Bacon

oldsmoker · March 04, 2017, 06:55:14 AM

I was looking at above post and it said 2.4 tsp for 5 lbs of meat. I think you are a little heavy for your bacon just my thinking. sure somebody will ring in.

Habanero Smoker · March 04, 2017, 01:28:30 PM

That part of my post is a breakdown of Rytek Kutas' "Dry Box Bacon Cure". So I want to clarify, it is his recipe not mind, though I don't see any thing that would make his recipe unsafe. For a cure being applied to the surface of bacon, it's about the norm. If this was sausage, then the maximum amount would be 1 teaspoon per 5 lbs. of meat.

When dry curing you can apply as much as four times the cure to the surface of whole muscle meat than you do with sausage, and it will still be safe with less than 200ppm of nitrite - which is the maximum set by USDA. Bacon, that is meant to be fry after curing, so you don't want to go apply the maximum amount of cure #1. You want to keep the ppm 156 or less, so most dry cures recipes for bacon, you will see approximately 2 teaspoons per 5 pounds of meat/fat.

Johnny · March 05, 2017, 03:45:38 AM

What do most of you guys do with the skin (rind) on the bellys? What I've read is some leave it, some remove it before curing, some cut it off after smoking and some leave it on period! My overall plan is to thin slice this once its complete and thinking leaving it on may make the task easier.. opinions??

manfromplaid · March 05, 2017, 07:00:31 AM

when I do bacon I remove the skin. I only have a 7 in. slicer so I cut the belly to fit this before curing. After its smoked and cooled slicing is easy if it fits the slicer. you can find on the net a number of ways to remove the skin without much trouble. good luck and have fun
jeff

Johnny · March 05, 2017, 07:37:02 AM

Thanks for your reply Jeff, never thought of the size of the slicer being an issue, going to have to check mine out !

Grouperman941 · March 10, 2017, 09:14:45 PM

Quote from: Johnny on March 05, 2017, 03:45:38 AM
What do most of you guys do with the skin (rind) on the bellys? What I've read is some leave it, some remove it before curing, some cut it off after smoking and some leave it on period! My overall plan is to thin slice this once its complete and thinking leaving it on may make the task easier.. opinions??

I leave it on. It peels right off afterward and does not make much difference in the flavor. The smoked skin can be added to soups or baked beans for really nice flavor. I cut it in strips with shears and freeze.

Johnny · March 12, 2017, 05:11:20 AM

Johnny · March 12, 2017, 05:12:38 AM

Johnny · March 12, 2017, 05:13:23 AM

Johnny · March 12, 2017, 05:14:32 AM

Finished results of my applewood smoked bacon!

oldsmoker · March 12, 2017, 06:52:14 AM

Great looking bacon . Hows the taste

Grouperman941 · March 12, 2017, 07:44:22 AM

Quote from: Johnny on March 12, 2017, 05:14:32 AM
Finished results of my applewood smoked bacon!

Looks great.

Johnny · March 12, 2017, 08:20:41 AM

Quote from: oldsmoker on March 12, 2017, 06:52:14 AM
Great looking bacon . Hows the taste

Happy with the results but a tad salty

Johnny · March 12, 2017, 08:52:35 AM

After this trial run I now have a recipe broken down per lb.
2 grams of #1 per lb
11 grams of kosher per lb
1 tsp of dextrose per belly.

Edward176 · March 12, 2017, 10:39:04 AM

Looks like it turned out really well Johnny. Texture and colour looks good but you said a tad salty. Oh well, live and learn. I'm sure you'll be tweaking your recipe to adjust for personal taste.
Just to confirm, you did this as a dry rub and it cured for 7 days? You wrote "1 tsp dextrose per belly" and your belly weighed how much?