Is my bacon cured? added .5% more sugar, worried about Food Safey, may have screwed this up...

[jceroli42]

So I did a EQ wet cure, like i've done in the past with great results. This time after 10 days, I took it out and the belly didn't look like I remembered, no "bacon" smell. even cutting a peice and frying it up still didn't really taste like bacon. The belly texture was almost like it was prior to the cure... I went back to my notes and the proportions were correct.

So my question - is there a way to tell if it's cured? After frying it up, it didn't taste like bacon but was on the salty side.

My fear - cold smoking, if for some reason it's not cured, will that be an issue with food safety...

What can I do???

 

[nanuk]

what means EQ?

and are you SURE you put Curing Salts into your brine??? Just because they are in your notes doesn't mean you didn't accidentally overlook that one important additive

 

[jceroli42]

Equilibrium method. I've done it before no issues at all. Yes, 99.9% positive the curing salt was added, i actually remember doing it because it's such a small amount 6-7 grams that I always take my time to make sure it's correct.

 

[jceroli42]

So I figured out the only difference and not sure why... basically I use the EQ method wet brine... I usually add 1% of weight in sugar, this time I added 1.5%. BUT the cure salt is still the same and was proportionate of the weight. I did notice when I dumped out the brine it had a sweet smell, now looking back at my notes again that was it...

That said, i smoked for 12 hrs last night, the "bacon" doesn't necessarily feel like bacon, never got really firm.

So my new question... IF it didn't cure correctly because of the added .5% of sugar, and I cold smoked at about 70* all night, is this going to be a problem for food safety and bacteria? I have it resting in fridge now...

 

[daveomak]

How much belly and how much liquid was there ???? What are the numbers for your EQ brine ???

 

[jceroli42]

How much belly and how much liquid was there ???? What are the numbers for your EQ brine ???

So I have about 20lbs cut into 4 5lb pieces.. .here's my breakdown.

#1
Belly 2388gr
water 836gr (35%)
salt 65gr (2% of Belly & Water)
cure 6.5gr (.02%of Belly & Water)
brown sugar 49gr (1.5% of Belly & Water)

The rest are all similar in weight and proportions.

 

[daveomak]

You did good.... Only thing I can think of.... The fridge was too cold... Below 34, meat won't cure... 38 is a good temp...
30% water compared to meat weight is perfect...
If the skin is on, I'd continue to cure for another 4-5 days.... cure doesn't penetrate skin and fat too well...
Then rinse, dry, and place in the refer for about a week to mature, unwrapped on a wire rack... then cold smoke below 70 as long as you wish.. I add thin blue smoke for 6-10 hours per day the repeat the next day for however many days works for you....
Below is Brican's bacon cold smoke on and off for 6 days...

My bacon, with a lard coating to prevent too much drying, while it sits in the refer for a week after the smoking process was completed....

 

[nanuk]

MMM.... Bacon AND Lard! now that's GOTTA Taste great!

Dave, have you found 6 days to be the best for dryness, and that's why you coat it?

also, when not smoking, where does the bacon sit? in the smoker? at <70F??

 

[daveomak]

It's been hanging around in the refer, on a wire rack for a month+ by the time it's done.. 2 weeks with the rub... 1 week to mature, 2-6 days of 6-10 hours smoke... a week or so to mature again on a wire rack in the refer...
And when adding smoke, I do not take it out of the smoker... it's there the entire time.. Takes too long to warm it up.... I do not add smoke to meat that it's temperature is below ambient... It will collect condensate...

 

[chef jimmyj]

.5% more sugar has zero effect on the curing other than being sweeter than last time. All the bacteria or spores we worry about on only on the surface, unless injected, and they are killed almost instantaneously. You could literally soak in cure One Day then cold smoke for 24 hours with Zero safety issues. The interior will not be cured and has to be cooked or frozen like any raw uncured meat but totally safe to eat. ..JJ

 

[nanuk]

thanks for the clarification Dave.

 

[derag2]

So why does everyone cure for 10 days if it's only needs to cure for 1 and the bacteria is dead right away and doesnt get more during smoking

 

[Bearcarver]

So why does everyone cure for 10 days if it's only needs to cure for 1 and the bacteria is dead right away and doesnt get more during smoking

Answer has always been so you can Smoke it Low & Slow in the Danger Zone for as long as you want.
That's what I was taught.

Bear

 

[chef jimmyj]

So why does everyone cure for 10 days if it's only needs to cure for 1 and the bacteria is dead right away and doesnt get more during smoking

The surface bacteria is killed in less than a day. But we use cure for the pink color and baco/hammy flavor as well. It takes 10 to 14 days for the salt, cure and Sugar to reach the center of the belly, flavoring the whole thing, not just the surface...JJ

 

[derag2]

Ic... I always thought it was for bacteria. I still will cure for 10-14 days, that just caught me off guard.

 

[daveomak]

Cure penetrates meat at about 7 days per inch of thickness... It is primarily used to kill any botulism bacteria on/in the meat... It has a little effect on some other bacteria and no effects on others... Temperature is what does in the remaining bacteria and other pathogens... each step is important...

 

[SonnyE]

I have a question for Dave....
I wanna know where to get square pigs?

I've never seen such square Sow Belly.
Is that from the same place that grows square watermelons.

 

[daveomak]

Only anal retentive folks can buy square bellies... :)

 

[SonnyE]

Only anal retentive folks can buy square bellies... :)

Where can I get a Stainless Steel carpenters square?

In all honesty, I did trim one of my slabs to "bag length" instead of "slice, arrange, and stuff."
I am trying to do betterer.
I was reluctant to completely square my slab-ola.
But then, I think the bellies I am able to get are more toward the piglet end, and not nice full sized mature piggies.
Those probably go to Oscar or Mr. Hormel, or stay at Farmer John's... :rolleyes:

I need dimensional piggy pieces. Where's the lumber yard?

 

[daveomak]

Get a plastic speed square...
IRWIN Tools Rafter Square, Hi-Vis, 12-Inch (1794467)$7.99..

Or use a baking sheet....