Embrace Failure (Makin' Bacon)

ColtsFan said:

Whilst attempting my first go at making bacon I f'ed up the dry cure by using twice as much Pink Salt #1 than I should have. It's now been trashed. Attempt #2 will be attempted this weekend, perhaps using the brine method.

Anyways, we all suck sometimes. All of us...That's what makes us better in the end

ColtsFan said:

CtTOPGUN said:

 Trashed? That is a shame. You could have saved the rub by turning it into a wet brine to the safe percentages. But good thing you realized the error. Curing salts in quantity are quite bad.

Yeah, I thought about that, but decided to go ahead an sacrifice a 3lb belly

ColtsFan said:

@lkapigian yeah, probably aborted the mission prematurely. Got skeered 

Markarm4119 said:

I used equal parts coarse sea salt and sugar in the raw to avoid the nitrates.

nolaegghead said:

With 2x it was still perfectly safe.  And you could have soaked after a cure and removed most of it.

Here's a little on the history of nitrites in the US: (pay attention to what I put in BOLD)

Key points

• Saltpeter (potassium nitrate), a natural contaminant of salt, contributed historically to the pinkish-red color in salted meats

• Nitric oxide, derived from nitrate/nitrite reduction, when combined with myoglobin produces as the color pigment in cured meat products

• Nitrite prevents sporulation of Clostridium boutlinum in cured meats

• In 1925, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved nitrite’s use in curing brines and formulas at a maximum ingoing level of 200 ppm

• Residual nitrite declined in cured meats from 1930s to 1970s and has remained low since the 1980s mitigating the formation of N-nitrosamines

• USDA regulations restrict ingoing levels of nitrite and nitrate (if allowed) to specific levels in meat product categories

• Residual nitrite levels in conventional and “organic” cured meats is <10 ppm in the United States

• Naturally occurring nitrate in raw vegetables at retail in the United States ranges from 200 to 3,000 ppm

• Nitrates in the municipal water supply of 25 metropolitan U.S. cities is <5 mg/L

• Nitrite contributes to the safety of cured meats and currently no suitable alternative is available

nolaegghead said:

The worst part about nitrites is when they are "bejeesus-cooked" they can form N-nitrosamines, which are carcinogenic.  Not a big deal unless you cook the crap out of your cured meat (bacon is usually cooked that way).

I read microwaving bacon (vs pan fried or baked) creates much more nitrosamines, so obviously it really just gets bad when you really cook it crispy.

However, chemistry to the rescue.  If you add an antioxidant to your cure, like citric or ascorbic acid, it mitigates the nitrosamine conversion.  For this reason, and because I like crispy not floppy bacon, I add it to my cure.  Just don't mix it up concentrated, it will start reacting with the nitrites and you'll smell it. 

Stuff like corned beef it's not a problem at all as it's boiled or smoked at low temps.  Nitrites are not bad for you.  The nitrosamine is.

Hope that helps next time.