Unsmoked bacon?

[Inscrutable]

Saw a recipe that doesn’t cure with curing salt, but does use a rub with regular salt equal to 2% of the belly weight (plus brown sugar, juniper berries, rosemary, thyme, and black pepper), put in fridge for 5-7 days, then sliced/fried and/or frozen.
Anyone do a “cure” something like this? Not smoking it seems very un-bacony.

 

[indaswamp]

Saw a recipe that doesn’t cure with curing salt, but does use a rub with regular salt equal to 2% of the belly weight (plus brown sugar, juniper berries, rosemary, thyme, and black pepper), put in fridge for 5-7 days, then sliced/fried and/or frozen.
Anyone do a “cure” something like this? Not smoking it seems very un-bacony.

More along the lines of pancetta tesa.....which is Italian pork belly that is cured and for the most part, not smoked.

 

[Inscrutable]

More along the lines of pancetta tesa.....which is Italian pork belly that is cured and for the most part, not smoked.

Yes!, thats it. thanks!… with a little homework now, looks like there is another version with “affumicata” (smoked) added. I will have to try, good to have pancetta on hand

 

[mr_whipple]

I'm doing a pancetta tesa right now, and yes, I cured it. Hanging in my chamber now.

 

[Hijack73]

Bacon cured with just salt is known as 'streak o lean' in my neck of the woods and is typically made with back fat. Tasty stuff too., but commercially it's so salty you generally use it to flavor dishes. I've been known to fry up small strips of it and add it to beans - green or dried. I may try to make some 2.5-3% salt content homemade (just because I haven't) to try it out. I can imagine that being a very tasty little addition to some green beans. I have a scrawny on one side and very fatty looking belly in the freezer I may convert into streak o lean.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Really there is no reason not to add the cure salt. You can salt meat without the nitrite but I’m not getting exactly why you would. Really no benefit in my mind.