual you are referring to and it is the same for Buck Board as it is for Belly...I am confused as to how you came up with 200 ppm as the Maximum for Pumping. And in your earlier post you said you calculate your Combined method at 156 ppm...So is your Custom Mix ok for Dry curing but high for Pumped or Massaged?

I'm not trying to give you a hard time I am just trying to clear this up for maintaining the Safe use of Cure for our members. Thanks...JJ

 Update...OK, Thanks to Solar, I now see this,120 ppm, is the Minimum for Refrigerated Bacon and 200 ppm is the Max...Very cool! Thanks Joel and Thanks to Digging Dog for what sounds like a viable option...JJ

 

[solaryellow]

The maximums are on page 12 JJ.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Update...OK, Thanks to Solar, I now see this,120 ppm, is the Minimum for Refrigerated Bacon and 200 ppm is the Max...Very cool! Thanks Joel and Thanks to Digging Dog for what sounds like a viable option...JJ

 

[alblancher]

I did a brief search for the actual technique and came up empty.   I didn't see a "how to" in the handbook but I did see the recommended concentrations of cure.  I wonder if this procedure is more popular with manufacturers and processors then the hobbiest.

Diggydogfarm can you or anyone else familiar with this technique please post the methodology?  It sounds pretty simple and may be useful to others that read the forum.  Thanks

 

[pops6927]

http://science.discovery.com/search/results.html?focus=site&query=bacon&search=

There was a clip on "How It's Made" on the Science Channel showing the process of bacon injection/massage with belly bacon; it is a commercial process; immersion and curing doesn't exist in commercial production.  It is all high concentration quick cure inject and massage processing.  We make 'artisian' products, not commercial products. (Video is on the right hand side, first pane, click it to run- with commercials, of course, lol!)

 

[alblancher]

Boy that looks appetizing,  it doesn't show the application of a dry cure after injection though.     That video is why I don't serve store bought bacon!  Imagine, a shower of liquid smoke?

 

[pops6927]

If I remember correctly there was an article on Morton's[emoji]174[/emoji] site on a combination injection and dry cure process using a sweet pickle cure and sugar dry cure for hams, I'll see if I can find it.

Boy that looks appetizing,  it doesn't show the application of a dry cure after injection though.     That video is why I don't serve store bought bacon!  Imagine, a shower of liquid smoke?

 

[shoneyboy]

http://science.discovery.com/search/results.html?focus=site&query=bacon&search=

There was a clip on "How It's Made" on the Science Channel showing the process of bacon injection/massage with belly bacon; it is a commercial process; immersion and curing doesn't exist in commercial production.  It is all high concentration quick cure inject and massage processing.  We make 'artisian' products, not commercial products. (Video is on the right hand side, first pane, click it to run- with commercials, of course, lol!)

This is was how we did it in class. The bacon was not bad, but it's nothing like the bacon we make ...... the liquid smoke doesn’t do it justice to me. I think the one big advantage was that the pork was so fresh; it had a better taste than the store bought, but it was not nearly as good as some of the home made bacon I have had…..

 

[diggingdogfarm]

Keep in mind that the inspector's book is not intended for the general public, so there's a lot of information left out.
Anyway, the combination cure method that I use is actually very old, it was used by many folks years ago when applying Tender Quick and the like to larger pieces of meat.
I stay at 156ppm to avoid argument because that is the generally accepted level of safe nitrite for home curing.

 

[pops6927]

http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/curing-meat-at-home-zmaz73jfzraw.aspx

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/1972-11-01/Cutting-and-Curing-Pork.aspx

http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/butchering-lamb-curing-meat-at-home-zmaz73mjzraw.aspx

http://www.motherearthnews.com/real...g-jerky-preparing-wild-game-zmaz73mazraw.aspx

Here is an old version (1973) of the Morton's Curing Guide as summarized in Mother Earth News in the above links.  The method referred to is in one of the chapters in cutting and curing pork guide, known as "Combination Cure", injecting a sweet pickle cure into a ham around the bone, then curing it also from the outside-in using dry cure.

 

[alblancher]

Thanks for the links Pops

 

[ronrude]

I dry brine mine for 10 days, that may be why I haven't had trouble along with butterflying.  Haven't tried wet yet.