Overcured bacon?

[makizoo]

Used the Morton Smoke Sugar Cure on 2 full sides of bacon ~10-15lbs each.  I left the sides whole with the skin on and applied liberally to all sides. I think I used too much. Let it cure in the fridge for 16 days. Rinsed and soaked for 2hrs. Then let hang to dry. Tried to cook a slice from the center and BLAHHHH. No tast of anything but salt. Figured I used too much cure and soaking again would help, but what concerns me is after cooking it turned brown like pork. No nice pink nitrite color at all.  Can this be slavaged by additional soaking and then smoking or is it trash?

[MallardWacker]

MZ,

You betcha you can use too much cure.  This can be bad for you and the meat.  Dry cure IS NOT BUT RUB.  I am not sure what the directions say that Morton cure but I'm sure it doesn't say anything about "liberally".  If go to my sticky at the top of this curing page you can see my amounts and where I get my cure.  It is not too far off from the amount BuckBoard Bacon.  It would seem that the amounts needed for cure with Morton's would be somewhere in the ball park as these.

I personally would chuck the meat.  And not to the dogs either.

Also try making some bacon out of loin.  Again see my sticky at the top of the curing page.

Here to help.


SmokeOn,

mski
Perryville, Arkansas
Wooo-Pig-Soooie

If a man says he knows anything at all, he knows nothing what he aught to know.  But...

[Dan the sauasage man]

Genral rule for curing bacon (side pork) is 7 days per inch.
I believe your bacon cured to long instead of to much salt.
I am a sausage maker by trade so if you have any questions
I'll try to answer them. I know quite a bit, but also have
lots to learn yet.

[Dan the sauasage man]

also forgot to add if you want pink color to meat You need
to use speed cure (pague powder) 1 0z per 25 lbs. If you
smoke meat it really helps.

[whitetailfan]

Product description on the Morton website:
"Morton® Smoke Flavored Sugar Cure® mix is formulated especially for dry curing large cuts of meat like hams or bacon. It contains salt, sugar, sodium nitrate, propylene glycol, caramel color, natural hickory smoke flavor, a blend of natural spices and dextrose (corn sugar). The cure reaction takes longer with Morton® Smoke Flavored Sugar Cure® mix than with plain Morton® Sugar Cure® mix, so the smoke flavored product should be used only for dry curing and not for making a brine (pickle) solution."

Based on this, your bacon should have worked.  You could have overcured it, but it should still resemble bacon.

In your description of process, I fail to see where you smoked it.  I ASSUMED you smoked your bacon but maybe not.  Did you cure your meat and then just hack some off to fry.  I don't mean to pick on you here, but if you did not smoke it, you will not turn the meat pink.  It needs the smoke.


<font color="green">whitetailfan</font id="green">
"Nice Rack"
Lethbridge, AB