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Pork belly smoked into bacon - how to??
Comments
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....maybe you're confusing "number 2" with Tenderquick
#1 is nitrite plus salt. No sugar
#2 is nitrate and nitrite plus salt. No sugar
Tenderquick is is both plus salt and sugar. Ready to cure.[social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others] -
I just watched an episode of Steven raichlen-project smoke. He did cured bacon and Canadian bacon. It was on Pbs.
http://projectsmoke.mpt.org/episodes/ -
this discussion has evolved/devolved into a discussion I don't understand - I've got a 4 lb belly in a zip lock bag rubbed with Morton's Tender Quick mixed with a bunch of other stuff, including Kosher Salt, Brown Sugar, garlic, peppers, et al, etc - it's been in the fridge for three days and I'm going to let it cure for the rest of the week - this weekend, probably Friday, I'll take it out, wash it, pat it dry, refrigerate it, on Saturday, smoke it to 150 and then cut it in slices and see if my wife likes it when I fry it - if i'm (or she's) not dead at the end of that process, I'll let you know how it turned out - thanks for all your comments
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Nitrates are cancer causing... I'll stick with a warm smoke and leave the pink salt out.--Dave from Leesburg, VA BGE XL, Viking 42", Firepit with $16 grill
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DaveM said:Nitrates are cancer causing... I'll stick with a warm smoke and leave the pink salt out.They/Them
Morgantown, PA
XL BGE - S BGE - KJ Jr - HB Legacy - BS Pizza Oven - 30" Firepit - King Kooker Fryer - PR72T - WSJ - BS 17" Griddle - XXL BGE - BS SS36" Griddle - 2 Burner Gasser - Pellet Smoker -
Use the pink salt, follow base recipe then modify flavor additives. I don't recommend celery as a flavor additiveSandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
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reh111 said:
The advice that was offered earlier, follow a known good recipe, is solid advice. As far as what you currently have curing with TQ, I don't know much about it, so I haven't commented in that regard. I hope it turns out great, I'm sure you have nothing to worry about with regards to food safety, it's in a fridge.They/Them
Morgantown, PA
XL BGE - S BGE - KJ Jr - HB Legacy - BS Pizza Oven - 30" Firepit - King Kooker Fryer - PR72T - WSJ - BS 17" Griddle - XXL BGE - BS SS36" Griddle - 2 Burner Gasser - Pellet Smoker -
bgebrent said:Use the pink salt, follow base recipe then modify flavor additives. I don't recommend celery as a flavor additive
Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.
Status- Standing by.
The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. -
If nitrates are cancer causing, you'll want to stop eating celery, spinach, beets, and your own saliva.
Anyone who has studied this will quickly learn: a couple sticks of celery contain more nitrite then an entire ten pack of hot dogs.
But by all means, continue to think you're eating 'healthy'
[social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others] -
Darby_Crenshaw said:If nitrates are cancer causing, you'll want to stop eating celery, spinach, beets, and your own saliva.
Anyone who has studied this will quickly learn: a couple sticks of celery contain more nitrite then an entire ten pack of hot dogs.
But by all means, continue to think you're eating 'healthy'Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga -
I only eat veggie dogs made from celery, spinach, and beets for my health.
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Exactly. Saw some more 'uncured' bacon at whole foods today. Package said "ingredients: salt and no nitrites added except for that natually occurring in celery powder"
interesting
anyone care to explain why they use celery powder? Ain't for flavor. It's because celery powder is naturally high in nitrite. Which is a curing agent.
And that, folks, means the bacon is (in fact) "cured"
it's easy to charge more to people when those people don't know what they are buying.[social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others] -
Darby_Crenshaw said:Exactly. Saw some more 'uncured' bacon at whole foods today. Package said "ingredients: salt and no nitrites added except for that natually occurring in celery powder"
interesting
anyone care to explain why they use celery powder? Ain't for flavor. It's because celery powder is naturally high in nitrite. Which is a curing agent.
And that, folks, means the bacon is (in fact) "cured"
it's easy to charge more to people when those people don't know what they are buying.They/Them
Morgantown, PA
XL BGE - S BGE - KJ Jr - HB Legacy - BS Pizza Oven - 30" Firepit - King Kooker Fryer - PR72T - WSJ - BS 17" Griddle - XXL BGE - BS SS36" Griddle - 2 Burner Gasser - Pellet Smoker -
Darby_Crenshaw said:Exactly. Saw some more 'uncured' bacon at whole foods today. Package said "ingredients: salt and no nitrites added except for that natually occurring in celery powder"
interesting
anyone care to explain why they use celery powder? Ain't for flavor. It's because celery powder is naturally high in nitrite. Which is a curing agent.
And that, folks, means the bacon is (in fact) "cured"
it's easy to charge more to people when those people don't know what they are buying.Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga -
If the nitrites come from a "natural" source such as celery, the FDA does not require the product to be labeled as "cured" or "containing nitrites". It's that simple.
______________________________________________I love lamp.. -
And yet, it is cured, and contains nitrites, and is no healthier than the bacon it pretends to be healthier than
the suppliers and retailers trade off consumer ignorance
same for 'organic' etc. Absolutely meaningless, but people feel better
it's 'cured'. A rose by any other name....[social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others] -
Darby_Crenshaw said:you'll want to follow one for bacon.
it has been comical here that people will say "i tried making bacon and it was no good" and then they document how they changed and freewheeled half the ingredients or steps
"i didn't want to use nitrite so i skipped that"
"i don't like a lot of salt, so i reduced it"
"i was afraid it wasn't safe so i cured it for two weeks"
"i used belly that was already sliced into inch wide strips"
etc etc
followed by "what did i do wrong?"2 LBGE, Blackstone 36, Jumbo Joe
Egging in Southern Illinois (Marion)
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what were you expecting? if you were expecting commercial bacon, that's not what this is.
commercial bacon is wet-cured and made by injecting pickle/brine directly into the sliced bacon. it's immediately packaged, and cures on the way to the store.
this adds water (weight) and is the reason the bacon shrinks and pops and hisses, as the cure is boiled off as it fries
dry cure bacon removes water.
it's two different things, neither one inherently 'better', unless you are expecting one and make the other
[social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others] -
@milesvdustin yes, it's definitely different than most commercial bacon. to my mind, it's parcooked, and i'll eat bits right off the smoker. when I cook it (again) for eating, after it's sliced, I cook it a little slower and more gently than storebought bacon - I want the fat to render and then brown the meat, without overcooking the meat.
my children, who don't know nitrates from ninja turtles, think the homemade bacon is the best -- just a matter of taste/preference.
Here's a pretty good explanation of nitrates, nitrites, celery, etc.
http://fyi.uwex.edu/meats/files/2012/02/Nitrate-and-nitrite-in-cured-meat_10-18-2012.pdf
They say that since the USDA doesn't have rules about plant-based nitrates and nitrites, you can't call a product cured if you use them.
Chicago, IL - Large and Small BGE - Weber Gasser and Kettle -
except the chemicals don't know the rules, and end up curing it anyway.
by that logic, a country ham or prosciutto isn't cured, because it has no nitrites.
[social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others] -
@darby_Crenshaw yep, you're right! there is definitely some vagueness in the term 'curing.' some people will say that curing involves nitrites, and if there are no nitrites involved, it's corning or "salt curing." Or brining.
one last reference I found helpful, no more I promise. there's a ton of useful information available out there on the interwebz.
http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/nchfp/lit_rev/cure_smoke_toc.html
Chicago, IL - Large and Small BGE - Weber Gasser and Kettle
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