Why does bacon need to be cured?

[motolife313]

double post sorry. Also any seasonings on the belly or just run it all natural?

 

[indaswamp]

If you do not want to render any fat, you need to try and keep the temp down around 90~100*....

 

[motolife313]

Ok. What happends if some fat renders? Lose flavor?

 

[indaswamp]

Here ya go...

The entire thread is a good read, but to your question, see post #48
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/smoking-bacon-cold-or-hot-smoke.91292/page-3

 

[indaswamp]

Post #48...I need new glasses! LOL!

 

[motolife313]

Cool just read it and thanks for speedy response

 

[Bearcarver]

double post sorry. Also any seasonings on the belly or just run it all natural?

The Link to my Step by Step (Below) should answer most of your questions.
I'll add that I use 100° to 130° Smoker Temp & have never had any Bacon Fat render, as long as I keep smoker Temp below 140°.
Bacon (Extra Smoky)


Bear

 

[motolife313]

I foregot to wash off the cure last night before putting it back in the fridge in covered. Is that a big deal or do I need to wash it off?

 

[Bearcarver]

I foregot to wash off the cure last night before putting it back in the fridge in covered. Is that a big deal or do I need to wash it off?

I'd say at this stage washing it off won't do much good. It was already absorbed.
I would do a Salt-Fry Test, and if it's too salty, soak it a couple hours.
If it isn't too salty you're good to go.

Bear

 

[tallbm]

I'd say at this stage washing it off won't do much good. It was already absorbed.
I would do a Salt-Fry Test, and if it's too salty, soak it a couple hours.
If it isn't too salty you're good to go.

Bear

^^^^ What he said.

Before you go throwing it on a smoker cut a few little pieces off and fry it up and eat them.
If it is too salty then soak in ice water for up to 6 hours to draw salt out and fry test again. Change the water every 6 hours and repeat soak and fry test until you get a good saltiness.

I have done my fair share of soaking and fry testing due to using store bought cure and seasoning packs as well as trying off the internet recipes and having them turn out way too salty. I can tell you from experience if it seems just a little too salty then it is definitely too salty lol... soak some more :)

The fastest soak I've done is about 2.5 hours for acceptable saltiness and the longest is 8 hours where I needed to probably soak for 12 hours on some wild boar Hams I cured for Christmas. I was on a time table and rushed the hams, they needed another good bit of soaking but peopled raved about it... I thought it was still too salty in various parts of the meat.

After you get this first bacon smoke out of the way feel free to ask/poke around for other approaches to try. Many do pure cold smokes, some do "warm" smokes (as bear puts it) and other do "hot" smokes (fully cooked IT of belly). I personally am a fan of cooking my bacon to 145F IT so I can eat it right out of the smoker... plus I like soft or very lightly fried bacon, I'm not a crispy bacon guy :eek:
I found that I eat most of this bacon without it ever hitting the skillet since it is already cooked. I like to think of it as Bacon cold cuts and you would never be able to tell the difference between store bought bacon texture and 145F :)

Best of luck and here is some bacon inspiration for you! :)

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• tallbm
• Feb 27, 2017

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• tallbm
• Feb 27, 2017

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• tallbm
• Feb 27, 2017

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• tallbm
• Feb 27, 2017

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• tallbm
• Feb 27, 2017

 

[motolife313]

Thanks for the advise. I'll go ahead a wash it then because I don't like stuff to salty. Thanks and nice looking bacon

 

[pugsbrew]

OK, I talked to my dad about how they did it it in the old days. They butchered the hog, a week after Thanksgiving, put it in the smoke house, then buried it in salt. No cure, no special anything. He said bacon tasted like bacon, ham tasted like ham. Now, its been a long time since he was a kid, but is the cure REALLY necessary to make bacon taste like bacon and ham taste like ham? Or, is our taste buds accustomed to the flavor of cure now?

This is back to the original question.

 

[indaswamp]

OK, I talked to my dad about how they did it it in the old days. They butchered the hog, a week after Thanksgiving, put it in the smoke house, then buried it in salt. No cure, no special anything. He said bacon tasted like bacon, ham tasted like ham. Now, its been a long time since he was a kid, but is the cure REALLY necessary to make bacon taste like bacon and ham taste like ham? Or, is our taste buds accustomed to the flavor of cure now?

This is back to the original question.

The hogs were different back then...they were allowed to feed outside in the woods around the house. They ate green shoots, acorns, chestnuts, pecans, and anything else they could get in their mouths. The meat was more "porky"...similar to the wild hogs we get around here. Today, the hogs are bred for less fat and live in a controlled setting with stock feed...much milder tasting meat.

That said, many practices back in the day were risky, but they did not have a choice-they did what they had to do to preserve meat to the best of their ability. To properly salt without cure, the concentration has to be much higher than with a cure. I have not done it-and don't recommend it. Botulism is some bad stuff!

 

[pugsbrew]

That said, many practices back in the day were risky, but they did not have a choice-they did what they had to do to preserve meat to the best of their ability. To properly salt without cure, the concentration has to be much higher than with a cure. I have not done it-and don't recommend it. Botulism is some bad stuff!

OK, understand botulism. BUT, does cure make bacon taste like bacon and ham taste like ham? That was my real question.

 

[indaswamp]

OK, understand botulism. BUT, does cure make bacon taste like bacon and ham taste like ham? That was my real question.

They both have cure so the difference has more to do with meat prep and how they are made...also cut of meat.

 

[indaswamp]

If you take pork butt and make buckboard bacon, it still will not taste like belly bacon-though it will be good. It will have a "hammy" taste to it...

 

[pugsbrew]

They both have cure so the difference has more to do with meat prep and how they are made...also cut of meat.

OK, so cure is not the reason a cut of pork tastes like bacon or ham? I just smoked a fresh, uncured ham, the other day. It tasted liked smoked pork. So again, why does bacon and ham taste like bacon and ham?

 

[pc farmer]

The CURE is what makes bacon taste like bacon n ham like ham. If you use just salt its salt pork.

 

[Gwanger]

the cure is used also to prevent botulism because when you expose meat to 40 to 140 deg. in a low oxygen environment (the smoker) you are creating the perfect environment for botulism to grow

 

[Bearcarver]

The CURE is what makes bacon taste like bacon n ham like ham. If you use just salt its salt pork.

Exactly!
Plus the cure gives you the opportunity to keep the Smoking Temp low enough for long enough to put a lot of Tasty Smoke Flavor on it, without any problems.

Bear