First shot at Bacon... too sweet after fry test

[smokindarr]

Hey everyone, I have been lurking on here for a few months now but this is my first post.

I was inspired to try out bacon. 

I decided to go with Pops brine and started off with 20#s of belly. Mixed up 3 batches of brine using 1 cup sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup of kosher salt and a heaping tablespoon of cure #1 per batch. 

I let it sit in the fridge for 11 days and then yesterday thought it would be a good time to try a fry test. 

I fried it up and it tasted way too sweet for my taste! Also the bacon burnt really easily.

I added another 1/2 cup of kosher salt to each of my two containers (1.5 gallon brine in each) stirred it up and placed my bellies back in. 

Will this help add more salt to the bacon? Is it too late to try to mellow out the sweetness? 

My plan was to let it sit in the saltier solution for another two days and then try another fry test.

I need some help from the experts, this bacon has to turn out or my wife might put a stop to my experiments! 

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• smokindarr
• Jun 5, 2017

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• smokindarr
• Jun 5, 2017

Thanks!

 

[daveomak]

In place of volume measure, try weighing the ingredients.... 

Weigh the meat... weigh the water (liquid)...  add 2% kosher salt, 1% white sugar and 0.25% cure #1 based on the total weight of the water and meat...   dissolve the salt and sugar with a little heat...   cool the liquid to below 100 and dissolve the cure...    cool it all, meat included to refer temps...    add the meat to the cure/brine and refer for 2 weeks....   dry and smoke...   

That will be a basic bacon cure recipe...  adjust to personal preference next batch...

I recommend using 25-50% liquid, based on the weight of the meat, for the amount of liquid to use....

 

[bluewhisper]

You guys would have had a laugh when I heard a native-born Scotsman describe his deep and utter disgust upon his first taste of American sweetened bacon. The way he contorted his face showed that the memory was still fresh.

 

[smokindarr]

Thanks guys.

Dave, I will have to try that next time I give bacon a shot. 

Anyone have any idea how to fix my current batch?

I plan on doing another fry test tonight.