My bacon does not look right

[bilder]

Got some buckboard bacon curing up and I have noticed that there are spots on the meat that look like they have not cured.  The rest of the cut has taken on the cured color, but there are a couple spots that look raw.

Could it be that the plastic baggie made too tight of contact with the meat?  Or has it cured and the tight contact just prevented the meat from making contact with what little air is in the bag and changing color due to that?

Should I smoke/cook it up as normal or add some more cure to the spots and give them a couple more days?  I gave it a full rub down before placing in the bag, so it seems odd that it would not have gotten some cure.

[KyNola]

I am by no means an expert on curing but it sounds like your baggie did prevent it from curing those spots.  I'll certainly yield to the other members who are much more learned than me but I think I would try to loosen the baggie a little and let it go another day or two.  I wouldn't be comfortable in adding additional cure to it.

Somebody who knows their stuff, please come help him out.

[Habanero Smoker]

You didn't mention how long you have been curing the bacon, but at this time I would have to say don't add more cure to those spots. Generally the bag pressing against the meat does not cause this problem; it is not that much pressure to interfere with the curing process. When I cure, I expel as much air as I can and the bag is making contact with the meat on all surfaces. The contact with the bag against the meat, helps the liquid that is drawn from the meat stay in better contact with the meat. You did not provide much information, but here are some general thoughts.

If it did not cure evenly: You didn't mention how large these spots are, and where they are located to one another.  Have you been overhauling daily or at least every other day? In this case overhauling means repositioning (turning it over) the meat and rocking the bag to redistribute the cure. If you haven't been doing this, pressure of the meat laying in one spot will slow the curing process in that area. Also if you haven't been overhauling the meat and parts of the meat are exposed to extended cold temperatures due to natural cold spots in the refrigerator, that also will slow the curing process.

It may be curing evenly: Buckboard is generally made from the butt, but some call cured loin buckboard. I'll assume you are using the butt. The butt has several muscle groups (as does the loin). Out of those muscle groups, some muscles get used more, and those have more connective tissue, and more importantly more myoglobin. It is the myoglobin that reacts with the nitrite to produce the reddish color. The more myoglobin the more reddish the meat color wiill be, so other parts of the meat may not look fully cured when it really is. Also the muscles with more connective tissue will feel firmer then the muscles with less.

If it is not fully cured, it is safe to smoke/cook as if it was cured. You are not going to know for sure if it has evenly cured until it has be cooked and sliced open. If the meat is grayish in the spots you suspected were uncured, then it did not fully cure. It may not look as appetizing, but it is safe to eat, and it must be treated as fresh cooked pork.

[bilder]

Well I took your advice and sliced off a couple pieces from the parts in question and tossed them in the frying pan.

Looks like bacon, smells like cooked ham, nice and pink when cooked.

Now for the taste....mmmmm  WHOA!!  Need to rinse it off next time.  Just a we bit salty.  Like a ham flavored salt lick.

Guess that I was worried about nothing.  This grasshopper has much to learn. Now if I do not suddenly drop dead I can smoke it up and call it bac.........

[Habanero Smoker]

"Well; at least his last meal was a good one" ;D

It's always better to be cautious. Once you cure a few different cuts of meat you will be an expert in no time.

I should have mentioned this earlier. When you sliced off a small piece and it tasted salty, you could have soak it in at least 3 gallons of cold water from 30 - 60 minutes to draw out some salt; turning it over halfway through; then slice and tested it again. If still too salty give it another soak.

[bilder]

I rinsed and soaked it last night and smoked it with some apple wood.

Took some to work today and had a few people ask if I could make some for them.  :)  Guess they liked it.

[Habanero Smoker]

Sounds great. What recipe did you use?

[bilder]

Just one tablespoon MTQ per pound and a third of a cup of brown sugar.  Keeping it simple till I get more comfortable with the curing process.