bacon question

whtfarmer

Was planing to start some bacon curing tonight. Pulled the bellies out of the refrigerator and they were not completely thawed. Any problems starting a cure with frozen bellies. Thanks.

AZRP

I doubt it will cause any problems as long as they thaw out, you may want to add a day or to to the cure time. -RP

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

yeah. i have come across a couple recipes for cures with pink salts and they advocate temps in the 40s and 50s. seems cold slows the cure. my ham is in a fridge that it 34-36. i am letting it go a week longer than the 12 days recommended

whtfarmer

Thanks, While we are on the subject, is there any difference between pink salt and products like Mortons Tender Quick?

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

pink salts are nitrite mixed with salt so that it's about 6% nitrite, the rest salt.

when you make a cure with it, you'll be adding salt and sugar. that will cut the nitrite concentration

morton's tenderquick is a premixed cure, just as the hi-mountain cures are. it contains pink salts (well, it contain the nitrites actually), plus the salt and sugar.

tenderquick also contains nitrates. if you are making bacon, the nitrates don't really come in to play, but if you were making something to be dried (hung up to cure, like salami, etc.), the nitrates break down over time as a sort of time-released nitrite. they protect the meats against botulism.

funny. last year there were recurring threads about dry aging. now it seems to be curing.

Kokeman

just add a day