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Left belly for bacon in Pop's brine too long...

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worktogthr

worktogthr

Master of the Pit
Original poster
OTBS Member
SMF Premier Member
Nov 3, 2013
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Massapequa, NY (Long Island)
I was curing about ten pounds of belly in Pop's brine to make bacon. It's now been in the brine for about 3 weeks because life got in the way and I never got to smoke it. Will this be ok? I know pop's recommends 10-14 days. I am almost positive that I read something about equalization of the brine or something but I didn't really understand it... Not a science guy haha. Will there be chance it will be overly salty or am I good to go. Plan on removing it from the brine tomorrow, giving it a few more days in the fridge to form
The pellicle and smoke on Thursday or Friday. Thanks!
 
i would soak it in a bucket of fresh water for a while,cut a little piece and fry to see if it's to salty,if so soak it longer,easier to get salt out now than after you smoke it.good luck
 
smokerjim said:
i would soak it in a bucket of fresh water for a while,cut a little piece and fry to see if it's to salty,if so soak it longer,easier to get salt out now than after you smoke it.good luck
Click to expand...

I think I will rinse in cold water like I normally do... Test fry a piece first to check salt content and then if it's too salty soak it for a while. Thanks for the help!!
 
Your good to smoke it just like normal. The salt level will be the same as always. The nitrite won't start breaking down till around 35 days.
 
Thanks all for calming me down... So I took the three pieces out of the brine...

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Coated them with pepper, garlic and onion
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And into the fridge for a few days to dry out:

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Planning to smoke on Friday. Thinking about using straight hickory. Last time I used a blend but this time I want more of a robust smoky flavor that hickory gives. Any opinions on this?
 
worktogthr said:
Planning to smoke on Friday. Thinking about using straight hickory. Last time I used a blend but this time I want more of a robust smoky flavor that hickory gives. Any opinions on this?
Click to expand...
What kind of wood is a matter of preference. If you are cold smoking you can also add more smoke time with a milder wood like apple oak or cherry. I read someones thread a while back that had 18 hours of smoke so I tried it and I wish I would have stopped at 12 hours. Just preference. It also soaks in and mellows out some so it is not a bad idea to keep good notes on how it turned out and if you want to make any changes or not.
 
Last edited:
Woodcutter said:
What kind of wood is a matter of preference. If you are cold smoking you can also add more smoke time with a milder wood like apple oak or cherry. I read someones thread a while back that had 18 hours of smoke so I tried it and I wish I would have stopped at 12 hours. Just preference. It also soaks in and mellows out some so it is not a bad idea to keep good notes on how it turned out and if you want to make any changes or not.
Click to expand...

Last time I used a blend that contained hickory, Apple, cherry, and maple. It came out good but hickory to me is a classic bacon flavor. Last time I warm smoked at about 120 and gave it 8-10 hours until it got to the color I wanted. Maybe I'll just go by color again with hickory... I also have maple pellets that are an option.
 
Here's the next question. I'm smoking Friday. Usually I like to give it a few days to mellow before I partially freeze, slice, Vaccuum pack and back in the freezer. Only problem is. I am leaving early Sunday morning for a 4 day trip to Lake George. Can it rest in the fridge for that long or should I freeze it in whole pieces Saturday night and slightly thaw and Slice when I get back?
 
worktogthr said:
Here's the next question. I'm smoking Friday. Usually I like to give it a few days to mellow before I partially freeze, slice, Vaccuum pack and back in the freezer. Only problem is. I am leaving early Sunday morning for a 4 day trip to Lake George. Can it rest in the fridge for that long or should I freeze it in whole pieces Saturday night and slightly thaw and Slice when I get back?
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I don't think that would hurt it,fridge will not be getting opened.

Richie
 
tropics said:
I don't think that would hurt it,fridge will not be getting opened.
Richie
Click to expand...

So you think it could stay in the fridge from
Friday night until the following Thursday without issue? What is the refrigerator life of home smoked bacon. Especially because I am not actually cooking it to an edible temp when I smoke it?
 
worktogthr said:
So you think it could stay in the fridge from
Friday night until the following Thursday without issue? What is the refrigerator life of home smoked bacon. Especially because I am not actually cooking it to an edible temp when I smoke it?
Click to expand...
Better to be safe Wrap and freeze don't want no one getting sick.

Richie
 
worktogthr said:
Ok, thanks Richie! You have been helping me out a lot lately. I should at least be mailing you some samples haha
-Chris
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Last bacon we made, all cold smoked, a batch was in the smoke for 28 hours. Next go around 24 hours is where we are going to start at...
 
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