Brined bacon turned slimy

[shoneyboy]

 This was so informative that I thought I would give it a bump again.......

 

[navigator]

FYI, I read (and copied) this somewhere:

"Add sugar only when curing at refrigerator temperature 38 – 40° F, otherwise fermentation might occur and will spoil the meat.   Lower than 36° F (2° C) temperature may slow down the curing process or even halt it."

 

[smoker21]

I know this is an old thread but...

I just pulled my pork belly out from 10 days in a POP'S brine and there was @1/4 inch of slime in the bottom! I can't see if anyone said exactly what the cause was and if I should throw everything away and start over? Is it safe to smoke??:

Thanks.

JD

:icon_cry:

 

[daveomak]

I know this is an old thread but...

I just pulled my pork belly out from 10 days in a POP'S brine and there was @1/4 inch of slime in the bottom! I can't see if anyone said exactly what the cause was and if I should throw everything away and start over? Is it safe to smoke??:

Thanks.

JD

JD..... Read posts 17 and 20 on this thread..... It explains it all......  your bacon is still good.... don't throw it away.....   Next time, it may not help, but after cleaning everything thoroughly, wipe it down with a paper towel with white vinegar on it, then rinse..... the vinegar will kill other bacteria soap and stuff won't....   

Dave

 

[smoker21]

Thanks Dave for your quick reply.

I did read post 20 but I must admit when I saw the cartoon on post 17 I did ignore it. I think the only thing I did wrong was to add brown sugar to the party.

I still don't see where it saws the belly is still good but you've been at this a lot longer than I have so I'll take your word. :icon_smile:

The future bacon is on a rack in the fridge and will get smoked tomorrow.

Thanks again.

JD

 

[gary morris]

Hi thought I'd say,

I too have the gelatinous slime.  My pork belly has been in the fridge for 11 days now, I noticed it today - it smells fine.  I used Pop's tried and tested brine recipe - so thats not the cause.

I checked the temperature in my fridge and was really 'miffed' to find it was running at 11.8°c  -  57°f  - blast the thing.  

Unless you guys say otherwise I'm going to continue with the bacon as it smells OK atm.  (my choice totally)

I've read the previous threads and see that it could be caused by several different factors.  Next time I will sterilize my equipment beforehand,  boil the sugars in some of the water for the brine, and make sure the temp is  = or <   5°c  -  45°f  

Just a thought though - pork and especialy pork bones contain alot of gelatin (I think that's the word)  I know it sticks my lips together when I do a stew or make stock.  It just struck me as something I could quite easily believe in - the cure drawing the juices and gelatin out of the meat, making the water gloopy / slimey.  Probably a daft thought, so I'll shut up.

 

[pops6927]

Proper temperature and not introducing bacteria into the brine are two main factors.  Don't take the meat out of the package and put in the brine - wash it off thoroughly in clean water.  Sounds like a simple step but so often overlooked.   Make the brine with cold water; not lukewarm/tepid - as cold as you can get it, stir the ingredients, place in a clean, non-reactive vessel and cover your meat so it floats and weigh it down with a clean ziploc bag half full of cold water.  I've cured meats in my fridge for 4-5 weeks using this method without ropy brine.  But, if it does get ropy, just change the brine with fresh.

 

[gary morris]

Thanks Pop's - will do.

Ordered a new fridge (bigger one 

 ) 

I'll follow what you say, thanks.

Gary

 

[mattsican]

Gotta bump this again...

I'm using a pasta bowl submerged on top of the pork bellies i'm curing to weigh it down. Im on day 10 and I went to flip them and when i dumped the water out of the pasta bowl is was all slimy. No bad odor, just slimy. Sounds like after reading this thread things are okay though? I'm going to take the bellies out, clean everything and make more brine and let them continue. I noticed on a fry test on day 7 that the bacon was a bit salty and sweet, so im going to add just two tsps of pink salt and cold water to both hopefully desalt a bit and continue curing. Sound like a good or bad idea???

 

[gary morris]

I'm now on day 9 and so far so good, no slime. I used 'Pop's Brine as before, and the only changes I made in general were -

1.  Correct temperature control - I now have a working fridge!  

2.  Before I started, I sterilized all of the equipment with a food grade sterilizing solution.  (previously washed in the dishwasher)

3.  I bought a new packet of brown sugar to use with it.

I read through the 'Secrets of Meat Curing' and along with correct temperature control there was a significant emphasis on NOT using brown or yellow sugar, as it could cause fermentation in the brine.

This was due to impurities in the sugar  -  they tested this by dissolving some sugar in water to just below saturation point, covered it and let it rest for 24 hours.  They found a blueish deposit and some insoluble salts in the bottom.

I wonder if the production of brown sugar has changed much since the book was written, I would have thought so?

Guess what I'm going to try tonight? 

  I'll qview and post in 24 hours or when I remember.

 

[daveomak]

Gotta bump this again...

I'm using a pasta bowl submerged on top of the pork bellies i'm curing to weigh it down. Im on day 10 and I went to flip them and when i dumped the water out of the pasta bowl is was all slimy. No bad odor, just slimy. Sounds like after reading this thread things are okay though? I'm going to take the bellies out, clean everything and make more brine and let them continue. I noticed on a fry test on day 7 that the bacon was a bit salty and sweet, so im going to add just two tsps of pink salt and cold water to both hopefully desalt a bit and continue curing. Sound like a good or bad idea???

The problem with adjusting an "equilibrium brine" after the meat has been in it for awhile, the brine loses strength and the meat has absorbed some of its ingredients.... Not knowing how much has been lost or absorbed and making a new brine, the finished product could be off in proper amounts of ingredients....   I'm speaking from a purely scientific point of view and not a practical one....  

This post is just intended for information....  Dave

 

[diggingdogfarm]

Benign slime comes from the salt drawing proteins out of the meat.
As far as proceeding after rinsing off the slime and ditching the brine, I know what I would do, but I'll leave the official recommendations to Pops, it's his brine.




~Martin

 

[daveomak]

Benign slime comes from the salt drawing proteins out of the meat.
As far as proceeding after rinsing off the slime and ditching the brine, I know what I would do, but I'll leave the official recommendations to Pops, it's his brine.




~Martin

Martin, evening..... Well, if you found "ropy, slimy brine" in a batch of bacon you were making, your brine, your bacon, what would you do ???

Dave

 

[diggingdogfarm]

Depends on the brine used and how long it's been curing.



~Martin