Hey Guys,
Today I picked up 2 beauty pork bellys that I ordered from my butcher.. looking to make some 🥓
Would someone be so kind to forward me direction on what I have to do please? I have no idea because ive never made bacon before!
Thanks in advance,
Johnny.
Here's a link to a really good bacon recipe.
https://web.archive.org/web/20151016151147/http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?542-Maple-Cured-Bacon (https://web.archive.org/web/20151016151147/http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?542-Maple-Cured-Bacon)
Thanks Cathouse willy, can you omit the maple in this recipe?
When I do bacon, I just use the Basic Dry Cure (MTQ substitute) in the proper amount for the weight. (Dry cure.) You could add other flavors here.
After a week, I rinse and season and let set overnight in the fridge before smoking. Before this rest, I season a little with pepper. This would be another time to experiment with seasoning.
I hot smoke at 200F to 140 IT. Then I cool, wrap, rest overnight, and slice.
It is a plain bacon, but delicious.
Exactally what I'm looking for! Appreciate it, thanks!
Johnny.
For the life of me I cant make sense of how much #1 cure to use.. Hopefully someone can shed some light here for me.. Rytex's recipe claims to use 1/4 cup per 25 lbs and Habs recipe calls for 2 tsp per 5lbs which to me is double the amount required for normal curing. I have 2 bellys witha total weight of 6.3 lbs. Is there such thing as using too much cure?
What ive got figured out from Rytex's recipe is to use 3.4 grams per lb.. does this sound correct?
Quote from: Johnny on March 03, 2017, 01:03:10 PM
For the life of me I cant make sense of how much #1 cure to use.. Hopefully someone can shed some light here for me.. Rytex's recipe claims to use 1/4 cup per 25 lbs and Habs recipe calls for 2 tsp per 5lbs which to me is double the amount required for normal curing. I have 2 bellys witha total weight of 6.3 lbs. Is there such thing as using too much cure?
If you are referring to the Maple Bacon, that is not my recipe. The recipe comes from "Charcuterie" by Michael Ruhlman & Brian Polcyn. The method used to cure in the pictorial is basically called dredging, with produces a safe product, but is not precise. The pictorial is by Tenpoint5. If you follow that recipe, and double it will be enough to cure both of your bellies. Rytek is basically using the same curing procedure. If this is your first time follow the recipe that cathouse gave you a link to; the Maple Cure recipe, and just don't use the syrup. You don't even have to use the maple or brown sugar, but it does cut down on the harshness of the salt.
I'll take a look and see how his cure ratio breaks down, but I've notice in his book he take a lot of liberty when he rounds off.
Thanks for your reply Habs, I do apologize for assuming it was your recipe and hopefully I never offended you in any way because it was never my intention. It is my first time curing bacon and I will indeed take your advice and follow that recipe! My only concern was that I would over cure the bellys.
Johnny.
Another question.. for 2 bellys would you have them in 2 seperate bags or together? Also vacuum bags or ziplocks?
https://web.archive.org/web/20151005014255/http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?441-Basic-Dry-Cure-Morton-s-Tender-Quick-substitute
The above link is what I was talking about -- 1 T of that per pound of belly.
I have done Canadian bacons in the same bag and it's fine, as long as you have applied cure separately per the weight of each piece. Belly pieces I use are usually too big. The safer thing is to bag separately. Easier to deal with IMO.
With either recipe it would be pretty hard to add too many nitrites. If you want more precise measurement use the formula that Grouperman941 provided a link to.
The actual formula is:
- By Weight: 2 parts salt + 1 part sugar + 10% of their combined weights of cure #1
You can stack belly bacon while curing, but I wouldn't recommend it. Especially if you vacuum seal them. If you stack them, it is recommended that you rotate the positions of the bellies each day, from top to bottom. When I cure bellies, it's hard to get one in a 2 gallon bag. My suggestion is to cure them separately.
I took a look at Rytak's recipe. If I calculated correctly, he is using 68 g of cure #1 for 25 lbs. of meat, that comes out to 2.72 g/lb.
I forgot got add in my previous post. Rytek uses 1/4 cup of cure #1 for 25lbs; that is 12 teaspoons. So he is using 2.4 teaspoons per 5 lbs.; which is very close to the amount used in the other recipe.
Thanks so much guys!
Here's what I ended up doing,,
Each belly weighed just over 3lbs as you know.
For each I used 1/4 cup of kosher salt and 2 tsp of #1
Rubbed into each belly and vacuum sealed.
Hopefully what I've done is ok.
Johnny.
(http://i1070.photobucket.com/albums/u495/johnnyandsheri/20170304_093157_zpssce8msz8.jpg) (http://s1070.photobucket.com/user/johnnyandsheri/media/20170304_093157_zpssce8msz8.jpg.html)
I was looking at above post and it said 2.4 tsp for 5 lbs of meat. I think you are a little heavy for your bacon just my thinking. sure somebody will ring in.
That part of my post is a breakdown of Rytek Kutas' "Dry Box Bacon Cure". So I want to clarify, it is his recipe not mind, though I don't see any thing that would make his recipe unsafe. For a cure being applied to the surface of bacon, it's about the norm. If this was sausage, then the maximum amount would be 1 teaspoon per 5 lbs. of meat.
When dry curing you can apply as much as four times the cure to the surface of whole muscle meat than you do with sausage, and it will still be safe with less than 200ppm of nitrite - which is the maximum set by USDA. Bacon, that is meant to be fry after curing, so you don't want to go apply the maximum amount of cure #1. You want to keep the ppm 156 or less, so most dry cures recipes for bacon, you will see approximately 2 teaspoons per 5 pounds of meat/fat.
What do most of you guys do with the skin (rind) on the bellys? What I've read is some leave it, some remove it before curing, some cut it off after smoking and some leave it on period! My overall plan is to thin slice this once its complete and thinking leaving it on may make the task easier.. opinions??
when I do bacon I remove the skin. I only have a 7 in. slicer so I cut the belly to fit this before curing. After its smoked and cooled slicing is easy if it fits the slicer. you can find on the net a number of ways to remove the skin without much trouble. good luck and have fun
jeff
Thanks for your reply Jeff, never thought of the size of the slicer being an issue, going to have to check mine out !
Quote from: Johnny on March 05, 2017, 03:45:38 AM
What do most of you guys do with the skin (rind) on the bellys? What I've read is some leave it, some remove it before curing, some cut it off after smoking and some leave it on period! My overall plan is to thin slice this once its complete and thinking leaving it on may make the task easier.. opinions??
I leave it on. It peels right off afterward and does not make much difference in the flavor. The smoked skin can be added to soups or baked beans for really nice flavor. I cut it in strips with shears and freeze.
(http://i1070.photobucket.com/albums/u495/johnnyandsheri/20170311_194015_zpsvtzcdzrx.jpg) (http://s1070.photobucket.com/user/johnnyandsheri/media/20170311_194015_zpsvtzcdzrx.jpg.html)
(http://i1070.photobucket.com/albums/u495/johnnyandsheri/20170312_083748_zpskigcjgqy.jpg) (http://s1070.photobucket.com/user/johnnyandsheri/media/20170312_083748_zpskigcjgqy.jpg.html)
(http://i1070.photobucket.com/albums/u495/johnnyandsheri/20170312_091152_zpsys6b4njs.jpg) (http://s1070.photobucket.com/user/johnnyandsheri/media/20170312_091152_zpsys6b4njs.jpg.html)
Finished results of my applewood smoked bacon!
Great looking bacon . Hows the taste
Quote from: Johnny on March 12, 2017, 05:14:32 AM
Finished results of my applewood smoked bacon!
Looks great.
Quote from: oldsmoker on March 12, 2017, 06:52:14 AM
Great looking bacon . Hows the taste
Happy with the results but a tad salty
After this trial run I now have a recipe broken down per lb.
2 grams of #1 per lb
11 grams of kosher per lb
1 tsp of dextrose per belly.
Looks like it turned out really well Johnny. Texture and colour looks good but you said a tad salty. Oh well, live and learn. I'm sure you'll be tweaking your recipe to adjust for personal taste.
Just to confirm, you did this as a dry rub and it cured for 7 days? You wrote "1 tsp dextrose per belly" and your belly weighed how much?
Hey Ed, yes the recipe I gave you has far less salt. That's the one im going to follow next.. each belly was just over 3 lbs.
Also yes I did this as a dry rub, dextrose is just a mild sweetner.. I used a tsp on each just to reduce the harshness of the salt. Seems like alot use the maple syrup recipe but im not a fan of that type of bacon.
Thanks Johnny, I'll be trying your recipe as soon as it warms up a bit. I agree, I made Bacon several times but I wet cured the bellies and didn't use any sweetener, be it sugar, maple syrup, dextros or anything and they turned out really good and went quickly. Besides a little too salty is ok, just a quick beer with breakfast just to get the days started right. Thanks
Good looking bacon Johnny.
Quote from: watchdog56 on March 13, 2017, 05:45:18 AM
Good looking bacon Johnny.
Thanks Watchdog! I'm going to use this to make Alouettes because it turned out a tad salty.. Alouettes are a bacon wrapped beef appetizer marinated in Kiwi! Melt in your mouth good!
(http://i1070.photobucket.com/albums/u495/johnnyandsheri/20151212_180252_zpsr6ac99lw.jpg) (http://s1070.photobucket.com/user/johnnyandsheri/media/20151212_180252_zpsr6ac99lw.jpg.html)
Looking Good Johnny. Can't wait to SEE and Hear how they turned out.
Ed I've been making these for years, they are awesome!
Never heard of them. Do you have a recipe?
A few years back I made a trip to Labrador to see my sister and her family, my Brother in law had these in the oven at the time and said they were good with a bit of hot sauce.. I couldn't get over how the beef melted in your mouth ( almost disintegrates ) ! Before we left to come home I bought a few packs to take with.. long story short there was only one guy who made them and went out of business shortly after because he was making them from his home, supplying them to grocery stores and the health department shut them down. ( story I was told)
About 20 years ago an East Indian fellow told me that Kiwi fruit is the best marinade to use on cheap, tough cuts of beef. one day I put 2 and 2 together..
Here is the recipe I came up with!
-Shave thin strips of beef
-squeeze 3 or 4 kiwis onto beef about 20 mins before rolling into bacon
- lay out your strips of bacon, apply your strips of beef (leaving kiwi on beef.. don't rince)
- shake on garlic powder, oregano and some pepper.
-I then cut what us layed out in front of me into half with sizzors.
-roll
preheat oven to 350 F and bake for 25 mins
grill in oven to desired crispiness
serve with hot sauce!
enjoy :)
As far as beef are you talking flank steak or sirloin roast?
I like to use sirloin roast, but anything you use would be good im sure.