Dry cure bacon questions....

[indaswamp]

I've helped my friend dry cure hams and bacon, never actually done it myself. I usually wet brine cure what I make, but I want to dry cure a batch of bacon. I will be getting a case of bellies in the near future and have some questions:

BTW, I will be using cure #1 NOT Tender Quick...

1. What percentage of salt should I shoot for so I do not need to soak after curing.
2. Does anyone inject maple syrup into the bellies prior to curing? If so, how much per pound?
do the bellies need to be in bags or can I stack them in a 25# tote in the frig to cure?
3. Should I reapply sugar along with any seasonings after the curing?

Thanks in advance.

 

[daveomak]

Swamp, evening... based on the weight of the belly, I use 2% salt, 1% white sugar and 0.25% cure#1 or 1.1 grams per pound of cure#1... Mix it all together, based on the weight of each belly, and rub it all over... Then you can stack them in a tub if you like for 2 weeks or so.. You can add any dry seasoning or spice you like... Just shake it on and let her rip.. before or after or both....

 

[indaswamp]

Thanks a lot Dave!

 

[indaswamp]

Do I need to shuffle and re-stack the bellies every couple days? I know that the salt/cure will push water out of the meat at first, then it will start to reabsorb it. If I do not shuffle the meats, will the bottom bellies be too salty?

 

[daveomak]

Not really, the amount of liquid loss, compared to the weight of the meat is probably 1-2%... won't make that much difference if you add it all up.. Uncovered in the refer, moisture will evaporate about as fast as it gets pushed out... at least that's what I have found when I do belly bacon... maybe, 1 TBS liquid with 30#'s of bellies stacked up...
You could re stack it once, so the bellies get flattened the same.. top to the bottom, bottom to the top.... Your bellies may get a uniform thickness that way... I'd like to see what the commercial folks do to get their bellies an even thickness... I've heard they pound them... don't know if that's believable or not... does make some sense...
Anybody know how they get bellies a uniform thickness ????

 

[lodi dick]

Inda, I've only made bacon one time. However, I used Bearcarver's dry brine Step by Steps for Xtra Smokey Bacon. He uses TQ as the curing agent. Mine turned out awesome, so thanks Bear.

 

[kit s]

I've helped my friend dry cure hams and bacon, never actually done it myself. I usually wet brine cure what I make, but I want to dry cure a batch of bacon. I will be getting a case of bellies in the near future and have some questions:

BTW, I will be using cure #1 NOT Tender Quick...

1. What percentage of salt should I shoot for so I do not need to soak after curing.
2. Does anyone inject maple syrup into the bellies prior to curing? If so, how much per pound?
do the bellies need to be in bags or can I stack them in a 25# tote in the frig to cure?
3. Should I reapply sugar along with any seasonings after the curing?

Thanks in advance.

Here is a link to a brine (dry or wet) calculator that makes it easy.
http://www.diggingdogfarm.com/page2.html
When using wet brine you have to add the weight of liquid to meat, dry cure is just weight of meat. All is measured in grams, but it does have a conversion on the calculator for that too.
The credit for this great tool goes to diggingdogfarm on smokin
Kit

 

[dkmol21]

Good Afternoon All,

I would like to confirm that a dry brine pork belly will be safe to brine for 14 days?

 

[daveomak]

YES.... I do 14 days.... using 2% salt, 1% sugar and 1.1 grams of cure#1 per pound of belly....

 

[kit s]

Good Afternoon All,

I would like to confirm that a dry brine pork belly will be safe to brine for 14 days?

Yes, I let mine sit for at least 14 days. I also use Cure #1, but I break down all measurements into grams, as I get a better consistency.

 

[myownidaho]

What Dave said, Inda. I’ve never had to soak using that formula.

 

[pugsbrew]

Here is a link to a brine (dry or wet) calculator that makes it easy.
http://www.diggingdogfarm.com/page2.html
When using wet brine you have to add the weight of liquid to meat, dry cure is just weight of meat. All is measured in grams, but it does have a conversion on the calculator for that too.
The credit for this great tool goes to diggingdogfarm on smokin
Kit

For brining, this makes it easier.

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/pops6927s-wet-curing-brine.110799/

 

[atomicsmoke]

I guess it comes down to personal preference when it comes to salt. I use 1.5% salt for bacon. But i don't use sugar. I think sugar will mask some of the salt

For cure i use 108ppm (skin on belly)...which translates into 0.1735%.