Sliced side pork into bacon

[Houndstooth]

A little update on my bacon journey.

Post in thread 'Pops Curing Brine'
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/pops-curing-brine.306181/post-2423346

It’s been fun! First batch was salty as hell man whooo! Second batch i found the ratio that worked for me. I sprinkled one side of the sliced side pork with pink #1 and kosher salt and stacked them. Wrapped in plastic wrap then tin foil and let cure for 7 days. Came out perfect. Third batch was same protocol with added brown sugar. That came out ok. The brown sugar neutralized so much of the salt that it made it a little bland. It was sticky and delicious though. My fourth batch is a “spicy bacon” really looking forward to seeing how this comes out. I’ll update next week but I’m sure I’ll have something delicious to munch on for Father’s Day.

I added my pink salt #1 and kosher salt ratios to a mason jar shaker and I’ve left it in the cupboard to use when I make my bacon instead of mixing up the cure each time. Do you guys see anything wrong with that?

Edit: I can see how this post could be confusing. The actual FIRST time I tried to cure the bacon I used a calculated cure but I was not convinced I had done it right so I threw the batch out and went and got some books and studied up. I then measured out the ratio for the shaker and made my “first” consumed batch. That was the batch that was salty as all get out.

 

[babydocsmoker]

No idea about the process, but those spiced cuts look good. Where do you source your meat?

 

[Houndstooth]

No idea about the process, but those spiced cuts look good. Where do you source your meat?

Thanks Doc!
We source from a local farm in Utah. https://www.christiansenfarm.com/products
They advertise a Berkshire cross breed. The meat is absolutely delicious. Nice clean fat

 

[JckDanls 07]

WHOAAAAAAA... STOP ...

You say your using Cure #2 ? I'm hoping that is a typo ? Cure #2 is to be used only for long dry curing times...

And then your saying that you just mix a batch of seasoning with the cure in it and then just sprinkling it on the bacon ? Without weighing meat and cure mix ? ... The cure is to be weighed separately from the rest of the spices... This is a very dangerous practice to mention the least ... Meat must be weighed as well as the proper cure (#1) to get the proper PPM ...

Others will be along soon to express the dangers you are practicing...

In your post above you reference a post in Pops brine thread... I went and looked at it and DougE specifically said to use cure #1 ... but yet you say your using cure #2 ...

 

[02ebz06]

Agree with JckDanls...
Cure #2 is when it will 30 days or more.

 

[Houndstooth]

WHOAAAAAAA... STOP ...

You say your using Cure #2 ? I'm hoping that is a typo ? Cure #2 is to be used only for long dry curing times...

And then your saying that you just mix a batch of seasoning with the cure in it and then just sprinkling it on the bacon ? Without weighing meat and cure mix ? ... The cure is to be weighed separately from the rest of the spices... This is a very dangerous practice to mention the least ... Meat must be weighed as well as the proper cure (#1) to get the proper PPM ...

Others will be along soon to express the dangers you are practicing...

In your post above you reference a post in Pops brine thread... I went and looked at it and DougE specifically said to use cure #1 ... but yet you say your using cure #2 ...

Looked back through my Amazon purchases and it is “Wishful Curing Salt #1” my bad. Didn’t mean to get anyone’s heart rate up. I’m new to this and I’m very worried about botulism. However, I feel fairly confident I’m using plenty of cure mixture for the bacon.
The first time I cured the side pork the total amount of curing mixture was ridiculously small for the weight of one package of bacon so I measured the ratios out and multiplied to create the mixture I have now.
My concern was that maybe the curing salt is mixing with the kosher salt and causing a problem but I never exceeded the recommended amount of pink #1, I believe it was 0.25%, for the amount I multiplied if that makes sense. I definitely don’t want to practice anything unsafe though. I appreciate any enlightenment.

Edit: i edited my first post to reflect #1. Thanks JD07! The cure went on before both the added spices and brown sugar.

 

[Houndstooth]

I perused these two books before I did any curing. I will definitely use a “Tried and True” recipe for the Guanciale proper(jowl).

 

[indaswamp]

I perused these two books before I did any curing. I will definitely use a “Tried and True” recipe for the Guanciale proper(jowl).

Those two books are decent for the background on charcuterie, but the recipes for dry curing Mediterranean style salami and salumi use way too much dextrose. Lot of members here can back me up on that. If you have not done so, get Stanley and Aam Marianski's books:

The green book: Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages

and the yellow book: The Art of Making Fermented Sausages

Hands down the absolute best resources for the art of Charcuterie. Two Polish guys that KNOW what they are talking about because they DO IT.

 

[Houndstooth]

Those two books are decent for the background on charcuterie, but the recipes for dry curing Mediterranean style salami and salumi use way too much dextrose. Lot of members here can back me up on that. If you have not done so, get Stanley and Aam Marianski's books:

The green book: Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages

and the yellow book: The Art of Making Fermented Sausages

Hands down the absolute best resources for the art of Charcuterie. Two Polish guys that KNOW what they are talking about because they DO IT.

Will do! Added to my list. Thanks Indaswamp!

 

[02ebz06]

This is my goto book.
Will have to check out the green one.

 

[SmokinEdge]

A little update on my bacon journey.

Post in thread 'Pops Curing Brine'
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/pops-curing-brine.306181/post-2423346

It’s been fun! First batch was salty as hell man whooo! Second batch i found the ratio that worked for me. I sprinkled one side of the sliced side pork with pink #1 and kosher salt and stacked them. Wrapped in plastic wrap then tin foil and let cure for 7 days. Came out perfect. Third batch was same protocol with added brown sugar. That came out ok. The brown sugar neutralized so much of the salt that it made it a little bland. It was sticky and delicious though. My fourth batch is a “spicy bacon” really looking forward to seeing how this comes out. I’ll update next week but I’m sure I’ll have something delicious to munch on for Father’s Day.

I added my pink salt #1 and kosher salt ratios to a mason jar shaker and I’ve left it in the cupboard to use when I make my bacon instead of mixing up the cure each time. Do you guys see anything wrong with that?

Edit: I can see how this post could be confusing. The actual FIRST time I tried to cure the bacon I used a calculated cure but I was not convinced I had done it right so I threw the batch out and went and got some books and studied up. I then measured out the ratio for the shaker and made my “first” consumed batch. That was the batch that was salty as all get out.

The shaker mixed up ahead of time is not good practice. The cure #1 will classify or separate itself from salt, especially with kosher salt because of the difference in grain size and specific gravity of the two.

Cure #1 needs to be added at .25% to the meat weight. Salt will be in a percentage too, anywhere from 1.5-2.5% again to the meat weight.

By sprinkling on a pre made up cure by eyeball, I’m guessing, you have no clue what percentage of cure #1 and salt you are applying. This is not how it’s done.

 

[indaswamp]

Good catch SE....

 

[DougE]

The shaker mixed up ahead of time is not good practice. The cure #1 will classify or separate itself from salt, especially with kosher salt because of the difference in grain size and specific gravity of the two.

Cure #1 needs to be added at .25% to the meat weight. Salt will be in a percentage too, anywhere from 1.5-2.5% again to the meat weight.

By sprinkling on a pre made up cure by eyeball, I’m guessing, you have no clue what percentage of cure #1 and salt you are applying. This is not how it’s done.

What he said. You need to work up and mix cure, salt and sugar for each individual piece of meat so that you know exactly how much you're applying. If I have several pieces to cure, I weigh and work up the amounts for each.

 

[Houndstooth]

Then why do they sell insta cure and pre-mixed curing salts?
This brand is selling basically exactly what i have done except it’s #2 and not #1.

UMAi Dry® | Premixed Curing Salts Blend

Umai Dry Premixed Curing Salts Mix for 5# Recipe --or use with your choice of recipe. No scale? No math! No worries!Always the perfect ratioJust ask the butcher for five pounds of meat No need to hassle with calculating and measuring out accurate proportions of salt for flavor and safety.Curing...

umaidry.com

I would understand such a rigorous protocol if I was curing long term or if i was trying to replicate product. I do plan on using a trusted recipe for such things but my side pork is sitting in the fridge for 7-8 days, I could let it sit uncovered in the fridge for that long and not have a problem. I do appreciate the info however I’m seeing some contradictions in my research.

 

[DougE]

We are telling you how to insure you have the same amount of cure, salt and sugar on each piece of meat to insure safety and also repeatable results. Every piece of meat I cure turns out exactly the same. No fry tests or any such needed to check how salty it is or anything. Every piece has the salt level I want so I don't have to guess. You do it how you want.

 

[Houndstooth]

We are telling you how to insure you have the same amount of cure, salt and sugar on each piece of meat to insure safety and also repeatable results. Every piece of meat I cure turns out exactly the same. No fry tests or any such needed to check how salty it is or anything. Every piece has the salt level I want so I don't have to guess. You do it how you want.

I do appreciate the help DougE. This isn’t the only forum I’m a part of and I’ve felt frustration before from new members arguing over safety protocols or asking for help and then slapping it away when it’s offered. That’s not what I’m here to do. I appreciate everyone’s input. I do understand the importance of safe food handling. The last thing I want to do is hurt myself or someone else from my own ignorance. I also want to enjoy with some regularity the food that I prepare
Each pack of side pork requires on average 14 grams of cure mixture, obviously this mixture changes depending on the weight of each package I’ll be sure to mix and apply the standard ratios for a proper cure from here on out.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Then why do they sell insta cure and pre-mixed curing salts?
This brand is selling basically exactly what i have done except it’s #2 and not #1.

UMAi Dry® | Premixed Curing Salts Blend

Umai Dry Premixed Curing Salts Mix for 5# Recipe --or use with your choice of recipe. No scale? No math! No worries!Always the perfect ratioJust ask the butcher for five pounds of meat No need to hassle with calculating and measuring out accurate proportions of salt for flavor and safety.Curing...

umaidry.com

I would understand such a rigorous protocol if I was curing long term or if i was trying to replicate product. I do plan on using a trusted recipe for such things but my side pork is sitting in the fridge for 7-8 days, I could let it sit uncovered in the fridge for that long and not have a problem. I do appreciate the info however I’m seeing some contradictions in my research.

Always, those pre mixes are for a specific amount of meat weight. They are not random.

If you want to learn how, and you want consistency from batch to batch( repeatability) and stay safe doing that, then follow our lead.

None of us here stand to gain a thing from our posting. We are just folks who know what we are doing and are willing to share that knowledge. I’m willing to go as deep as you like on the subject and answer all questions you may have, and I ask for zero in return. My pay comes from your successful curing.

 

[Houndstooth]

The “Italian Hot” bacon was a complete success. Fried up by itself it was lacking in any kind of heat but the herbs came through nicely.
This bacon would be perfect on an Italian sub but we made Carbonara out of the fatty end tonight. Absolutely delicious.

 

[indaswamp]

Now there's a meal to make with bacon ends! Nice!

 

[Houndstooth]

No there's a meal to make with bacon ends! Nice!

Thank you Inda!