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Beef Bacon

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Your call from here.
I use a micro gram scale for all my spice and cure measurements
I have to recal and zero it out (tare) on a regular basis.
 
Shawn, this is not terrific news.

Just checking here with you. What you seem to imply is one of the slabs has approximately double the amount of cure #1 and you can't tell which one.

Firstly, I'd go back to the process. How sure can you be that you really did give that extra amount? What else would it have been? Do you seperately weigh the salt and cure, or do you first add the cure and then top up with salt. May your additional weigh have been salt and not cure? If it's salt, it really doesnt matter, but you have to be sure.

Then lets say you doubled the cure #1 then from 0.25% to 0.5%. What then? What does that mean?

Well, it's not a recommended safe dose but if you ate 100grams in a sammich you are unlikely to know. But that's you. What happens: The nitrate converts to Nitric Oxide. Nitric Oxide bonds to Haemoglobin and reduces Oxygen carrying capacity. If you had the same bacon sammich for several days in a row, you might feel it, but then stop eating the bacon and then slowly improve. Eating the bacon is not catastrophic.

However... knowing this, who are you going to serve it to. Most likely nobody. Not even the dog.

So unless you can exclude the process of weighing the Cure in the process, the first thing to do is trash the lot and the second thing to do is buy a scale that will measure in 0.1 gram increments.

Sorry. I really wanted some of that.

Bill
 
Well I cannot be absolutely sure. But sure enough to be concerned. I am going to think on this more.
If I did double the cure #1 would there be a distinct difference in color that could help determine it?
 
Well I cannot be absolutely sure. But sure enough to be concerned. I am going to think on this more.
If I did double the cure #1 would there be a distinct difference in color that could help determine it?
I have 4 slabs I know for sure have the right amount on them so I'll still get some beef bacon done even if I have to trash the rest.
 
Well today is the day. I have 1 brisket worth of beef bacon that I know for sure was measured correctly. Unfortunately I had to make the right choice and throw out the other brisket due to not knowing exactly how much I was off on the cure #1 and on which ones.

I have the 4 slabs rinsed and on a rack in the fridge. Going to let tack up over the next 2 to 4 hrs and then I'll hit them with course black pepper and on to the smoker. Trying to decide if I want to run cold smoke with my pellet maze and then finish hot or if I just want to hot smoke to 150 IT.
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Following along! Looking forward to seeing finished product.

I have half a pork belly that I pulled out of Pop's brine this morning and now it's cold smoking for 2 hours and then I'll light up the OKJ offset...
 
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Got them on the pellet grill cold smoking with a mix of hickory wood chips and comp blend pellets. Going to let them run like this for a little bit then I'll for up the grill to 200 and smoke to 150 IT. Just got done cleaning up the slicer to get ready for them. I'll pull and put in vaccum bags and chill until Tuesday after work. I'll get some finished pictures on this evening after it comes off the smoker.
 
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