Bacon cure problem

jnorth · Nov 5, 2012

I just used Bradley Maple Cure on 20 lbs of pork belly and after following their directions and having it cure for a week the bellies just are not cured, at all. I sliced a piece and fried it and there was no salt or maple flavor. The bellies don't look cured and didn't firm up much at all. I went ahead and smoked one of the bellies (~5lbs) and ya, its just smoked pork belly. On the plus side, that's still pretty tasty.

A friend of mine also just made some bacon using Bradley Maple Cure and it also has a very mild and salt free flavor. We have both used it in the past with more success. Could there have been a bad batch of cure?

So, my big question is can I salvage the remaining 15 lbs? Is it possible to safely rinse it off and cure it with tender quick or pop's brine (I seem to have the most success with that one)?

Thank you for any assistance.

pit 4 brains · Nov 5, 2012

I wish I could help on this one but I'm not familiar with Bradley's Maple Cure. By the looks of the directions I've found online, it seems to be a flavored TenderQuick-type product.

I'm not trying to insult you here by any means, but how are you sure it is not cured? Do you have any pics?

jnorth · Nov 5, 2012

I believe it is not cured since it has the exact same color, texture, and flavor as uncured pork belly. All the other bacon I've made (~100 lbs total) has had a noticeable difference in texture and flavor, same as the difference between smoked pork loin and Canadian bacon.

Yes, Bradley's Maple Cure is similar to Tender Quick or Morton's Sugar Cure but nitrite percent seems to be lower (.84% I believe, vs .5% each of nitrite and nitrate in Tender Quick)).

pit 4 brains · Nov 5, 2012

JNorth said:
I believe it is not cured since it has the exact same color, texture, and flavor as uncured pork belly. All the other bacon I've made (~100 lbs total) has had a noticeable difference in texture and flavor, same as the difference between smoked pork loin and Canadian bacon.

Yes, Bradley's Maple Cure is similar to Tender Quick or Morton's Sugar Cure but nitrite percent seems to be lower (.84% I believe, vs .5% each of nitrite and nitrate in Tender Quick)).

Well then I guess the stuff isn't cured!

The next step I would take is to call the manufacturer and tell them you have a batch of cure that doesn't cure and you ruined 20 lbs. of expensive pork belly with it. Maybe there was a bad "run of the mill" and the product was shipped. I highly doubt they would go to crazy with recalls and such. Hopefully you can get a new batch of cure shipped to you and maybe some compensation for the bellies, you never know.

On the other hand, you could order some #1 and just start making your own recipes for bacon. Keep us posted, this could be a good thread for others who use BMC..

-Pete

chefrob · Nov 5, 2012

Pit 4 Brains said:
Well then I guess the stuff isn't cured!

The next step I would take is to call the manufacturer and tell them you have a batch of cure that doesn't cure and you ruined 20 lbs. of expensive pork belly with it. Maybe there was a bad "run of the mill" and the product was shipped. I highly doubt they would go to crazy with recalls and such. Hopefully you can get a new batch of cure shipped to you and maybe some compensation for the bellies, you never know.

On the other hand, you could order some #1 and just start making your own recipes for bacon. Keep us posted, this could be a good thread for others who use BMC..

-Pete

best advice given.......save $$ and know it's done right.......

chef jimmyj · Nov 6, 2012

I assume you measured everything right, you are experienced after all, so it would not be safe to try to rinse off the Bradley Cure and attempt a second cure with something else. You have no idea if the mix had the proper amount of Nitrite or how much Nitrite was absorbed. I would continue overhauling the bellies and let them go another week or two then test again. If still not right, there are many Roasted, Braised or Fried Pork Belly Recipes on the net. There should be something that sounds good enough to you that you could take the bellies, as is, and make something great...JJ

big casino · Nov 6, 2012

JNorth said:
I just used Bradley Maple Cure on 20 lbs of pork belly and after following their directions and having it cure for a week the bellies just are not cured, at all. I sliced a piece and fried it and there was no salt or maple flavor. The bellies don't look cured and didn't firm up much at all. I went ahead and smoked one of the bellies (~5lbs) and ya, its just smoked pork belly. On the plus side, that's still pretty tasty.

A friend of mine also just made some bacon using Bradley Maple Cure and it also has a very mild and salt free flavor. We have both used it in the past with more success. Could there have been a bad batch of cure?

So, my big question is can I salvage the remaining 15 lbs? Is it possible to safely rinse it off and cure it with tender quick or pop's brine (I seem to have the most success with that one)?

Thank you for any assistance.

I don't know if you can save it or not, but maybe the temperatures were too low during your cure process?

jnorth · Nov 6, 2012

My fridge is only a bit above freezing (~32-33 degrees) so the temperature might have slowed things down. I'll give it another week and see how it looks. I do have a few recipes for pork belly I've been wanting to try if it doesn't turn out, if nothing else I'll add it to some more meat and turn it into sausage.

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Bacon cure problem

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