First go at curing

[Dalby Spook]

Hi Folks

my first stab a bacon curing started today. I was given a side of pork from a free range, rare breed cross. After removing the rind it came in just under 9kg.
Obviously it was way to big to go in my fridge whole so I cut it into approx 4 equal pieces.

The cure called for 30 grams per kilo or 3% by weight. Problem. My scales just not accurate to weigh under 75g or so and the meat varied in wieght from 1.6 to 3 kg per piece. Yeah, I know I shudda/wudda/cudda done the whole thing in one go to start with.

Which brings me to the point. I divided the  correct ammount of  cure into 4 by eye and portioned to correspond to the piece size i.e. big bit got the most.
I'm pretty sure I was reasonably accurate but if was'nt how will I know? will it stink when I take it out? Funny colour?

Also the cure says don't soak after curing, just rinse. If I test fry a bit and find it too salty do you think I'll do any harm by giving say a 1 hour soak?

[Gizmo]

You should be good to go.  The belly will firm up as it is cured.
I would do a test piece.  I would give it a good washing and then test again.  I would save the soak for after the second rinse if necessary since your instructions were specific.

[Habanero Smoker]

A lot of bacon recipes will state not to soak. If it is too salty, you can soak it. After soaking pat dry, and allow it to rest 12 - 24 hours in the refrigerator. Osmosis will still occur during that period. The outer cells will now have a lower salinity, and you want to give it time for the salts/cures to equally redistribute.

[Stickbowcrafter]

All great advice. Keep us posted and good luck.

-Brian

[Dalby Spook]

Thanks for the good advise, people. As it is, it came spot on. No need to soak. 8 hours cold with oak and some of the best bacon I've ever tasted.  Pig breeder said the same. No water pouring out and shrivelling to nothing on cooking or curious 'fishy' smell & taste like a lot of store bought.

Thanks again.

John

[yul]

Sounds fantastic Dalby, mmmm..... real bacon ...... I'm sure it's the quality of the meat that you started with.
Brian, drooling in Canada.

[Bad Flynch]

Habs is right, you know. Many recipes for bacon, both dry and wet cured, call for a rest period after curing of up to 2 weeks---for the reasons he stated. So, when the curing is done, wash off the excess cure and other "stuff" and let it age for a while. If you want, cut a piece off the main chunk after it has been washed and dried and taste it, as suggested; that'll tell about the need for soaking.

I suspect that your 30 Gm. per Kilo recipe will be right on the money, as that is very much the same as the 1 Tablespoon full per pound that many of the rest of us use and that is just fine.

Do not lose a lot of sleep about getting the cure so evenly distributed: in the long run, it will really not matter much. Careful technique is a good thing, but losing sleep is not.

[manxman]

some of the best bacon I've ever tasted.

Glad it worked out John, I rarely buy bacon nowadays...... very difficult to beat what comes out of the BS!!  ;)