True Dry Cured Bacon.

[slavikborisov]

This is our favorite bacon. Here is a 6.5# slab of belly that I dry rubbed with my usual 1.5% salt, .75% sugar and .25% cure #1. I finish with eyeball amounts of white pepper and gran garlic. This will go on a stainless grate into the fridge with a catch pan underneath. 14 days naked no bag. This extracts the moisture and concentrates the flavors. The end result is delicious. Fries better in a pan too. Sorry for the low quality pictures, from my phone and not buying a fancy camera just for this stuff.

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View attachment 688286
Btw, this goes on the rack meat side down. See you in 14-ish days.

Got two slabs in my fridge about to do the same thing

 

[Faster]

Thanks SmokinEdge

How long and at what temperature do you smoke it?
Thanks
Never mind I found it, few posts under :))

 

[disco]

Slicing day on the last batch.

View attachment 698479

Looks like bacon art to me! All you need is a frame.

 

[hondabbq]

Thank you for that Jim.


In my smokehouse I run temps from 120- 140 while smoking then go up to about 170 or so to finish IT at 145.


I’m hoping you do that Doug. It’s not life changing but produces a firmer bacon that fries much better and the taste difference is good to us. Like the difference of dry aged steak vs fresh.

I am going to give this a run after I get back from holidays, ( we are travelling) and I always cold smoke for 2 days with a rest in the fridge overnight between smoke days, to add another variable.

 

[hondabbq]

Plans changed and I put it into cure last Friday afternoon.
Got home in the evening last night and gave it a flip.
I put paper towels under it and they were definitely wet, but dried up over the week till I looked at them.
Changed those for clean ones. I do t think they will leech anymore but just in case.
1 week to go and smoke next Friday and Saturday.

 

[Gonna Smoke]

Per Eric's SmokinEdge recommendation, I place the bellies on a rack meat side down and never flip the entire curing period. Dry cured is our favorite...

 

[hondabbq]

Per Eric's SmokinEdge recommendation, I place the bellies on a rack meat side down and never flip the entire curing period. Dry cured is our favorite...

I missed the meat side down part of the post under the pic.
I just saw the meat side up pics and went that way.
Oh well.
I’m sure it will be just as good.
SmokinEdge thoughts on that?

 

[SmokinEdge]

I missed the meat side down part of the post under the pic.
I just saw the meat side up pics and went that way.
Oh well.
I’m sure it will be just as good.
SmokinEdge thoughts on that?

You are fine. I just go with gravity and the fact that moisture doesn’t like to travel through fat. So not much point in fat down when gravity is working in that direction.

That probably mostly applies to the first week though and after that it is reversed osmosis that pulles the moisture out, but still I recommend meat side down for the whole ride..

Now all that said, I watch pretty close about day 10-12 to make a call if the meat is getting really dry on the surface. If it is then moisture won’t pass through that dry ring so if I see that I will bag but not zip it up for another few days then smoke. Simple process.

 

[Faster]

SmokinEdge , I have a slab of bacon in fridge for 1 week now, dry curing.
Next week, before smoking, do I rub any spices on, or it goes in just as is? (Only pepper, garlic and paprika)
Thanks

 

[SmokinEdge]

SmokinEdge , I have a slab of bacon in fridge for 1 week now, dry curing.
Next week, before smoking, do I rub any spices on, or it goes in just as is? (Only pepper, garlic and paprika)
Thanks

I’d go in just like it is.

 

[Faster]

Thank you

 

[hondabbq]

Hers is the final product of this process.
I will be slicing on Monday at work.
Here is a few hand cuts and test fry.
Bellies I had were a little on the thin side but overall it’s a good recipe.
Smoked for 6 hours to get to that color but I would go for the full 8. (I cold smoke)
I’ll tweak a few things for the next round.
I will be doing this again for sure.

 

[nlife]

Looks amazing to me!

 

[Dave Rowell]

Hers is the final product of this process.
I will be slicing on Monday at work.
Here is a few hand cuts and test fry.
Bellies I had were a little on the thin side but overall it’s a good recipe.
Smoked for 6 hours to get to that color but I would go for the full 8. (I cold smoke)
I’ll tweak a few things for the next round.
I will be doing this again for sure.

Does the cure protect it from bacteria growth during a cold smoke?

 

[DougE]

Does the cure protect it from bacteria growth during a cold smoke?

Yes, that is the main purpose of curing ........... to allow the meat to safely remain in the "danger zone" for longer periods while smoking.

 

[Fueling Around]

Does the cure protect it from bacteria growth during a cold smoke?

Yes, that is the main purpose of curing ........... to allow the meat to safely remain in the "danger zone" for longer periods while smoking.

----------------
American cure#1 at 6.25% sodium nitrite will protect very well even if you don't add more salt.
This is from renowned sausage make Rytek Kutas and founder of The Sausage Maker company.

There are Canadian and European standards that use a much lower percentage of sodium nitrite in the blend than the 6.25% of American cure.

My short answer is yes if you make the meat saltier than my taste.

 

[LoveMyBGE]

I have always used the bag method, curing for about 10 days (until the belly has firmed up. I definitely want to try this dry method. I like savory and sweet, so I usually add some maple sugar too. Have always used black pepper, but will now try white. QUESTION: I have always rinsed and dried my cured belly and then lightly re-season it before smoking. Do you rinse yours after dry curing?

 

[SmokinEdge]

I have always used the bag method, curing for about 10 days (until the belly has firmed up. I definitely want to try this dry method. I like savory and sweet, so I usually add some maple sugar too. Have always used black pepper, but will now try white. QUESTION: I have always rinsed and dried my cured belly and then lightly re-season it before smoking. Do you rinse yours after dry curing?

This is an Equilibrium cure process. So you only apply to the meat what you want it to have in it when complete. So no. Zero rinse at the end.

 

[DougE]

This is an Equilibrium cure process. So you only apply to the meat what you want it to have in it when complete. So no. Zero rinse at the end.

Yep, no need to rinse. I think I did the first go, but learned that it is unnecessary with equilibrium cures.

 

[Dave Rowell]

Yes, that is the main purpose of curing ........... to allow the meat to safely remain in the "danger zone" for longer periods while smoking.

I love bacon, but do prefer to severely limit intake of concentrated nitrites. Since salt is not an issue with us, I'd like to know how to do the same preservation with salt, if anyone has that info.