Hello, all, thanks for the info that led to my successful bacon - the best bacon I've had. I want to make even better bacon, or at least repeat this batch with less hassle. I have questions... ;)
I used the dry method at 4% salt, using the calculator from the articles section of this site, and the recommended amount of pink salt and (brown) sugar. Yes, my test fry was too salty, but I do like salty bacon (just not this salty). A 2.5 hour soak reduced the salt level to what I'd call close to perfect. I cold smoked it with applewood for 6 hours or so.
1. Can I just reduce the salt to avoid the soak? Will I need to give it more time to equalize?
2. Is Pops' wet method a way to do just that, or does it also need to soak after curing?
3. I liked that the bacon didn't pop like crazy when I fried it - no mess. Is this true of the wet cured bacon as well?
4. On frying, the fat parts turned completely clear, like glass! That was a bit surprising... I am assuming it's because of less water?
I've often wondered why historic cookbooks go on so about bacon drippings... well, now I know! The grease from store bought bacon isn't the first thing I think of when I hear the word "tasty". However, the rendered fat from my bacon (I turn it with my asbestos fingers, and lick them afterward) is dee-licious! Salty, porky, smoky goodness. I get it.
Here are the crudely sliced first pieces - no time to wait for it to firm-up in the freezer!
Here is a shot of them fried up - very tasty bacon.
And here's a shot of what I have curing now... BBB. Boning and trimming out a shoulder into BBB is hard! The "extra" bit is curing in a recipe from Ruhlman's Salumi.
Thanks for the info!
- lfriv
I used the dry method at 4% salt, using the calculator from the articles section of this site, and the recommended amount of pink salt and (brown) sugar. Yes, my test fry was too salty, but I do like salty bacon (just not this salty). A 2.5 hour soak reduced the salt level to what I'd call close to perfect. I cold smoked it with applewood for 6 hours or so.
1. Can I just reduce the salt to avoid the soak? Will I need to give it more time to equalize?
2. Is Pops' wet method a way to do just that, or does it also need to soak after curing?
3. I liked that the bacon didn't pop like crazy when I fried it - no mess. Is this true of the wet cured bacon as well?
4. On frying, the fat parts turned completely clear, like glass! That was a bit surprising... I am assuming it's because of less water?
I've often wondered why historic cookbooks go on so about bacon drippings... well, now I know! The grease from store bought bacon isn't the first thing I think of when I hear the word "tasty". However, the rendered fat from my bacon (I turn it with my asbestos fingers, and lick them afterward) is dee-licious! Salty, porky, smoky goodness. I get it.
Here are the crudely sliced first pieces - no time to wait for it to firm-up in the freezer!
Here is a shot of them fried up - very tasty bacon.
And here's a shot of what I have curing now... BBB. Boning and trimming out a shoulder into BBB is hard! The "extra" bit is curing in a recipe from Ruhlman's Salumi.
Thanks for the info!
- lfriv
