Dry Cure bacon

[Rob242]

Made some last week and turned out very salty but other than that it was good.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
¼ tsp dry mustard
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon granulated onion
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
How much salt can I remove and still have mild salt taste?

 

[Slow42]

Rob242 usually everything is done in percentages. Start with the weigh of the meat and go from there. What was the weight of the meat you used? Did you use any cure with the other ingredients other than salt? Did you smoke the bacon?

 

[Wazza48]

Start with the equilibrium method, and that will tell you how much prague powder, kosher salt and sugar to use. Then add all those other ingredients. The end result will be slightly salty, but once you have tasted it a kilo will last you about a day! It is seriously that good.

 

[Rob242]

About a 6.5 pork butt boned and sliced in half between 1 1/2 to 2" thick. I think a 1tsp and 1/2 of pink cure.
Let it stay in sealed bags for about 9 days flipping every day. Smokedat about 120deg.

 

[SmokinAl]

After you remove the meat from the cure, rinse it off & slice off a small piece & fry it up. If it's too salty then soak the meat in cold water in the fridge for a few hours, changing the water a couple of times. That should remove a lot of the salt. If your not sure, do another fry test.
Al

 

[Rob242]

I did rinse it. This was the first time I tired dry cure I have done several with wet cure. But heard that dry or wet is a matter of choice so I thought I would try it. I think I might like it better if it wasn't as salty.
Is there a per lb of salt and will the amount of other spice make a difference to the salt amount?
Or point me to a good recipe for the dry cure.

 

[SmokinAl]

This is the calculator most of us use.

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diggingdogfarm.com

I used to wet cure my bacon, but now I dry cure it cause IMHO, it makes a much better end product, crispy bacon!!

Al

 

[daveomak]

Using the numbers you provided, there's no way it should have been salty... UNLESS.... some of your herbs and spices were a salt base... like, garlic salt and onion salt....

Get an electronic scale and weigh all of your ingredients... Get one that is 0-100 grams weighing range....
Salt... 7 grams per pound of meat...
Cure#1..... 1.1 grams per pound of meat...

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

Ditch the measuring spoons and get a good digital scale to weigh everything in grams.
You'll be glad you did.

 

[rfwoodvt]

I did rinse it. This was the first time I tired dry cure I have done several with wet cure. But heard that dry or wet is a matter of choice so I thought I would try it. I think I might like it better if it wasn't as salty.
Is there a per lb of salt and will the amount of other spice make a difference to the salt amount?
Or point me to a good recipe for the dry cure.

Not sure if others have chimed in...

I use the vacuum bag dry cure method. I weigh my "cure" apply it to the meat, place the meat in a vacuum bag and add any left over cure to the bag. Then I seal it tight. Massage and flip every few days for up to several weeks. This is arguably a wet cure as juices combine with the cure but it acts very much like a dry cure.

With the dry cure you can use 1% to 3% salt by weight. How much you use is purely preference and experience. I use 2.5% that way if I forget about it in the fridge it will never be saltier than I like. However, if I cure to short on the time then it won't be fully cured either.

 

[chef jimmyj]

1TBS Salt and 1.5 tsp Cure in 6.5 pounds of meat is very little Salt. Are you particularly sensitive? If my math is correct that is around .85%, less than Half of what many of us use. Not what most would consider salty...At 1.5 to 2" thick I would Cure at least 14 days. At 9 days you may have not achieved uniform salt distribution. Taste Testing an End Slice may be why it taste Salty. The salt may be more concentrated there. Let it rest, to Equalize for 5 days and see what you got...JJ

 

[Rob242]

I have a scale.
if I calculate dry cure with Dog Farm and ad other spices then do I put all of the spices on the meat and what if it doesn't stretch far enough to cover all the meat?

 

[Rob242]

Also all the salt and spice I put on the meat was about all gone when I rinsed it off before smoking.
Is that normal?

 

[chef jimmyj]

I have a scale.
if I calculate dry cure with Dog Farm and ad other spices then do I put all of the spices on the meat and what if it doesn't stretch far enough to cover all the meat?

The Salt will pull out some moisture, making a small amount of Brine. This is easily massaged to areas that were missed. Plus, the point of curing 7 days per inch is it gives time for the cure to get everywhere. Top down, bottom up, and so on...

Also all the salt and spice I put on the meat was about all gone when I rinsed it off before smoking.
Is that normal?

YES. If you are looking for a particular flavor profile, Black Pepper, Hot Cayenne, Maple, or a Blend, now is the time to add more of that flavor, No Salt or Cure, to make sure it's in every bite. Rub more seasoning on and Smoke it...JJ