Help! Been reading through some of the various posts on bacon and I'm a bit confused.
The only cure I could find locally was Morton's Tender Quick. It calls for 1 TBS per pound of meat.
Questions:
1. Can I add other ingredients (sugar, maple syrup, etc) to the MTQ?
2. If I can add them, when is best - start of cure, part way into cure time, after cure?
3. Any value in injecting extra flavor before smoke (maybe maple syrup diluted w/ apple juice or something similar)?
Thanks in advance for any advice . . . .
By the way, a little side note: My friends and family all made fun of me when I bought my OBS. Now, after being guinee pigs for my steelhead, some pork loins, and last week's duck breasts, I'm receiving phone calls asking "what's in the smoker this weekend?" Let the sucking-up begin!
Jeff in Ohio
Bacon, Bacon, Bacon which bacon to do... I'm doing the Canadian Bacon from here (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?t=311). You will want to bookmark that place ;)
John
Thanks John! I thought I'd read through all of the bacon recipes - missed that one.
Any opinion on injecting?
Jeff
Hi Buckeye,
SmokingDuck has a wonderful pictorial on making bacon on his blog:
http://lacosasmokestra.blogspot.com/2009/02/take-stab-at-slabsmoked-homemade-bacon.html (http://lacosasmokestra.blogspot.com/2009/02/take-stab-at-slabsmoked-homemade-bacon.html)
Hope this helps
Carolyn
Quote from: Buckeye on September 10, 2009, 04:18:56 PM
Help! Been reading through some of the various posts on bacon and I'm a bit confused.
The only cure I could find locally was Morton's Tender Quick. It calls for 1 TBS per pound of meat.
Questions:
1. Can I add other ingredients (sugar, maple syrup, etc) to the MTQ?
2. If I can add them, when is best - start of cure, part way into cure time, after cure?
3. Any value in injecting extra flavor before smoke (maybe maple syrup diluted w/ apple juice or something similar)?
Thanks in advance for any advice . . . .
By the way, a little side note: My friends and family all made fun of me when I bought my OBS. Now, after being guinee pigs for my steelhead, some pork loins, and last week's duck breasts, I'm receiving phone calls asking "what's in the smoker this weekend?" Let the sucking-up begin!
Jeff in Ohio
1. Yes - as long as you maintain the 1TBS /lb MTQ ratio
2. I add them from the onset.
3. I have never tried that. You should find that the meat will firm up a bit from the curing process. I don't know how well it will take to injecting.
Carolyn- that recipe looks perfect.
FBR - never considered the firmness issue - I think you're probably right about the cured bacon not taking up the injection. Maybe I'll try one slab just to see if there's any difference.
Thanks all!
Here's a pictorial/tutorial that I did on making bacon that should cover your question. Maple Cured Bacon (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?t=542)
10.5 - thanks. I had already seen that post (looks really good btw).
Just wasn't sure about using the MTQ instead of the Prague powder.
Think (hope) I got it now !
Buckeye,
I use MTQ to make slab bacon all the time. It works really well. I have added brown sugar to it to "cut" the saltiness and added 1/4 cup pure maple syrup to each bag and massaged it in. Works like a charm everytime!
KyNola
Quote from: Buckeye on September 10, 2009, 05:53:09 PM
Just wasn't sure about using the MTQ instead of the Prague powder.
Just to clarify - MTQ is a cure MIX. It has cure in it. Prague #1, Cure #1, etc - is the cure itself and is usually a base for a cure MIX - like the basic cure mix in Charcuterie, which I use interchangeably with MTQ
Not to slightly change the subject, but has anyone tried to make turkey bacon? Results good/bad/indifferent?
Quote from: Buckeye on September 10, 2009, 04:36:38 PM
Any opinion on injecting?
Jeff
Not slab bacon, but yes with back bacon and ham
So if I use Morton tenderquick do I need to add Kosher salt to rub? I see on the recipe Caribou listed it sounds like he just used Morton's tenderquick and brown sugar. He also says he cures it for 10 - 14 days up to 21 and Tenpoint 5 does his for 5-7 days. What would happen if I used 10.5 recipe and cured it for 14 days?
Also usually how long does it take to smoke?
Quote from: watchdog56 on September 12, 2009, 07:42:53 AM
So if I use Morton tenderquick do I need to add Kosher salt to rub? I see on the recipe Caribou listed it sounds like he just used Morton's tenderquick and brown sugar. He also says he cures it for 10 - 14 days up to 21 and Tenpoint 5 does his for 5-7 days. What would happen if I used 10.5 recipe and cured it for 14 days?
Also usually how long does it take to smoke?
TQ is a cure mix and has enough salt so that you should not add anymore. It also contain enough sugar, but you can add more if you want a sweeter bacon.
Generally I find for slabs you only need to go about 5 - 7 days if you dry cure. I find curing longer increases the saltiness, but by adding more sugar like Carolyn (Caribou - didn't see the recipe) did it off set the salt taste. That depends on what your finishing temperature will be, whether you smoke/cook until it is 135°F or to 152°F. Use 10.5 recipe as a guideline
Quote from: Habanero Smoker on September 12, 2009, 02:11:00 PM
Quote from: watchdog56 on September 12, 2009, 07:42:53 AM
So if I use Morton tenderquick do I need to add Kosher salt to rub? I see on the recipe Caribou listed it sounds like he just used Morton's tenderquick and brown sugar. He also says he cures it for 10 - 14 days up to 21 and Tenpoint 5 does his for 5-7 days. What would happen if I used 10.5 recipe and cured it for 14 days?
Also usually how long does it take to smoke?
TQ is a cure mix and has enough salt so that you should not add anymore. It also contain enough sugar, but you can add more if you want a sweeter bacon.
Generally I find for slabs you only need to go about 5 - 7 days if you dry cure. I find curing longer increases the saltiness, but by adding more sugar like Carolyn (Caribou - didn't see the recipe) did it off set the salt taste. That depends on what your finishing temperature will be, whether you smoke/cook until it is 135°F or to 152°F. Use 10.5 recipe as a guideline
Hi Habs!
It was from SmokingDuck's blog.
Unfortunately I have no bacon recipe myself but this thread is getting me mighty interested:D
Carolyn
I was wondering why I couldn't find your bacon recipe. :)
I take mine to 145-150, a little on the high end but is quiker to fry up. With about 12-13lbs in the smoker it takes me about 4-5 hours. Temp set at 200. I don't add any brown sugar with the TQ, I prefer a more savory flavor and add equal amounts of onion powder, garlic powder and ground black pepper. I use all or any combination of the three. I typically cure between 7-14 days depending when I can get around to smoke....donot forget to soak in water before smoking!!
Daryl
Good point Daryl
After the cure time I rinse the slab and soak in fresh water for 1 hr then dump the water rinse and soak again in fresh water another hr then place on my bacon hooks and hang on the drying rack uncovered with a fan blowing gently on them till dry and tacky
When I cure slab bacon I only go 5 - 7 days, it is fully cured. It does not need soaking to extract the extra salt. Just a quick rinse under water, and let it rest for 8 - 24 prior to smoking.
Quote from: Habanero Smoker on September 16, 2009, 01:31:21 AM
When I cure slab bacon I only go 5 - 7 days, it is fully cured. It does not need soaking to extract the extra salt. Just a quick rinse under water, and let it rest for 8 - 24 prior to smoking.
I go 7 days and if I dont soak the slab it turns out a little salty, must be the cure I use, o well it tastes great this way.