Can too much sweet effect cure?

[Mofatguy]

Hey all,
I have been curing my back bacon with a dry rub of 1tbs of TQ per pound and 2tbs brown sugar per pound. Best back bacon I've ever had. The brown sugar is supposed to be 1-2tsp, not tbs. I was told by some on here that is was fine. Which leads to my next question....

I've been wanting to try some different flavor profiles for belly bacon. I only use cure#1 for my curing agent and diggindog's calculator. cure 4 days/inch thickness +2 extra days with calculated cure#1/salt/sugar ratio.

As long as I use the calculated cure#1 and salt amounts from the calculator, can I add as much sweetness as I want without effecting the cure? And will it be safe? What about other flavors?

I'm wanting to try adding maple syrup/honey/ etc. rubbed onto meat during cure and then again b4 cold smoking. Does the amount matter for flavor as long as the cure and salt is correct?

Thanks

 

[daveomak]

Try curing at 7 days per inch of thickness + 2 days... Sugar molecules are HUGE and take much longer to penetrate the meat... Longer curing time may deliver the same flavor with less sugar...
I cure my bellies for 2 weeks with a dry rub...

 

[chef jimmyj]

I've not heard of any bacon flavoring, herbs, spices, extracts or sweetener affecting the Cure #1's or TQ's ability to control CB, it's Spores or Listeria...JJ

 

[Mofatguy]

Thanks guys! Answered my questions.

 

[indaswamp]

Great advice given...only thing I will add is that you can inject the sugar soution into the meat for a more pronounced sweetness, but Dave is right, it takes sugar a longer time to travel through the meat...