Please help resolve my confusion once and for all RE: "bacon" w/o pink salt

[mitogal]

The more I research and read on this topic the more confused and worried I get. I have some people telling me what I did was dangerous and I have others telling me they make "bacon" like this all the time. Can someone please resolve the confusion for me? 

We bought a 2.5 lb pork belly from a local farmer (organic, pastured) over the summer and it had been sitting in our chest freezer. I decided to make bacon with it using the recipe from the NYT.

Time: 2 hours, plus 7 to 8 days’ refrigeration

2 1/2 pounds pork belly, squared off, rind removed

2 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pink salt, optional

I have multiple dietary restrictions and in fact, this was my first time trying pork again after nearly a year avoiding it. I used only the 2 1/2 Tbsp of kosher salt that the recipe called for - nothing else. I followed the rest of the recipe, turning it daily in the fridge, rinsing and letting it dry in the fridge, cooking in the 225 degree oven to an internal temp of 150, then slicing and oven-baking the slices at 350 for about 30 minutes.

I realize that what I made wasn't actually "bacon", but it was very good just the same. 

My main source of confusion is stemming from the safety of how I prepared it and the fact that I didn't use curing salt (I cannot have the added nitrites or nitrates due to my dietary restrictions, which are plentiful). Is food-borne illness or botulism a concern with how I prepared it? Some people are telling me "yes" and others are saying "no" because it was kept refrigerated and then cooked thoroughly. I don't know what to believe. 

The one problem I did have was that it was very salty and I'd like to cut down on the saltiness if I make it again. 

ueEN1.jpg

• fishwrestler
• Dec 30, 2012

Here is a picture of how it turned out: http://i.imgur.com/ueEN1.jpg

Thank you for the advice. I hope someone can clarify this for me. 

 

[diggingdogfarm]

You didn't do anything wrong, what you did is perfectly safe.
The concern with botulinum spores growing and producing toxins comes from smoking at low temperatures without added nitrates/nitrites, in your case, you're well into safe territory as far as smoking temperature goes.


~Martin

 

[mitogal]

What a relief! Thank you very much. To cut down on the saltiness is it safest to shorten the "cure" time or reduce the salt? 

 

[diggingdogfarm]

Reduce the salt.



~Martin

 

[JckDanls 07]

What a relief! Thank you very much. To cut down on the saltiness is it safest to shorten the "cure" time or reduce the salt? 

Do a fry test first to see how salty... if to salty put the whole belly in water and let soak for an hour... change water after 30 minutes... fry test again... still to salty ? repeat

 

[diggingdogfarm]

If you used Morton's Kosher salt your bacon was as much as 3.4% salt, with Diamond Crystal Kosher as much as 2.5% salt.
If you have a gram scale, try cutting the salt level back to 2%.
Allow plenty of time for the salt to distribute and equalize evenly throughout the meat.

~Martin

 

[mitogal]

If you used Morton's Kosher salt your bacon was as much as 3.4% salt

[font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]That would explain it then. I did use Morton's Kosher salt. [/font]

Do a fry test first to see how salty... if to salty put the whole belly in water and let soak for an hour... change water after 30 minutes... fry test again... still to salty ? repeat

[font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Ok. Someone else did suggest that, that makes sense. [/font]

[font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Thank you very much for the help. Aside from safe meat handling I didn't realize this type of "project" was so involved. I started to panic and could not find any sources that agreed about what was the "right" thing to do! Most of them wanted to criticize the fact that it wasn't actual "bacon". I was more concerned about whether or not I could potentially poison everyone! :-)[/font]