pastrami and bacon

[Piker]

Just finished my first pastrami and it tastes great to me.I have nothing to compare it to as I never made it before. Evberything went as planned. As for the bacon I applied dry rub as per recipe put in vacuum sealed bag in frig at 40F for seven days turning daily and monitoring temp constantly Took out rinsed let dry overnite in same frig took out to smoker inserted probe and it read 32F. Triple checked thermometer was rite on so do not know what happened. Bacon was great but not very salty. Any ideas as what happened?

[West Coast Kansan]

I think we are talking about pork loin for canada bacon, if so just some thoughts following.   ;D

I think you are saying the bacon came out too salty ???

What was your cure mix? Maybe too much? Most likely from your post, I would suggest a soak for a half hour or so.  A rinse would not be enough for my taste.  Too salty as you say.  Everything else looks right on from my guesses.   ;)

If you are asking about the temp going from 40 to 32. Fridges are funky.  I have one with a digital read out and the temp is set at 38F. The temps inside are all over the place depending on where I take the reading.  Circulation / load / how far from the bottom etc.

Anyway at 32 you may not have gotten a good cure. How does it look in cross section.  Should be a nice light pink all the way through.

[Piker]

It was an 8 lb. slab of belly bacon and the cure was applied at the rate I found on the recipe section. I meant it was not salty enough. And the thermometer I used was a digital remote with the probe laying on top of the bacon. It stayed at 40F for the whoke week. I think maybe the curing reaction may lower the temp but I think it did not cure enough.

[Gizmo]

The saltiness of the pork is not an indication of the effectiveness of the cure.  How firm was the meat?  Usually you can tell if the cure has been working by the firmness of the meat as raw bacon is very soft to the touch and after curing, it is firmer.  The meat should be consistently firm.  If you fry the bacon and want it saltier, you can sprinkle a little salt on it to taste.  I don't mind the less salt as it is always easier to add impossble to eliminate after smoking or cooking.

[West Coast Kansan]

Belly! - I would say well done!  No clue about the temperature. 

[Habanero Smoker]

Belly! - I would say well done!  No clue about the temperature. 

I wasn't sure about the temperature either, so I had to do some research on it. WCK, I believe you are correct about the different temperature zones in the refrigerator, and lower temperatures will extend the curing time. If you check the firmness of the meat, as Gizmo suggested, that is a good way of determining if the bacon is fully cured.

The brine temperature (salinity) lowers the freezing point, but the actual temperature of the meat should be the same as it's surroundings; if it has been in that environment long enough for both the surrounding temperature and the meat temperature to balance. Brining should only have an effect on the freezing point of the meat. Most of today's brines may lower the freezing point about 8 – 12 degrees, but it can not make the food colder than the environment that it is in.

I know that when you make ice cream, when you mix rock salt and ice it will initially lower the temperature, but that is a different process than a brine solution or brined (cured) meat resting at a specific temperature. When you mix salt and a water based liquid (such as cream) it causes a chemical reaction between the ice and salt, and when all the ice is fully melted the temperature of the solution will begin to balance out with the surrounding temperature over time.

So if the temperature probe is correct, I would guess you have a cold spot. I set my refrigerator at 38, and depending how full it is, I know there can be areas in the lower back part that food can freeze.

[Piker]

the bacom was very firm when I removed it from the fridge. I am very satisfird with it and thanks for all the ideas. Next time I will watch the temp a little more closely. I had it in a 4 cubic ft. bar frig at the top which also could explain it thks Dave