First attempt at bacon-questions

i find that using the nitrite (pink salts) changes the texture of the meat. it's used not merely for preservation or color, but because it physically alters the meat. hard to explain, but i find it helps makes the difference between bacon merely bending, or breaking. almost seems crystalline in a way.

that said, slicing thinner always helps makes it tend more toward crispy. as does slicing it across the (very-hard-to-understand) grain.

for what it's worth, there seems to be a recent trend of 'first time bacon curers' who appear not to be following a recipe or plan. if you can, start from a trusted source (not web bloggers), and follow their recipe to a 'T'. you'll then have a benchmark from which you can play around.

i cure 1-1/2" thick bellies 6 days, no more (the cure rate per inch of thickness is somewhat uniform for all meats,: meaning, twice as thick seems to take twice as long). i also use the salt-box method, where a ratio of cure is made up, the slab is introduced into it and shaken, and whatever sticks is the right amount. this prevents over-curing, and it's never too salty.

i also don't soak out. soaking out salt may be necessary for salt-curing (like a country ham), but i have found that keeping the right ratio of cure to meat and keeping the cure time to a minimum has never resulted in too much salt.

skin on or skin off won't alter the bacon really, except that i will say i skin it before curing, f only to get more smoke on the bacon later, and because i don't want to bother handling it when very hot just to skin it. some recipes call for skinning after hot-smoking. i find it cumbersome. skinning before curing gives me better color and smoke on the finished product. if anything. leaving skin on would slow the cure (though it doesn't)

the recent bacon-making craze has spurred a lot of internet improv, bit improv without a grasp of the concept, which seems to lead to many guesses and questions. if you are enjoying the curing 'thing', pick up a really approachable book which gives uch of the logic and reasoning behind the process, not just recipes. "Charcuterie" by Ruhlman and Polcyn.

...i wish i hada dollar for every time i recommended that book :laugh: