Bag cure bacon - cure time?

[SmokinEdge]

The seasoning once smoked then sliced has a hard time coming through because the surface is all that has the spice, so sliced thin or 1/8” there just isn’t much area of seasoning to taste. I’ve tried all sorts of different flavors. All just barely come through. The balance of salt and sugar along with smoke are dominant, to me. Capsaicin from Chile sometimes comes through. Anyway, you are in for a treat. I’ll be watching for your final and your thoughts.

 

[thirdeye]

I just pull it from the bag, paper towel dab it and on to a wire rack/cookie sheet into the fridge to dry then smoke.

Pulled and in fridge for final overnight with additional spices - same as used in the cure mix.

12 to 24 hours for pellicle formation is always a good investment as it sort of sets the stage for the color, and smoky flavor. And some post-smoking blooming/mellowing time is good too. I have a battery powered 5" fan I can set in the fridge for air circulation (for muti-tasking it also helps sous vide meats dry). On low this thing is still going after 16 hours. Shown is a corned chuck roast, but you get the idea for salmon or bacon.

 

[SmokinEdge]

12 to 24 hours for pellicle formation is always a good investment as it sort of sets the stage for the color, and smoky flavor. And some post-smoking blooming/mellowing time is good too. I have a battery powered 5" fan I can set in the fridge for air circulation (for muti-tasking it also helps sous vide meats dry). On low this thing is still going after 16 hours. Shown is a corned chuck roast, but you get the idea for salmon or bacon.
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I have a fan much like that and use it to speed things up when I’m pressed for time.

 

[thirdeye]

I have a fan much like that and use it to speed things up when I’m pressed for time.

Mrs ~t~ makes noodles and pasta which need to air dry, so these kind of fans speed that up too.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Mrs ~t~ makes noodles and pasta which need to air dry, so these kind of fans speed that up too.
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When I was a boy, my mom made egg noodles. She rolled out the dough then rolled that up and sliced noodles like you would a cinnamon roll. They were so good raw. If she didn’t police it pretty close, I’d have half of them eaten before supper. Boy she would get mad at me and chase me from the house with her rolling pin. GET OUT! She would yell as I cruised for the brush line. Those were good times for sure.

 

[GrumpyGriller]

How much liquid was in the bag? How much of your seasoning was washed away during the curing process?
With 1.5% salt, I often don’t don’t rinse the bacon, I just pull it from the bag, paper towel dab it and on to a wire rack/cookie sheet into the fridge to dry then smoke. The seasonings from the cure process are not overly powerful. If you want more garlic or pepper or whatever, it’s best to apply that. As soon as it comes out of the bag damp so it will stick. Then let it form the pellicle (dry)

Pulled, additional seasoning, and smoked ... Haven't cut it yet

 

[SmokinEdge]

Pulled, additional seasoning, and smoked ... Haven't cut it yet
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That’s going to be delicious. Looks real nice.

 

[GrumpyGriller]

That’s going to be delicious. Looks real nice.

Thanks...will post when sliced!!! And thanks for everyone's help and suggestions! My pastrami is due out in a few days, so stay tuned

 

[SmokinEdge]

Thanks...will post when sliced!!! And thanks for everyone's help and suggestions! My pastrami is due out in a few days, so stay tuned

My knife would have accidentally cut off a corner, but I’m weak. Bacon

 

[DougE]

Pulled, additional seasoning, and smoked ... Haven't cut it yet
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Yea, I wouldda hacked a corner off and tried it. I'm weak, also, especially when it comes to bacon. My wife was cooking some up for her breakfast yesterday, and, well, wasn't really watching it and it got a little burnt. Even burnt bacon smells good, lol. And she did eat her burnt bacon.

 

[Sven Svensson]

GrumpyGriller Looks like we were both on the same tracks with our bacon projects. Your’s looks great. I’ve never put extra seasoning on mine because I’ve been afraid it would be too salty. You used the weighing method, right? I’m wondering if that method makes it fine to season. If so, I might give that a shot as it looks great.

 

[DougE]

Seasoning on bacon doesn't impart a whole lot of flavor in the final product. The seasoning pretty much remains on the surface of the meat, so when you slice it, you are just getting the seasoning from around the edge of each slice. It's not a bad thing, just don't expect to get a super hit of flavor from what seasonings you use.

 

[GrumpyGriller]

Ok...here's the final product :) These were two different bellies from BJ's so I am guessing to some extent that explains the color difference, but I'd defer to more experienced dry briners out there. They are both very tasty, the AH being more on the sweeter side as expected, but I very much like the CP version as I tend to like spicier concotions!

 

[SmokinEdge]

That’s some fine looking belly.
Now I’m curious as to your thoughts vs. the brine cure, and how did the spices actually come through. How is the salt level?

Looks like a great job.

 

[GrumpyGriller]

That’s some fine looking belly.
Now I’m curious as to your thoughts vs. the brine cure, and how did the spices actually come through. How is the salt level?

Looks like a great job.

Thanks for all the help!!!

I heated a couple of pieces of each and the salt level was fine for me, I don't dump salt on food in general, but I do use it for seasoning. I certainly taste some flavor, though it's hard to tell how much of it is coming from the "inside" of the slice vs. the "outside" where it was applied. This is one of the reasons I don't slice too thin!

I think the flavor profile in general was stronger than the wet cure, maybe because it was all on the belly, rather than in lots of solution? When I pulled the bellies out to smoke, I don't think I had more than a 1/4 cup of liquid in either bag, so not sure what that meant in terms of how well it cured?

So - I can see that both wet and dry brine methods have their merits, though I can see the benefits of being able to control the flavoring better with the dry brine.

I can assure you that none of this will go to waste - starting tonight on top of a smoked homemade burger :)!

 

[Sven Svensson]

Those look great. They are all really meaty pieces which is amazing. Enjoy the fruits of all that great work.

 

[DougE]

Fine looking bacon, there. I'm sure it tastes even better than it looks.

 

[GrumpyGriller]

A hearty THANKS to this forum as usual - can't wait for my pastrami cure to be done this week :)

 

[DougE]

A hearty THANKS to this forum as usual - can't wait for my pastrami cure to be done this week :)

There are a number of BBQ forums out there, but when it comes to curing or sausage making, this place is tops for the knowledge the membership has.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Thanks for all the help!!!

I heated a couple of pieces of each and the salt level was fine for me, I don't dump salt on food in general, but I do use it for seasoning. I certainly taste some flavor, though it's hard to tell how much of it is coming from the "inside" of the slice vs. the "outside" where it was applied. This is one of the reasons I don't slice too thin!

I think the flavor profile in general was stronger than the wet cure, maybe because it was all on the belly, rather than in lots of solution? When I pulled the bellies out to smoke, I don't think I had more than a 1/4 cup of liquid in either bag, so not sure what that meant in terms of how well it cured?

So - I can see that both wet and dry brine methods have their merits, though I can see the benefits of being able to control the flavoring better with the dry brine.

I can assure you that none of this will go to waste - starting tonight on top of a smoked homemade burger :)!

Dry curing pulles moisture out, concentrating the flavors, where brining relies on “uptake” of solution and give a different flavor. The amount of liquid pulled from the meat is dependent on how fresh the meat is and how long and how many times frozen. Freezing ruptures some of the cell structures and that moisture is released when thawed. I get the most liquid with belly that I pull myself from the hog and cure it fresh never frozen.

As to the color difference in your pieces, the amount of color is all dependent on the presents of myoglobin. The more the muscle works the more myoglobin. What we call pork belly is actually mostly “fresh side”. There is a portion below the rib cage that is the true belly, then the rest of the meat is from where the spare ribs would be right up to the front shoulder. The ribs are skinned out and the slab left is called fresh side. Whole “bellies” are from ~10to 12pounds per side. So a whole hog will have 20- 24 pounds of fresh side for bacon.

Edit to add:
When the curing process starts, high salt concentration on the surface causes the moisture in the meat to rush out to balance the salt. In turn the salt moves towards the center of the meat because it is low in sodium. Once these two things balance or come to equilibrium, the moisture in the bag will actually be reabsorbed into the meat, again it’s about coming to equilibrium. This is chemistry. If you leave the belly long enough it will absorb most all the liquid back up,
But you can also do dry rub curing where you place the rubbed belly on a grate for the entire time and let the liquid drain away never to be absorbed. No bag just the belly on a grate with a pan to catch the liquid. This is closer to the old world way. This causes the belly to lose more weight percentage and concentrate flavor even more.