brine solution leaked out

Cheech · December 23, 2015, 02:53:09 PM

I have two pork bellies curing in the fridge. One is fine, the liquid is in the bag and the belly is firming up nicely.

The other had a leak in the bag, apparently from day 1. The liquid never built up in the bag. Eventually I discovered it and double bagged it. I put it back in the fridge and flipped it every two days even though no liquid was building up.

TODAY I noticed that the bottom of the fridge was covered in all the liquid that came out of the bag. You couldn't see it unless you opened a bottom drawer. So all of my brining liquid has been at the bottom of the fridge doing nothing.

Should I throw that belly away? Will it cure at all? Cure more slowly? Any thoughts?

beefmann · December 23, 2015, 02:59:33 PM

actually,, ,you now have a cured bottom shelf,,, ;D ... the best thing to do is throw away the liquid in the bottom of the fridge,,, no telling what other contaminants they may be down there,,,In my opinion if you have to question the cure... the correct answer Is ...THROW IT AWAY.... it is never worth your health or any one else for that matter,,,

Cheech · December 23, 2015, 03:37:10 PM

There was no question on trying to salvage the liquid. I tossed it as soon as I found it.

beefmann · December 23, 2015, 04:10:29 PM

did you start out as a dry cure? or a wet cure?

if it was a dry cure,,, you should be fine,,, if a wet cure,,, not really sure,,, just a thought if wet,,, combine the two and continue on,, maybe give the one that lost the liquid an extra day,,,

Cheech · December 23, 2015, 04:29:29 PM

Quote from: beefmann on December 23, 2015, 04:10:29 PM
did you start out as a dry cure? or a wet cure?

if it was a dry cure,,, you should be fine,,, if a wet cure,,, not really sure,,, just a thought if wet,,, combine the two and continue on,, maybe give the one that lost the liquid an extra day,,,

Started out as a dry cure. It was the dry cure from Rhulmans book "Charcuterie". It mentions in the book that it's important that the liquid remain in contact with the belly for continuous curing throughout the process...but it doesn't address the obvious problem of "what happens if you have a leak?"

beefmann · December 23, 2015, 05:31:17 PM

I do not think any book really does,,, I think you will be safe considering it is a dry cure,,, continue on as normal and as per instructions,,, I do not know if there is any thing to worry about,,, some one else may

Habanero Smoker · December 24, 2015, 02:04:55 AM

When curing in sealable bags, always place the bags on some type of rimmed sheet pan or in a pan. That way if there are any leaks, they will be contained, and you can catch any leak much sooner..

How long has it been curing? If you are using the standard 5 - 7 days, I would not throw it out. Although the maximum amount of nitrites for bacon is around 156 ppm, you only need 40 ppm for it to be safe against botulism. Although you may have lost a lot of liquid, you belly may still have cured. It may not have that familiar bacon flavor, and it may be a little drier, since none of the juices were drawn back into the meat.

You can slice a piece out of the middle of the slab, and fry it. If it remains reddish during the frying process like cured bacon, with no signs of grayish color you should be alright. The slice has to be taken out of the center, taking a slice from the edge is not a good test; since the edges cure sooner than the center. Though it is probably fully cured; since that is not an accurate test to tell if you have at least 40 ppm's; as a precaution, you can treat it as fresh belly. You can google recipes for fresh pork belly. I've cooked fresh pork belly on several occasions and like it. It is a rich dish, so you can't eat much of it.

Cheech · December 24, 2015, 03:35:46 PM

OK...I did Habanero's test by slicing a piece from the middle. Below are pics from before I fried it and after. The "before" pic is inconclusive to me...part of it is bright red and part isn't. The after pic appears to be pink...not gray.

What do y'all think? Is this thing cured?

Untitled by scarfam, on Flickr

Grouperman941 · December 24, 2015, 06:50:39 PM

I would hot smoke it to be safe, but I think it is fine.

Habanero Smoker · December 25, 2015, 01:46:59 AM

The first picture is not an indication that it is cured. I used to think that the red raw meat was a sign of it being cured, but if you slice into any raw roast, it will be rosy in color. The rosy color from the nitrites does not set until the meat reaches around 140°F. So doing the fry test is important. After seeing the fry test results I would say it is fully cured. If it were for myself, I would smoke it like I would any other cured bacon. Generally, if it is reddish in color during cooking, you have at least 40ppm's of nitrites. There will be less "bacon" flavor, and it may tend to be drier. But as I stated earlier it is not a 100% foolproof test of how much ppm's are present.

If you still feel uneasy about it, you can treat it as fresh pork, and cook it at a higher temperature as Grouperman941 has replied. For uncured meat the USDA recommends 225° as the lowest temperature to smoke at. I smoke uncured meats as low as 200°F, but having said that on Adam and Stanley Marianski's website; Wedliny Domowe; they state it is perfectly safe to smoke uncured foods at 180°F.

Cheech · December 25, 2015, 07:01:46 AM

Thanks so much Habanero!

Habanero Smoker · December 26, 2015, 01:31:52 AM

You're welcome. I'm sure the bacon will be great, either way you decide to smoke it.