A shot or rum in the cure??

[expat smoker]

Last night I was making a small cure for a small batch of bacon that I'll smoke this weekend and using my favorite cure of 50%salt/50%dark brown sugar, plus some pepper and orange peel, I thought to myself.......'why not a shot of rum in the cure??'  so i did add about a shot and the smell was great....then had my regular evening cocktail of rum and OJ.

I haven't read anything about using alcohol in cures, but couldn't think of any reason why not to, after all alcohol is a preservative, right?  I even injected 20% into the meat.  Since I injected the brine, I'm hoping that 3 or 4 days will do it, then a hot smoke.

Any comments or experiences??

 

[pops6927]

Did you toss in some cure?  Without it, it will be smoked sidepork, not bacon.

Sure, add some alcohol.  Whiskey bacon is good too!  A gallon of booze, a 1/2 cup sugars and salt, 1 tbsp of cure.... don't know how it will turn out but i'd love a shot of the brine before you soak it!  Would hate throwing it out, tho!

 

[expat smoker]

Yea, i did use the perscribed amount of pink cure and about a couple of shots of rum for about 2.5 lbs of belly in 2 slabs.  I upped the rum a bit for the injection and it sits in the fridg now waiting another day or so to smoke.

Come on over for a shot of my brine any time.

Jack
 

 

[smokingohiobutcher]

Yep I did a batch where i added some captain morgan spiced rum amd another where i added buttershots to the brine. Both came out pretty good...could definently taste the captain morgan in the bacon! Go for it!

SOB

 

[frosty]

Sounds like a great idea! 

 

[reinhard]

i use beer instead of water in my smoked sausage all the time. i will try some rum next time i do buckboard bacon in a wet brine instead of the dry cure i normaly use.  smoking is an adventure where you never stop learning. Reinhard