Bacon blues

fishindoc · October 2016

So Ive done two pork bellies for bacon..one following the instructions in Smoke It Like a Pro and the other from Steve Raichlen Project Smoke. Im finding both to be too salty even though i rinsed thoroughly. Is there a good thread on here for bacon or can you do a sugar cure? This last one had salt..brown sugar..pink cure salt for 6 days.

Little Steven · October 2016

Salt is the curing agent. You can't cure with sugar. It's a flavouring ingredient

Canugghead · October 2016

I use Ruhlman's basic cure recipe. After curing I soak for half a day with several water changes, to 'tone down' the saltiness.

fishindoc · October 2016

Canugghead said:

I use Ruhlman's basic cure recipe. After curing I soak for half a day with several water changes, to 'tone down' the saltiness.

Good to know. Thanks

GrateEggspectations · October 2016

@fishindoc: Don't now whether these will be less salty than those you made, but the bacon recipes on amazingribs.com have been great from my perspective. Meathead is the man!

JustineCaseyFeldown · October 2016

Rather than weighing the cure, use the "saltbox method". You make up a premixed basic cure, from the standard ratio of salt and nitrite, no sugar or adjunct flavors. Like, a bag of the stuff to be used on multpile occasions.

Then, in a flat tray or a big enough ziploc, dredge the belly in the cure. All sides. Lift and give it a shake. Whatever sticks is the right amount.

Then you add sugars and other flavors

and as you did, try six days instead of seven. When the belly stiffens, it's pretty much done.

I find it not too salty this way

blind99 · October 2016

if you follow a recipe that uses a dry rub, do a quick check of the ratio of salt to meat. ruhlman's is about 2.5%. things tend to "taste salty" around 2%. if it's too salty for you, try cutting back the sodium by 25%.

i do mine in a liquid cure that sets the salt at 2% and the sugar at 1% . It's 100% reproducible and I like the salt level. it's a little more work than a dry cure, but if you want details just let me know.

gmac · October 2016

+1 for Ruhlman. My bacon has always been great.

Little Steven · October 2016

JustineCaseyFeldown said:

Rather than weighing the cure, use the "saltbox method". You make up a premixed basic cure, from the standard ratio of salt and nitrite, no sugar or adjunct flavors. Like, a bag of the stuff to be used on multpile occasions.

Then, in a flat tray or a big enough ziploc, dredge the belly in the cure. All sides. Lift and give it a shake. Whatever sticks is the right amount.

Then you add sugars and other flavors

and as you did, try six days instead of seven. When the belly stiffens, it's pretty much done.

I find it not too salty this way

Post count getting high again? Are we back to-email?

fishindoc · October 2016

Well i have meathead's book as well so i guess i have some further studying to do as i didn't really pass this go around

Bacon blues

Comments

Categories