boykjo's bacon with pink salt test (Final pics)

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.......Can't be much longer now.....
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Looks like its gonna be a winner.  Just a note:  I have started to convert all my sausage and bacon recipes to weights instead of tsp tbs type measurements.  It is just more accurated that way and I don't have to worry as much about meat weights being close to whole pounds and such.  I wish I had started doing that from the beginning because it is a heck of a chore now that I have so many recipes to deal with.   
 
I would do that but i would want a scale that does milligrams..
 
My scale does 1/10 of a gram, that's all you really need.

Now back on topic........Where's the Bacon!!!
 
At work right now... will slice it up this afternoon
 
Metric here but Im still eyeball & feel for spices etc. Liquids,brines as per recipe but by the litre  or I  just use an empty wine bottle(always one laying around) to measure 4 bottles = 3 litres. Most of my  stuff is approx ,who am I  kidding all of my stuff is approx
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I use my scale set on eighths.

Since I use TQ, that's close enough.

Sometimes I'll use +  and -  to get closer, if I'm in the mood.

Bear
 
If you are going to smoke at low temps, you must do a traditional salt and cure brine. Your TQ is just salt with Instacure added.  The salt is what cures your bacon, the instacure is just added insurance as your meat will be in the danger zone for 10 or more hours. If your smoker is hotter than 180 degrees, you can do whatever you want but you will not have bacon, just smoked pork bellies.

May I suggest the the dry cure recipe from the Kutas book? It is so simple.

1 cup salt

4 tablespoons instacure No.1 ( I do cheat here)

2 cups honey

Mix salt and cure, well (that is why it is pink)

cut belly in half and skin

rub with salt mixture, use most of it for 1 full slab

rub in the honey - very messy but worth it

place in two baggies and refrigerate for 6 days, flipping every day (or two)

remove and rinse

I like to scrape with a sharp knife to remove more salt. I then rub with black pepper (you can use your rub recipe) and refrigerate overnight.

hang slabs in a cool place until dry to the touch. skip this step and your smoke will not penetrate and a black soot will form

smoke at 140 degrees until internal temp reaches 127-128 degrees F  You do not want the fat to liquefy so you have to keep the temp below 180 degrees
 
Sorry so late on the bacon..... W'ell The bacon came out great... Just the same as the bacon with the TQ. But a little less saltier. I too am concerned about the salt content for cold smoking even though my temps are a little higher cold smoking with a flood light... there were 6 tbs of salt in the 2 qts of liquid plus the 1 1/2 tsp of cure #1.........

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Sliced after a few day rest in the fridge

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fried up

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Thanks for looking

Joe
 
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