Did I put the cure on the wrong side? Does it matter?

[steve0617]

First time doing the pink salt/salt/sugar dry rub. I blended the three and put the cure inside the zip lock and then put the belly in fat side down right into the rub. Getting my hands in the 1 gallon bag, I couldn't really get it to release in order to spread it on the meat side.

It's only been a few days in the fridge and seems to be starting to shed some liquid which I'm trying to get to the meat side.

Am I ok? Or did I blow it by putting the belly in upside down?

 

[chopsaw]

I always rub the cure mix on the outside of the meat being cured . All sides . Then bag .
Just mix the bag around , and you should be fine .

 

[realdocBBQ]

I always rub the cure mix on the outside of the meat being cured . All sides . Then bag .
Just mix the bag around , and you should be fine .

T^^^^This.

I tried putting the belly in and then applying - didn't work well for me.

Putting it on in a large tub, then trying to get it in the bag may be a bit of a challenge, but I did MUCH more even cure distribution. This is definitely my go-to.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Always rub the mix 75% to the meat sides first, then the rest to the fat side.

Cure and salt travel slower through fat layers because fat contains only less than 10% water while meat contains around 75% water. This moisture is needed to power diffusion and also osmosis.

All that said, if you look at typical belly or fresh side pieces you see layers of meat and fat in the interior of the piece and everything cured just fine, so really no worries with what you did just know that it wasn’t the best practice. Also I’ll say to go as close to 2 weeks in cure to give more time for that initial fat layer being where all the cure mix started.

I usually just use something like a cookie sheet to apply the cure mix to the meat. From there it’s simple to bag and get any remaining cure mix into the bag with the meat.

 

[thirdeye]

I also apply my curing mixture to the belly with it on a sheet pan, and then bag afterwards. One little trick I do is to lightly mist the belly with water so the cure mix will stick. Once bagged, I add any cure on the sheet pan to the bag, and to prime the pump so to speak... I add 1 tablespoon of water to the bag.

 

[steve0617]

So it's been 9 days since I started. There's almost no liquid in the bag and since it's my first dry cure, I have no idea based on the color is the meat has been cured.

I've got time. Should I just leave it in the bag massaging and flipping daily and assume it'll be all good at the two week mark?

 

[chopsaw]

Just keep going . I like to go 14 days .
Liquid in the bag isn't a sign of right or wrong . Sometimes you see it there , sometimes you won't get much , and sometimes it gets reabsorbed before you notice it .
You'll be fine . Good to ask , so don't worry about doing that .
What was the original plan as far as time in the fridge ?

 

[steve0617]

Just keep going . I like to go 14 days .
Liquid in the bag isn't a sign of right or wrong . Sometimes you see it there , sometimes you won't get much , and sometimes it gets reabsorbed before you notice it .
You'll be fine . Good to ask , so don't worry about doing that .
What was the original plan as far as time in the fridge ?

It's about 1.5" thick, so 6 days plus 2 for safety. That's tomorrow, Thursday. But the get together where I was going to serve this bacon got pushed so I have as much time as I need to ensure it's fully cured.

 

[chopsaw]

I use 10 to 14 days . Almost always go 14 . Builds flavor and texture .
If you have time I'd let it go .

 

[steve0617]

I use 10 to 14 days . Almost always go 14 . Builds flavor and texture .
If you have time I'd let it go .

I have the time. I just don't know if it's actually cured since all of the mix went on the fat side.

 

[chopsaw]

I just don't know if it's actually cured since all of the mix went on the fat side.

If all the cure made it in the bag , you're fine .

We'll just do this one now .
You will see brown sections on the surface , and also some pink . That's not a sign of cured or not . Has to do with oxygen getting to the surface or not .

 

[Fueling Around]

I have the time. I just don't know if it's actually cured since all of the mix went on the fat side.

I always cure for at least 2 weeks as @SmokinEdge and @chopsaw have also recommend.

...
You will see brown sections on the surface , and also some pink . That's not a sign of cured or not . Has to do with oxygen getting to the surface or not .

As I was reading down the thread this occurred to me and tada you beat me to the punch.