Country Style / Old World Bacon recipe

[anylizer]

I would like to try and make some country style bacon. Could somebody pass along a recipe/procedure?

 Amount of cure #1, and salt suggestion... thinking about 2.5%, and how long to let it cure & smoke for?

Thanks in advance

Tim

 

[anylizer]

OK... maybe I'm calling it by the wrong name!

 I'm looking for a looong cure time, like maybe 30 days or more.... long smoke time, like maybe 40 days or so.... recipe!!!

Anybody?

 

[diggingdogfarm]

I use 2.5% salt and 200ppm nitrite and cure for 7 days per inch of total thickness. Dry cure, of course!!!

http://www.diggingdogfarm.com/page2.html

After curing I usually smoke for 24-36 hours total, three days of 8-12 hours of smoke.
Then it's dried for a few weeks at no more than 50 degrees F and 75-79% humidity.

I do mine a bit differently, as I said above, smoking before drying, but with the same goal in mind as in the following video.....cold-smoked dry-cured country bacon.

Benton's Country Bacon......

Short, but sweet.

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]

HTH

~Martin

 

[anylizer]

Thanks Martin.... so I'm pretty close already, with the exception of only 150ppm on the nitrite in my current recipe!

Is the lower nitrite level an issue with the longer curing time?

 

[diggingdogfarm]

You should use the higher level of nitrite when dry curing bacon for an extended time.
The USDA's upper limit for nitrite in truly dry cured bacon is 200ppm.
Much of it will be converted and gone by the time you're done with the process.



~Martin

 

[anylizer]

Ok.... I just rubbed down a batch last Sun. with a 150ppm cure. 

Could or Should I go at it again with more #1 or just short cure it and adjust for the next batch?

 

[diggingdogfarm]

Ok.... I just rubbed down a batch last Sun. with a 150ppm cure. 

Could or Should I go at it again with more #1 or just short cure it and adjust for the next batch?

The choice is yours.
There's nothing wrong with carefully adding a bit more cure mix.


~Martin

 

[anylizer]

OK... Thank You Martin... You're a wealth of knowledge!

It seems nearly impossible to get 50ppm of #1 spread evenly, so I will change up for the next batch!

Thank you