Let's Talk BBQ
Cured Meats & Food Preservation => Cured meats & Food Preservation => Charcuterie: Ham, Bacon, Sausage, etc. => Topic started by: Smokerjunky on August 20, 2017, 06:25:28 PM
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It's out of the cure, smoked, sliced, and packaged.
Had a blast and have the freezer stocked for a while.
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Very nice!! Great job ... :thumbup:
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Bacon has nice color!!! Looks like future BLT's!!! Don
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Looks good to me.
What do you have there, about ten lbs.?
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Very nice!! Great job ... :thumbup:
X2
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Sure looks good.
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Looks good to me.
What do you have there, about ten lbs.?
Yep. The belly was right at 11 lbs when I started. Cut into two 5 lb chunks after a little trimming
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Would you kindly share the recipe ... Thanks
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Would you kindly share the recipe ... Thanks
This is per 5 lb chunk as I cured them separately:
1/3 Cup Kosher Salt
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1 Tsp Pink Curing Salt
Dry-brined in plastic bags in fridge for 9 days
Removed and rinsed.
The test piece was a bit saltier than I like so I soaked it in water for an hour, rinsed and tried again, still a bit too salty so I repeated the soak for another hour in fresh water
Left in fridge unwrapped on wire racks over sheet pan overnight to form pellicle
Smoked with mix of hickory and apple pellets at 175 degrees until IT hit 154
Vacuum sealed after cooling to room temp and refrigerated overnight to set smoke
It is a little sweeter than I like so next time I would probably cut the brown sugar back a bit
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Nicely done! :thumbup:
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Very nice SJ!
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Thanks for the recipe!! :thumbup:
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Thanks for the recipe!! :thumbup:
Hi Pete, I just wanted to make sure and point out that the recipe I used is from Steven Raichlen Barbeque Bible. His recipe actually calls for 2 tsp of pink curing salt per 5 lbs of meat. The first time I made bacon I used that recipe and posted it on this forum. It created a really good spirited conversation from everyone. What I took out of it, largely based on information from Tee Square, was that 2 tsp of pink cure was DOUBLE the USDA recommendation for curing salt for 5 lbs of meat in a "Dry Cure". A wet cure does require more (I am not going to quote on what that amount is because I have not researched it).
I just wanted to be completely transparent that I chose to reduce the amount of pink cure from 2 tsp to 1 tsp. The actual recipe called for 2 tsp per 5 lbs of belly.
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Thanks for the recipe!! :thumbup:
Hi Pete, I just wanted to make sure and point out that the recipe I used is from Steven Raichlen Barbeque Bible. His recipe actually calls for 2 tsp of pink curing salt per 5 lbs of meat. The first time I made bacon I used that recipe and posted it on this forum. It created a really good spirited conversation from everyone. What I took out of it, largely based on information from Tee Square, was that 2 tsp of pink cure was DOUBLE the USDA recommendation for curing salt for 5 lbs of meat in a "Dry Cure". A wet cure does require more (I am not going to quote on what that amount is because I have not researched it).
I just wanted to be completely transparent that I chose to reduce the amount of pink cure from 2 tsp to 1 tsp. The actual recipe called for 2 tsp per 5 lbs of belly.
Thanks for the update SJ. I know what you mean about " ... a really good spirited conversation from everyone ... "!! I know enough to know that you have to very careful with pink cure. I have a local butcher that I trust and so when I make my own bacon I'll verify the ingredients with him. Thanks for the heads up.
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Thanks for the recipe!! :thumbup:
Hi Pete, I just wanted to make sure and point out that the recipe I used is from Steven Raichlen Barbeque Bible. His recipe actually calls for 2 tsp of pink curing salt per 5 lbs of meat. The first time I made bacon I used that recipe and posted it on this forum. It created a really good spirited conversation from everyone. What I took out of it, largely based on information from Tee Square, was that 2 tsp of pink cure was DOUBLE the USDA recommendation for curing salt for 5 lbs of meat in a "Dry Cure". A wet cure does require more (I am not going to quote on what that amount is because I have not researched it).
I just wanted to be completely transparent that I chose to reduce the amount of pink cure from 2 tsp to 1 tsp. The actual recipe called for 2 tsp per 5 lbs of belly.
Thanks for the update SJ. I know what you mean about " ... a really good spirited conversation from everyone ... "!! I know enough to know that you have to very careful with pink cure. I have a local butcher that I trust and so when I make my own bacon I'll verify the ingredients with him. Thanks for the heads up.
I would sure appreciate hearing what he has to say about it! More information is better when it comes to food safety.
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What did you use to slice bacon?
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What did you use to slice bacon?
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Hi Zueth - I used my Chef's Choice food slicer. It worked great. nearly worth the price of the slicer just for doing the bacon. :D
The first time I made bacon I did not have the slicer so I put the chunks in the freezer to firm up just a bit (I did not freeze them - just got them good and cold so they were really firm) and used a super-sharp knife and it worked pretty good but took a long time to make them consistent.
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Thank you, I need to get a good slicer.
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Dry-brined in plastic bags in fridge for 9 days
Removed and rinsed.
The test piece was a bit saltier than I like so I soaked it in water for an hour, rinsed and tried again, still a bit too salty so I repeated the soak for another hour in fresh water
I know it would be best to use distilled spring water - however does anyone have any experience with "city" tap water that had added Florine and/or chlorine? Will it yield an "off" taste?
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Dry-brined in plastic bags in fridge for 9 days
Removed and rinsed.
The test piece was a bit saltier than I like so I soaked it in water for an hour, rinsed and tried again, still a bit too salty so I repeated the soak for another hour in fresh water
I used tap water for the soaks because I did not have any distilled. While our water does not have any odor of chlorine I am sure there probably is some as we live near Seattle. I have not noticed (nor has anyone who has tried it) a "funny" taste. Next time I will use distilled water for the soaks (and slightly reduce the amount of salt in the dry brine) and see if there is a difference.
I know it would be best to use distilled spring water - however does anyone have any experience with "city" tap water that had added Florine and/or chlorine? Will it yield an "off" taste?
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I would think the water would make a difference if it has any taste or smell to it.
Some pork has an "off" taste to it though, My best description would be Metallic. I found by buying from different sources you can get away from this.
A friend that raises hogs told me he stopped feeding them a certain brand of feed because it caused this taste in his stock. He changed to a non GMO feed and supplements it with corn. The issue has been corrected.
I have not tired making bacon except for a small piece and it looks like it might be time to try. That sure looks good. Thanks for sharing the info.