Bacon Cure Without Nitrite

[ArnieM]

There have been a couple of questions posted here and a brief discussion in the chat room last night.  I promised Hal4UK I'd get back with the details of how my butcher does it.  He doesn't use sodium nitrite in anything.  Here's what he does.

• Make a 50/50 mix of Kosher salt and light brown sugar, enough to thoroughly coat the slab.
• Coat the slab on both sides.  Put it in a vessel or bag in the fridge.
• Curing time is one day per inch of thickness.  Pour off any liquid during the curing time.
• Rinse well and pat dry.  Put it back into the fridge on a rack for at least a couple of hours to dry.
• Smoke with hickory for two hours at 200.  (I think he uses an SS-1 for this).
• Reduce heat to 120 and continue cooking for 6 hours.  Cool and refrigerate.

A few slices:



Remember, I'm just the messenger.  I cannot vouch for the sanity of the man though he does sell a lot of stuff into local restaurants.

He sells the bacon for $6.99/Lb.  I asked for 1/2 pound sliced.  Sure, $1.

I got four 4+ ounce links of the Jalapeno sausage that goes for $6.29/Lb.  He threw in a link of his hot lamb sausage for me to try.  Yep, $1.

See what I mean about sanity?

[hal4uk]

I'll definitely be following TP's recipe, but I'm going to try out a small slab that way!
Thanks!

[KyNola]

Hal,
If you don't get started you're going to let some 11 year old girl beat you to it.

[hal4uk]

Uh huh...  I wuz talking to the Freezer Admiral about that last night!
(It's all at Squirt's place---My freezer is stuffed with ribs and stuff)

[squirtthecat]

Just say the word and I can make a bacon withdrawal!! 

[BuyLowSellHigh]

I grew up in Virginia pork country, just up the road from the home of Smithfield hams.  When I was a kid there was a lot of bacon (and ham) made the old fashioned way - nothing but salt and sugar, dry curing, and cold smoking.  In principal there is nothing wrong with eliminating the nitrite so long as the product is handled properly as it is being made and before eating is fully cooked.  Eliminating the nitrite will change the flavor, although with heavy cold smoking and a pepper coating finish (to keep the bugs away), the change is subtle.  The "best" cured hams in the world have been made without nitires for centuries (that's whole different matter).

From what I learned (which evidently wasn't very much) the the two keys in handling were a complete cure that appreciably reduced the moisture content while keeping the meat cool and then cold smoking at a low temperature just as in cold smoking fish.  These were the methods brought over from the mother countires during colonial settlement, before refrigeration or the use of nitrites, and were/are still being practiced.  Today there is an increasing amount of artisan bacon being made the "old way".  Since there wasn't any refrigeration bacon and ham making were seasonal activities - from mid to late fall through winter into early spring.  The final products were also stored without the benefit of refrigeration, so they were quite cured and dense and very salty by today's standards.

The introduction of nitrites into the cure was done in the interest of food safety as mass production of cured products was developed.  It allowed the producers to push the process faster both by reducing curing times, leaving more moisture in the meat, reducing the salt levels, and smoking at elevated temperatures without getting into trouble from bacterial contamination.  From what I know the danger in nitrite-free curing arises when the curing isn't complete and the meat is handled in the danger zone for too long during a bumbled hot smoking attempt.  But even then, full cooking should overcome the hazards and nobody would know.

[ArnieM]

Thanks for the informative write up Eric.

[hal4uk]

Ok, I'm confused... 
Arnie's butcher's method says:
"Curing time is one day per inch of thickness. Pour off any liquid during the curing time."

So, what's that? 2-3 days?
That sounds like a shorter curing time?

But, BLSH, you're saying the nitrites make curing time shorter (???)...   
(and I think -- gotta check again --- TP says something like 7 days?)

[KyNola]

Did ya'll know an 11 year old girl is going to cure and smoke bacon before Hal does? :D  Really shouldn't be a surprise because this is the same guy who thinks he knows how to make red beans and rice. ;)

Couldn't resist messing with Hal just a little. ;D

[Tenpoint5]

Did ya'll know an 11 year old girl is going to cure and smoke bacon before Hal does? :D  Really shouldn't be a surprise because this is the same guy who thinks he knows how to make red beans and rice. ;)

Couldn't resist messing with Hal just a little. ;D

Yeah but her Daddy is holding her back so them fella's have a running start before she "Whoops up on them guys" (Her quote)

[classicrockgriller]

Did ya'll know an 11 year old girl is going to cure and smoke bacon before Hal does? :D  Really shouldn't be a surprise because this is the same guy who thinks he knows how to make red beans and rice. ;)

Couldn't resist messing with Hal just a little. ;D

Yeah but her Daddy is holding her back so them fella's have a running start before she "Whoops up on them guys" (Her quote)

Gonna be a SAD day in Mudville when Casey strikes out. ;D

You go Rachael! Show them "Here ... Hold my Beer" guys how to do it!

[BuyLowSellHigh]

Ok, I'm confused... 
Arnie's butcher's method says:
"Curing time is one day per inch of thickness. Pour off any liquid during the curing time."

So, what's that? 2-3 days?
That sounds like a shorter curing time?

But, BLSH, you're saying the nitrites make curing time shorter (???)...   
(and I think -- gotta check again --- TP says something like 7 days?)

The "old world" traditional cure was typically 7-10 days to draw out a lot of the moisture.  With the advent of refrigeration, nitrites and hot smoking moisture removal became less of a concern so curing cycles were reduced - the cured bacon is full of an antimicrobial.  Pumping the cure into the pork shortened it further.  Today's common commercial bacon is very wet by comparison, and damend little of it is really smoked (mostly sprayed with liquid smoke and run through an oven).

Some other tidbits, the old style cold smoking done in winter was typically 7 days as well.  The early smokehouses were a tall shed with a small pit in the center of an earthen floor.  To keep the temp low the fire was barely smoldering so the smoke was not very dense by today's standard.  Then, after smoking, it was common practice to hang the cured and smoked bacon for several weeks to further dry just as country hams are air dried after curing and smoking.  So a typical full cycle might be something like a week of cure plus a week of smoke plus 4 weeks of air drying.

[hal4uk]

Did ya'll know an 11 year old girl is going to cure and smoke bacon before Hal does? :D  Really shouldn't be a surprise because this is the same guy who thinks he knows how to make red beans and rice. ;)

Couldn't resist messing with Hal just a little. ;D

Yeah but her Daddy is holding her back so them fella's have a running start before she "Whoops up on them guys" (Her quote)

OK, New contest!!!  Let's see who can get run out of Texas first!  ----WAIT --- I WIN!!!!!!!!!!!