Correct amount of cure

[mforsta]

First time bacon smoker here and have a few questions about the cure amount. I have a belly that weights 4.25 lbs. Using one of the cure calculator on here (http://diggingdogfarm.com/page2.html) I have converted the pounds to grams and come up with 1927.7575 grams. Below is the breakdown of the cure from the calculator.

4.81 grams of cure (Pink Salt)

34.304 grams of salt

19.28 grams of sugar

When I mixed this up I only came up with about a 1/2 cup of total cure for the 4.25 lbs of bacon.

Does this sound like the right amount of cure for that size belly?

Thanks for the replies and input.

 

[SmokinAl]

Yes that is the correct amount of cure.

You can also add extra spices if you want.

I usually add granulated onion, granulated garlic, & black pepper to mine.

Al

 

[mforsta]

Thanks for the info. I didn't want to get to far in and end up with bad meat. How long do you cure for, I was looking at a minimum of 7 days?

 

[tropics]

 
Thanks for the info. I didn't want to get to far in and end up with bad meat. How long do you cure for, I was looking at a minimum of 7 days?

It is good you are thinking safety 

I let my Bacon cure 14 days most times

Richie

 

[DanMcG]

That's pretty close to what I use, but I've started cutting back on the sugar for health reasons. Good luck!