I would like to make some jalapeno bacon. I tried some using a paste of jalapeno that was put on the pork belly after it had been cured.
I let it stay on for two days then removed the paste before smoking. Some jalapeno flavor but not much.
Does anyone on the forum have a recipe that uses jalapeno as a part of the cure?
The heat and flavor from jalapeno is from the capsaicin, which is an oil; non-soluble in water. Since it is not soluble the flavors are not carried deep into the tissue and fat during osmosis. I've been meaning to try dissolving oil based flavors in grain alchol, to see if water would then carry those flavors into the meat, but haven't got around to it yet.
You can try leaving the paste on longer, or apply it during the curing process, it may draw in deeper. You can try making an injection marinade out of the ingredient; strain it well prior to injecting. You can do a search on line for "Making oils soluble in water"; you may find some ideas.
Very nice Idea Hab! I have also thought along the lines of trying to get it in deeper. Other then an injection were i have infused it into oil then injected I haven't had to much success. Your idea may just work. At the very least it is a interesting way to go. I did notice that it does some what better in a dry cure then a wet too.
If you are looking for flavor I think your paste should do fine with adding it at the start of the curing process. If you want heat, you can get capsaicin powder and add. I believe it is water soluable but it has not flavor. You can also leave the paste on when smoking and remove later. That may help add more flavor as well. I think the fat is going to be the hard part to get the flavor into so you might also think about an injection.
Thank you for the replies. I have two slabs ready to go into cure and am going to try leaving the
paste on through the curing process on one. For the second I mixed some jalapeno powder with some bacon fat.
After letting that sit for a day or so I am going to strain it and inject into the fat layer of the bacon. All one can
do is try. Will let you know in a week or so how the two turn out.