Bacon cure from local butcher, advice please.

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berninga87

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
Jul 13, 2011
330
32
SW Wisconsin
I picked up a belly to make my first bacon. After a ton of reading I have my cure amount figured out. Well the butcher I got the belly from sold me a 1/2 pound of cure with the belly. I asked just to verify it is just sodium nitrite and he looked at me like he didn't even know what that is. He said it's a premixed sugar cure, just rub it down and let it sit for a couple weeks and it will be fine....
So I have no idea how much or even what kind of cure I have right now and I couldn't even see a label for my own verification. They sell a ton of their own bacon and i used to buy a lot of it....now I'm uncomfortable about the whole situation. It will take about a week to get DQ cure #1 at my door. I'm thinking I may just freeze the belly for now and wait for a cure I can identify.... I could have hounded the guy more but everyone in the room stared at me as soon as I questioned the cure so I just gave my $2 for it and left. Any advice/opinions or am I just over thinking this?
 
Not knowing what the cure is, and the fact that his directions are sketchy at best. I'd throw the belly in the freezer and wait for the #1. Another option would be to get some Mortans Tender quick from the store and cure it with that. Lots of threads here on using Morton's.

I used to do dry cures until my digital scale broke. Then I started using Pop's brine and haven't switched back.
 
I would freeze it and get my ducks in a row.Any one that wants to be that vague with comments on your food you are buying from him I would find another butcher.

Dan 
 
That's what I thought too. Worst thing is he's right around the corner and I support the local businesses as much as I can, oh well I guess.
About Mortons TQ, I've read that a lot of people don't care for it because it tends to produce a saltier product. I'm not on a low salt diet but do limit it where I can. TQ is available locally though so maybe I'll try it. I'll hit the search bar, but if anyone wants to share a TQ recipe please do! Also I'll be using a dry brine for this. Will try pop's brine someday but I don't currently have the fridge space. Thanks
 
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Like Case said, I wouldn't use anything that I didn't know all about it. The guy could be a total Moron. No label--No Use!

Some say TQ is too salty. I have never found it to be, and neither have those who have eaten my products.

The only time I ever had to soak the extra salt flavor out of my Bacon was the one time I used "Hi Mt Seasoning & Cure".

Here is a Step by Step I made of one of my Bacon Smokes using Tender Quick as a Dry Cure:

Link:

Bacon (Extra Smoky)

Bear
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. I ended up getting some TQ from the local grocer and used Bear's recipe. I also ordered some cure #1 so I can try that when it gets here. Now I'm gonna go see if any fish are biting today!
 
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