Curing bacon with only salt and sugar

[Northern_Hunting_Mom]

I didn't add saltpetre or any other type of curing agent to my bacon cure. Just 1 cup of coarse salt to 3 cups of a syrup/brown sugar blend with black pepper added. The last batch I made, I didn't add any other curing agent, I didn't use syrup the last time, just brown sugar. I didn't add many other spices either. I use a vacuum sealer to cure. It prevents any leakage into my fridge.

I am guessing that the meat may turn a grey brown (not stay pink) but it should still cure just fine. I do plan to smoke it longer, 4-6 hours (possibly more if it doesn't firm up some) and to ensure the IT gets to 150. Can anybody see a problem with this? It is very difficult to get Morton Tender, Prague powder etc where I am. I do have 3-4lb of saltpetre the pharmacist brought in for me. Not planning to make any bombs. ;D

[WoodlawnSmoker]

I hear you about the difficulties in finding cure.  I finally ordered the Prague Powder Cure #1 online from Stuffers in Vancouver.  They were good to deal with and you won't have to worry about converting appropriate amounts and percentages.

[Habanero Smoker]

What temperature are you cooking the bacon?

The rule of thumb for food safety, when curing with salt only as a dry cure, is to use a minimum of 2% - 3% of the green weight of the meat. Other sources state to use 3% - 5%.

For example, if you have 10 pounds (160 ounces) of bacon, using the recommended minimum amounts; you should use 3.2 - 4.8 ounces of salt.

Saltpetre (Potassium Nitrate) is not used at the same rate as Morton Tender Quick, or Prague Powder #1, and it requires longer curing time. You will get more consistent results using Morton TQ or Prague Powder #1.

Curing Salts

[manfromplaid]

if u are close to edmonton  they stock prague powder and all u will need at halfordrhides  8629-126 ave  or www.halfordsmailorder.com  good luck

[Northern_Hunting_Mom]

What temperature are you cooking the bacon?

The rule of thumb for food safety, when curing with salt only as a dry cure, is to use a minimum of 2% - 3% of the green weight of the meat. Other sources state to use 3% - 5%.

For example, if you have 10 pounds (160 ounces) of bacon, using the recommended minimum amounts; you should use 3.2 - 4.8 ounces of salt.

Saltpetre (Potassium Nitrate) is not used at the same rate as Morton Tender Quick, or Prague Powder #1, and it requires longer curing time. You will get more consistent results using Morton TQ or Prague Powder #1.

Curing Salts

I should be just fine. I went by volume with coarse canning salt. I just weighed 1 cup of the coarse canning salt and it is 8.4oz. It came to a minimum of 33oz of salt to cure 47lbs of pork bellies. 4 cups of salt, 12 cups of syrup and brown sugar mixed and cracked peppercorns. Overhaul every day and maybe let it sit for an extra day or 3. I will smoke it in batches to make sure the smoker gets up to temp quickly.

Many of the recipes I was given or found on the internet was with saltpetre. I have only used it to make corned beef and corned venison so far. I was surprised when the pharmacist gave me a bag that big. At the rate I use it, my grandkids will be able to use it.

I will call Halford Hides tomorrow. I checked their website and it only shows Prague #2. I am starting to see more recipes that use Prague #1 and #2 so it is worth it to get some. Dry curing sausage that is not meant to be cooked kinda scares me. I think I would prefer to stick with smoked types that get up to a safe IT. Who kows though, maybe when both the kids are out of the house, I will use part of a bedroom to take some risks.

[Habanero Smoker]

You should be alright, with this post only mentioning 1 cup of salt, and your other post on inquiring about the difference between a rub and a cure, I wasn't sure of your level of knowledge in this area.

With your recipes that contain saltpetre, you can easily convert them to use Prague Powder #1, and reduce your curing times.