Pork belly bacon curing starts today

Chief Chef

I see you are going whole hog on your bacon cook. I was happy with my experiments however the ratio between "the prep time" and "the eat time" was way out of whack. I will have to look for bigger bellies. Enjoy.

stike

i don't soak out, and haven't had anyone describe my bacon as 'too salty'.

i do think the hi-mountain kits give longer times for curing, that may be a cause of saltiness.

i so far have followed ruhlman's ratios, and never found them too salty.

2Fategghead

Hey Steve, I was first told by phone the belly would be 25 pounds then 15 but when I got there it was almost 10 pounds. The butcher Roy had it trimmed real nice so all I did was cut it in half and apply the cure. The way he talked he will continue to have fresh pork year round as long as he has customers.

2Fategghead

Hi Mountain for BBB calls for a 10 day cure and a soak out... For thinner meats it says curing time can be cut in half. I just got off the phone with Hi Mountain and they said for a 2 - 2 1/2 inch thick side of bacon I could go 7 days on the cure. They figure 10 days because a butt cut in halve is 3 plus inches.

Thanks Stike

stike

toldja 7 days.

no one believes me the first thirty times i say something. i should know better by now :laugh:

2Fategghead

:laugh: