Questions on my first Bacon Cure/Smoke

[lavafrogy]

Making bacon for the first time and would appreciate a quick check in on procedure and on the temperature of the curing environment.

I purchased a 4 lb. pork belly and used the recipe from https://barbecuebible.com/recipe/made-scratch-bacon/ Though I did add some (2tbs) maple syrup to the mix. I was excited to start the cure, and new to the process, so I neglected to remove the skin. Though I understand that this is not required, only suggested.I plan to cure for 5-6 days.

The cure has been going for 2 days now, and I have been flipping each day. The belly is in closed picnic cooler (cleaned out very thoroughly) and stored in my enclosed (unheated) shed.

The last sentence leads to my check-in question. I live in Boston and its cold (wicked cold) is there any issue/ concern with the belly being in such a cold environment? Pretty sure the wife would kill me if I tried to fit the belly in the fridge so that is why I am using the shed. I haven't seen any info on this so would appreciate insights/ or signs to look out for.

Thanks All!

 

[browneyesvictim]

If it is below freezing, you aren't doing yourself any favors. The bacon needs to be above freezing and below 40*. Best try to KNOW what the temp is and monitor it with a therm.

 

[motocrash]

Read this thread thoroughly it should answer your questions and concerns.
Doesn't your wife keep bacon in the fridge or is she vegetarian?
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/curing-bacon-interesting-temperature-guidelines.269467/

 

[lavafrogy]

Thanks. I realized on the way to work that we have a small kitchen thermometer that i can use to see where I'm at.

 

[lavafrogy]

Read this thread thoroughly it should answer your questions and concerns.
Doesn't your wife keep bacon in the fridge or is she vegetarian?
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/curing-bacon-interesting-temperature-guidelines.269467/

Thanks for linking this, I will check it out. Its just we don't have a large firdge and the belly takes up a decent amount of space.

 

[daveomak]

The bacon will not cure below 34 deg. F... 36-38 is the preferred temp. range...

 

[lavafrogy]

The bacon will not cure below 34 deg. F... 36-38 is the preferred temp. range...

Thanks Dave. I will move it to the fridge and hopefully the promise of yummy bacon will make the wife a little more understanding.

 

[daveomak]

I would not use that recipe... It doesn't follow USDA/FDA guidelines..

1. 4- to 5-pound pork belly, skinned
For the cure:

• 1/3 cup kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper or cracked black peppercorns
• 2 teaspoons pink curing salt, such as Prague Powder #1
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, granulated sugar, maple sugar, freeze-dried sugar cane juice (Sucanat), or a mixture of these sweeteners

Step 1: Place the salt, pepper, and pink salt in a mixing bowl and mix well with your fingers. Mix in the sugar, breaking up any lumps in brown sugar with your fingers.

Step 2: Place the pork belly on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle half of the cure on top and rub it into the belly. Invert and sprinkle the remaining cure on the bottom and rub it in. Place the belly (plus any excess cure) in a large, sturdy, resealable plastic bag in a foil pan or roasting pan on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator.

 

[PerazziMx14]

Please remove

 

[lavafrogy]

A 4lb pork belly is probably only 10" square and around 2" thick. I'd source an HD tip top bag and find room in a bottom drawer of the fridge and use it.

For cure #1 the recipe you are using is calling for double the amount needed. All the other spices sugars you can use as much or as little as you like but cure amounts need to be spot on. Typically cure #1 is used at a rate of 1/4 TSP per lb of meat. I have gotten away from adding cure in volumetric fashion a now use a scale. My next purchase is getting a fractional gram scale to really dial in the numbers.

Weighing out and documenting spices and sugars ensures you can replicate things that come out good and also are good for documenting results you wish to not repeat.

You are at an unfortunate spot as the instant you apply cure to the meat you cannot wash it off and try again as some of the initial cure has already taken a hold. That is why it is so important to get the right amount from the very beginning. Also no matter how small the meat the cure will only penetrate at a certain rate.

It is pretty universal that it will penetrate at around 1/2" of meat per day. Then it is always a good idea to add a few extra days to make sure the cure has reached the center of the meat. You cannot over cure but it is easy to get impatient and undercure. My bacon's cure for a minimum of 8 days and more like 2+ weeks.

Ugh. Any suggestions for what to do other than scrapping it entirely? Obviously, food safety is paramount. But hoping that I left skin on and had it in a near freezing environment is to my favor. Appreciate your input on this. I obviously jumped in too quick and trusted the wrong site. Didn't find this site and forum till today.

 

[SmokinAl]

Most of us cure our bacon for 2 weeks.
And here is the calculator most of us use for salt, sugar, & cure amounts.
All you need is a good gram scale.
http://diggingdogfarm.com/page2.html
Al

 

[lavafrogy]

UPDATE TIME!

You are all awesome for the help offered, specific shout out to Daveomak, for the helpful advice and recipe.

So I did a 18 day cure, as I didn't have time to end the cure earlier and start the smoke. But i read that you can extend the cure for as long as needed. I fried up a test piece and it was good, but way to salty, so I soaked for 15 minutes and it was better, but still a little salty. I did an hour soak and let it all air dry. Next day, did a hot smoke with Apple and a little Mesquite. Took it out and did a taste test before resting. WAY TOO SALTY! should have tested again after that hour soak. With nothing left to lose and after searching the forums here, I decided to soak for 1.5 hours. Took it out, dried it, and wrapped and put the fridge. Next day, took it out and test fry. IT WAS SOOOOO GOOD! can't believe it worked, but it did.

I will 100% try again, i figured i made almost every mistake I could, so I've learned a lot about the process. Wife loved the Bacon and we froze half for later and will cook up a bunch this weekend for family brunch. Thanks again! I'm at my work computer now, but will add pictures later.

 

[daveomak]

For your next batch, may I suggest Digging Dog's calculator....
1.75% salt....
1% sugar....
0.25% cure#1... 1.13 grams per pound or 1 tsp. per 5#'s stuff...
A grams scale will surely help you... use it for seasonings too.....
Something like this one... 0-100 grams capacity...
2 weeks in the refer... then you can follow about any recipe on here...

 

[lavafrogy]

Thanks Dave. Will make sure to follow that guide!

 

[piker]

There has been a lot of discussion on sodium nitrite and to me it seems a little to cautious. In Prague powder that I use it is only 6.75% nitrite and the rest is salt. I have been using it for years with no problems and I cannot really see how anyone can make a serious mistake. I know it is possible