Brined bacon turned slimy

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biaviian

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
OTBS Member
Does anybody know what went wrong?  My bacon turned slimy using Pop's brine.  I have used it 3 other times with no issues but I let this one go for 10.5 days so I'm wondering if the time was the issue.  The 3 before I only let cure for 8 days.  No pictures because I just threw the belly away.  After investigating it I noticed that there was little to no meat on the bellies.  My butcher gave them to me for free.  I thought he was just being nice but I now think that an inexperienced person cut them and did a horrible job.  They were about 1/2" thick in most parts and up to 1.5" in a few spots.  So now not only am I out of bacon but I'm afraid the weather is getting too cold as I'm not sure how I can keep my temps below 100 in an MES.  I guess I could bring it into my garage and vent it out a window.
 
I'm not sure what went wrong with your Bacon but I wanted to say, Welcome back you been away awhile...JJ
 
Could the slime be fat?  With the cure I wouldn't think it was anything harmful.   Maybe the bellies just got to warm while curing?   Did you rinse before putting in the brine, where they a nice color and did they smell ok before and after the brine?

It's a lot easier throwing away free stuff then stuff you paid good money for!
 
No, they didn't get too warm.  I have my fridge running at 34 at all times.  I did rinse them before putting into the brine.  When taking them out of the brine they had zero odor to them and had a nice color.  They were just covered in slime.  Think of the old Ghost Busters movies. 

I guess there have been a lot of changes since I was last on this site.  I see we have at least two new moderators.  Congratulations!
 
Thanks,

We had a good number of people agree to help out the Admin team.  I am still learning how to be a moderator so please be patient with us! 
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I've never had it happen to me; the only thing i could imagine was there was some kind of impurity or impurities introduced into the brine ; either water-born fungal or bacterial contamination or are you sure you added curing salt to it?
 
Yeah, I'm certain I added the curing salt.  My water should be good because it actually goes through a UV light (killing all bacteria).  Maybe next time I'll use my RO water (it goes through UV then an RO filter).  No odd smell just slime. Not only was the belly slimy but the brine ended up getting a bit slimy itself (a VERY loose jelly 'texture').
 
Last edited:
Does anybody know what went wrong?  My bacon turned slimy using Pop's brine.  I have used it 3 other times with no issues but I let this one go for 10.5 days so I'm wondering if the time was the issue.  The 3 before I only let cure for 8 days.  No pictures because I just threw the belly away.  After investigating it I noticed that there was little to no meat on the bellies.  My butcher gave them to me for free.  I thought he was just being nice but I now think that an inexperienced person cut them and did a horrible job.  They were about 1/2" thick in most parts and up to 1.5" in a few spots.  So now not only am I out of bacon but I'm afraid the weather is getting too cold as I'm not sure how I can keep my temps below 100 in an MES.  I guess I could bring it into my garage and vent it out a window.
Why the concern for your ability to temps low.  colder weather should make it easier?
 
this just happened to me while i had (have) a deboned leg for a ham. i noticed it when i took the bag of water (for submersion purposes) out, it had a little slime on it. the smell was not horible but it was not wonderful either.
 
I recently tried a brine recipe from this site for bacon and over the 7 day soak it soured on me and I had to throw it away.  For bacon and Canadian bacon I like the control I get from dry curing.  I get better absorption of spices and flavorings too.  I typically desalinate for an hour before setting back in the frig to form the pellical.

My $0.02

Chuck
 
Chuck

You may want to reduce the amount of salt in your dry cure if you need to soak your bacon after curing.  Not sure how much salt you are using but one of the advantages of a dry cure is that you have a good deal of control of the salt. 
 
Biaviian, morning... I'm a little late to the party here..... Slimy brine is not always a sign to throw out the meat.... Below is a section from the highlighted line on making brine.... 

It is very interesting to say the least....  Anyone brining foods should at least read it once as a refresher and keep it for a reference, especially if you are as old as I am.... CRS disease forces me to re-read stuff so as to not kill myself or my loved ones....  I feel it is a good practice.....  Dave

http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/sausage-making/curing/making-brine
[h3]Bad brine symptoms[/h3]
  • White slime and foam on top
  • Milky color and foul odor
  • Brine turns blue in color
  • Brine becomes very tacky (gluey) to touch
It is normal for a thin scum or white mold to accumulate on top of the brine. This white foam should be periodically removed. In case the foam starts to give a foul odor, turn blue in color, or becomes much thicker slime we will have to remove the ham, wash it in cool water and place it again in freshly made brine. At the first suspicion of brine spoilage it should be replaced with a fresh one, in most cases there is nothing wrong with the meat itself which should be just rinsed. Bad brine was nicknamed “Ropy” pickle and was stringy, sticky or slimy dripping from the fingers like syrup. Cured meats should be completely immersed in brine and weighted down when necessary. Most important no meat should protrude from the brine as it may get spoiled and then ruin the whole brine.

If brining a large amount of meat, pack them together in a barrel without using excessive force. Heavy pieces like hams and shoulders on the bottom, lighter ones like bacon on the top. Then you can pour in the prepared solution covering all pieces. As the meats will start to shift and will come to the surface, place a suitable clean weight on top to prevent meat from contact with the air as this can spoil the brine. Pack meats the skin side down. The container should be placed preferably in a refrigerator or in a cool, well ventilated place.
 
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