Merry Christmas! ... First Attempt at Bacon!!!

[SmokedGouda]

Thanks Brian, much appreciated. I do think it was fairly caked on when I followed your dredging method, so next time if I follow that I will apply more lightly.

I'm guessing that DiggingDogFarm's calculator (http://www.diggingdogfarm.com/page2.html) will work for the dry cure. So I'll consider using that to make my cure next time too.

Is there a generally accepted range when it comes to the salt % desired? Looks like his default upon launching the page are 2% salt and 1% sugar. Based on those numbers and what I plugged in it says to use a little less than 12 grams of cure #1. Since I had very little cure mix left while I was following your amounts, it seems like I used close to 40+ grams. So it makes sense that it might be a little too salty. (Although so far only 3 out of approx 13 people who have tried it so far thought it was too salty.)

It's been a fun learning process and I'm looking forward to making my next batch sometime in the near future. Beef jerky is next up on the list though.

 

[Pork Belly]

2% as an EQ with a long cure time is 10 days or more is what I see often. I don't cure that way so I can't give you more accurate information than that.

 

[SconnieQ]

Nothing against PB's salt box method, but I think if you start with a cure where the ingredients are "measured", rather than just "what sticks", I think it is easier to make adjustments for taste. He is a pro, and knows exactly what to look for when dredging. I am not a pro, and don't make bacon everyday. Here's my method, which is measured, and works for me.

Maple Cured Bacon

I’ve noticed several posts on this forum about using Prague Powder #1 (Pink Curing Salt) vs. Morton Tender Quick. Morton Tender Quick is pretty much available at any basic supermarket. For most people though, Prague Powder #1 must be ordered. Either one will give you the same results, as long as you use each in the correct proportions. Use whichever cure is available in your area.

Here's my whole bacon process. Take from it what you wish, this is just what works for me. I'm sure others on this forum might have different processes or opinions on things. (I have a #1, therefore the on/off method for cold smoking works best for me. Those who have digital/programmable models will want to come up with a process that is a little more elegant for their cold smoke phase.)

Use either Prague Powder #1 or Morton Tender Quick cure (depending on what is available to you). I’ve tested the cures side-by-side, and I’ve found the results to be identical.

The maple syrup in the cure is optional. It can be omitted if you prefer.

CURE OPTIONS:

Prague Powder #1 Cure (per pound of belly)
1 Tablespoon Kosher salt (Morton’s)
1/2 teaspoon Prague Powder #1 (Pink Curing Salt)
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon maple syrup

Morton Tender Quick Cure (per pound of belly)
1 Tablespoon Morton Tender Quick
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon maple syrup

If desired, go ahead and add your special twist with additional flavors to the cures like garlic powder, black pepper, etc., but your bacon will be delicious with just the basic cure.

PROCESS:

Prepare a batch of cure using the ratios above per 1 pound of meat. Rub the belly with the cure making sure to evenly distribute it over the entire surface of the belly. Place in a zip lock bag. Place in the fridge and allow to cure for 7 days per inch thickness of belly. Flip the bags once every day and massage the meat to ensure even distribution of the cure.

When fully cured, remove meat from bags and rinse in cold water, washing off all the excess salt and cure. Soak in plain water for 30 minutes to further remove excess surface salt. Dry with paper towels and place on a rack, set over a sheet pan. Place in fridge, uncovered, and allow to dry for 24 hours to form a pellicle.

Cold smoke phase:
Use 5-6 oz chips and/or split slivers of wood for fairly smoky bacon. Hickory, cherry, maple or any combination. Smoke using the cold smoke plate and a pan of ice for 5 hours (20 minutes full blast, 40 minutes off) keeping the ambient box temperature below 100 degrees.

Hot smoke phase:
After 5 hours, remove the cold smoke plate and pan of ice (water at this point). Dump out the water from the drip pan and slide it under the smoker (if you were using the drip pan that came with the SI for ice). Set smoker temp to 200, and continue to smoke to an internal temperature of 150 (will probably take about 2+ hours).

For more pronounced maple flavor, brush lightly with maple syrup immediately after removing finished bacon from smoker. Add a sprinkling of fresh cracked black pepper for maple/pepper bacon.

Cool 1 hour lightly tented with foil.

Chill for 24 hours or more, then slice to desired thickness.

PINK SALT NOTES:
1 tsp (5.67 grams) per 5 pounds of meat is what Martin (DiggingDogFarm) says (maybe this is for an equilibrium brine rather than a dry brine?), but when I have looked up other actual recipes, it is usually more like these amounts:
2 teaspoons for 5 pounds of belly: Ruhlman, Raichlan, Michael Symon
1/2 teaspoon per 1 pound of belly: amazingribs.com
2 teaspoons for 2-1/2 to 3 pounds of belly: Traeger Grills recipe

So you can see it varies a lot. I have also read that the MAXIMUM is 1 tsp per pound, but you would never want to use that much.

 

[SconnieQ]

I'll try that on the next batch Kari. I saw that before I started but Pork Belly always said he didn't think it was needed so I skipped this time.

I soaked the second slab in water for an hour and then tossed into the freezer so I can get it ready to slice. Which I'm going to do shortly.

I also tossed some of the slices from yesterday into the water and then cooked them after an hour of soaking. It helped a little bit cause they were not as salty as yesterday. Also the piece that I cooked longer was also not as salty as the others. So soaking here might have helped a tiny bit.

For my next batch of bacon I'll be using less salt, soaking after curing, and less wood. Plus whatever else I can improve based on the feedback others give me.

I wouldn't soak in water after smoking. That would remove more smoke than salt in my opinion.

 

[SmokedGouda]

I wouldn't soak in water after smoking. That would remove more smoke than salt in my opinion.

Whoops, well a little too late for that haha. It's ok, I still enjoyed it and so did everyone I've shared it with. That just means the next batch will be so much better! The measured approach does seem like it would be better for me to go with since I'm so new to everything, so I'll do that next.

 

[LarryD]

Is the sugar also optional?  If not then is there a way to substitute it out?

The maple syrup in the cure is optional. It can be omitted if you prefer.

CURE OPTIONS:

Prague Powder #1 Cure (per pound of belly)
1 Tablespoon Kosher salt (Morton’s)
1/2 teaspoon Prague Powder #1 (Pink Curing Salt)
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon maple syrup

Morton Tender Quick Cure (per pound of belly)
1 Tablespoon Morton Tender Quick
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon maple syrup

 

[SconnieQ]

Is the sugar also optional?  If not then is there a way to substitute it out?

The maple syrup in the cure is optional. It can be omitted if you prefer.

CURE OPTIONS:

Prague Powder #1 Cure (per pound of belly)
1 Tablespoon Kosher salt (Morton’s)
1/2 teaspoon Prague Powder #1 (Pink Curing Salt)
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon maple syrup

Morton Tender Quick Cure (per pound of belly)
1 Tablespoon Morton Tender Quick
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon maple syrup

Yes, it is optional. It is there mostly for flavor balance (balances the salt), and I find it necessary for that reason. It also promotes browning. You can leave it out if you choose. You will find that most bacon cures out there do have a sugar element. If it is refined sugar you object to, you could also use coconut sugar (lower glycemic index than refined sugar), honey, agave nectar, or maple syrup in place of brown sugar. If you are diabetic, you could try Splenda or Stevia, but to tell you the truth, I would use sugar substitutes with caution. With a long cure like that, these substitutes could do something crazy, like making it overly-sweet, or even have some undesired chemical reaction. If you wanted to try, I would use 1/2 of the equivalent. Maybe someone here has tried sugar substitutes or you can search the internet? Remember that the sugar is just in the cure, and the cure gets rinsed/soaked off, so not that much gets absorbed, and the actual sugar content is relatively low in the end product.

NOTE: Morton TenderQuick has a small amount of sugar already in it, so if you are trying to go 100% sugar-free, then you will want to use the Prague Powder #1 recipe.