Why does bacon need to be cured?

[motolife313]

whats a good cure if it's needed and why is it needed thanks ?

 

[bacon_crazy510]

"Curing" has long been used as a form of preservation .... the nice side effect is the great flavor/texture transformations that happen.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Historically, curing and smoking any meat was for preservation. In the cold Fall months, dad and some family and friends, slaughtered the 300 pound Pig they have been raising since early spring. The family, mom, dad, and 2 young children now have 250 pound of meat to eat and no cold storage. Rubbing down the pieces of meat with Salt, Sodium Nitrite and spices like Black Pepper, kept the flies off, and started pulling water out of the meat to stop bacteria from growing. The Nitrite Cure stopped the fat on the meat from going rancid and killed the deadly bacteria that causes Botulism. The Smoking added flavor, inhibited bacterial growth and stopped the meat from rotting while it was stored all year at room temperature, until the family could eat it. With the invention of refrigeration, especially freezing, curing and smoking has gone from a necessity to a choice because we love the flavor. Bacon can be rubbed with salt, sugar and cure#1, refrigerated for 2-3 weeks, then cold or warm smoked and you are good to go. This is Dry Cured Bacon. A second method is to place the same ingredients in Water and soak it for 2 weeks before smoking it. This is called Brine Cured Baon. Search Dry Cured Bacon or bacon with Pop's Cure for Brine cured bacon recipes and instructions on smoking...JJ

 

[motolife313]

So since we have freezers now is there a need to do the cure?

 

[SmokinAl]

You can make bacon without the cure, but you won't get the same flavor.
It won't taste like bacon.
Al

 

[bernieross]

Bacon isn't bacon unless it's cured. It's pork belly. We don't NEED to make jam either, if all we want to do is preserve berries or fruit - you can just put the berries in the freezer. If you want to eat defrosted raspberries, that's all you need to do. If you want to eat jam, you make it. If you want pork, you don't cure it. If you want bacon, you do.

 

[motolife313]

What's a cheap cure I could use that's in a small quantity?

 

[daveomak]

Of the curing salts, add 1 gram per pound of pork for a bacon product.. May I suggest you get a 0-100 gram scale like below for adding cure and spices for recipe consistency..
The 4 oz. packs will cure 100#'s of meat... when used as a dry rub...

 

[motolife313]

Thanks Dave. I've got one of those scales I can use. That stuff is potent

 

[daveomak]

It's not really that potent, testing by the USDA has determined the amount needed to kill botulism.. You don't need any more than recommended...
What is the range of the scale you plan on using... I recommend 0-100 grams range...

 

[motolife313]

It reads in grams. Don't remember how high it goes but I can always weight 2 separate batches if needed. Thinking about going to look for some belly today. What's a good temp to smoke at? I seen a guy use 175, I'm running a stick burner and that would actually be about as low as I'd wanna go unless it's really cold outside

 

[daveomak]

I cold smoke my bacon at 60-70... I reserve the cooking step for the oven... I would not go above 155-160...

 

[motolife313]

What if I brought it up to 150 it and then cooked it in the oven or griddle after that in slice form? That work too?

Just weight a golf ball at 46 - 46.1 grams

 

[daveomak]

150 would be good... then finish cooking in slice form...
So, check to see how close your scale is when weighing coins and if it is repeatable... weigh a nickle, dime and a penny.. That is the range you need to be accurate at....

⦁ Coins are minted to precise specifications, including weight, so they can serve as calibration weights. For example, a U.S. nickel weighs 5 grams. A penny weighs 2.5 grams. These numbers easily multiply, so 10 nickles can serve as a 50-gram calibration weight. Other U.S. coins are less useful because their weights don't fall at such even numbers; for example, a dime weighs 2.268 grams. A 1-euro coin weighs 7.5 grams, and a 0.02-euro coin weighs 3 grams.

 

[motolife313]

nickel was right at 5.0 and I knew a bill was 1.0 which was correct. I'm reading the cure will pull water out of the belly. Am I supposed to drain that out of the bag every couple days?

 

[bacon_crazy510]

I live in the Bay area, so the ambient air temp is pretty mild. I've been "cold smoking", using my pellet grill with only a tube filled with smoldering pellets. The warmest my chamber has risen to is about 90F .... since it's cured, and I'm going to slice it and fry it, I don't have the need to "cook" it while smoking.

 

[bacon_crazy510]

Although after a long smoke on my Canadian bacon (loin bacon) I do bring it up to an IT of 145F..... (that way I can eat it anytime without having to pan fry it)

 

[Bearcarver]

nickel was right at 5.0 and I knew a bill was 1.0 which was correct. I'm reading the cure will pull water out of the belly. Am I supposed to drain that out of the bag every couple days?

No you want that liquid in there to transport the cure, salt, and sugar into the meat.
Much of that liquid will be reabsorbed by the time the curing is over.
Bacon (Extra Smoky)


Bear

 

[daveomak]

No.. leave all liquid in the bag and turn daily for the 2 weeks curing process...

.

 

[motolife313]

Ok thanks guys! I do plan on just pan frying so I may just bring it up to 120 the. I have no slicer so I may have to bribe a butcher to do it lol