Dry Cured Bacon - Do I have problems?

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widetrackman
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Dry Cured Bacon - Do I have problems?

Post by widetrackman » Mon Dec 19, 2011 06:07

(1) Dry cured (2) whole 20# pork bellies, in tub (no bags) 15 days (skin down) overhauled on 10 th day, (used 20 oz on first rub and 12 on overhaul) total 32 oz (2#) Tender Quick + 3 cups Derma sugar. Poured off juices and rotated daily, Results, bellies were limp. You could roll them up. Was cure to short or what? (2) Next soaked 1 1/2 hrs, dried 2 days in fridg, Still very limpy but dry/tacky. 3) Cold smoked 4 hrs start temp meat 36 deg, finish Temp. 47 deg. Light color on flesh no color on skin, still very limpy. 3) Let rest overnight at 36 deg. (4) Next day started cold smoking again, meat temp started @ 36 deg and after 4 hours @ 61 deg., 5) Opened smoker to find bellies sweating, still very limpy with med smoke on flesh, very little color on skin. Iam worried about the cure, the moisture and limbness. I was hoping the length of cure which seems to be on the longer side for bacon to produce a product that could be hung in my shed in cool weather. Newbie thats worried. Thanks again.
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Post by Chuckwagon » Mon Dec 19, 2011 10:30

Cold Smoking
Cold smoking is a drying process usually involving many hours for several days or even weeks. Products are not smoked continuously as fresh air is usually allowed into the smoker at regular intervals to allow time for complete penetration of smoke deep into muscle tissues. As moisture leaves the meat, the product will become rigid naturally.
Because cold smoked meat and fish products are not cooked, cold smoking is an entirely contrasting process from hot-smoking as the heat source is remote and the smoke is "piped" into the smokehouse from several feet away, giving the smoke time to cool down. Most often, the cold-smokehouse is elevated higher than the heat source, or the smoke is forced inside by a fan.
Because fish begins to cook at 85°F. (30°C.), the temperature in most American "cold-smoke houses" is less than 85° F. (29°C.) and often much lower in order to prevent spoilage. In Russia and many parts of Europe, the upper limit has been 71°F. (22°C.).
Cold-smoked products must contain nitrite or nitrate/nitrite cures to be safe because even using thin smoke, oxygen is cut off and most obligate anaerobic bacteria, some facultative anaerobic bacteria, and even some microaerophile bacteria may thrive. Never cold-smoke fresh sausage or any meat product without using a curing agent. Some dry-cured (raw) sausages are held for weeks in cold-smoke while they continue to dehydrate safely below .85 Aw. Additionally, some semi-dry cured sausages may be cold-smoked after they have been prep-cooked. Again, cold smoking is not a continuous process and it assures deep smoke penetration. It is usually discontinued overnight, allowing fresh air to assist with the uniform loss of moisture.

Widetrackman, could you tell us where the recipe came from and maybe even post it if you still have a copy. We need a bit more info.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! :D
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Post by widetrackman » Mon Dec 19, 2011 17:56

Why are the bacons so limp or soft? seems will be hard to slice. Will this bacon hang in cool weather without refrigeration? If not how can I make bacon that will, dont want to hot smoke. Thanks
CharcuterieGuy wrote:
widetrackman wrote:(1) Dry cured (2) whole 20# pork bellies, in tub (no bags) 15 days (skin down) overhauled on 10 th day, (used 20 oz on first rub and 12 on overhaul) total 32 oz (2#) Tender Quick + 3 cups Derma sugar. Poured off juices and rotated daily, Results, bellies were limp. You could roll them up. Was cure to short or what? (2) Next soaked 1 1/2 hrs, dried 2 days in fridg, Still very limpy but dry/tacky. 3) Cold smoked 4 hrs start temp meat 36 deg, finish Temp. 47 deg. Light color on flesh no color on skin, still very limpy. 3) Let rest overnight at 36 deg. (4) Next day started cold smoking again, meat temp started @ 36 deg and after 4 hours @ 61 deg., 5) Opened smoker to find bellies sweating, still very limpy with med smoke on flesh, very little color on skin. Iam worried about the cure, the moisture and limbness. I was hoping the length of cure which seems to be on the longer side for bacon to produce a product that could be hung in my shed in cool weather. Newbie thats worried. Thanks again.
You used almost twice the recommended amount of cure, the first rub of 20 ounces would have been plenty.
Tender Quick is used at a tablespoon (14 grams) per pound of whole muscle meat.
You cured for twice the recommended cure time.
2 1/2 days per inch of height should be plenty of time.
Your bacon should be well cured.

You certainly can cold smoke at those temps, I just cold smoked some bacon at 35 degrees, warmer temps are an advantage though.
Lack of much color is to be expected at those temps.
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Post by ssorllih » Mon Dec 19, 2011 18:44

I don't know much about making bacon but there are some things I can say safely. Too much salt and sugar will not soften the meat. Both chemicals abosrb water and make it unavailable for bacteria. Your bacon won't be safe to store without refrigeration until the availbale water is reduced below the level need by bacteria.
My memory of dry cured bacon was that it was just about the same hardness as cheese.
Is the slab more or less flexible now than before you started the cure?
Remember that stiffness is a function of thickness.
If , as has been suggested, you have used too much cure the worst that will happen is the taste will be too salty. You can soak some of that away with cold fresh water.
Flexibility in the long slab may not indicate firmness as well as pinching the slab will.
Ross- tightwad home cook
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Post by widetrackman » Tue Dec 20, 2011 05:23

Chuckwagon wrote:Cold Smoking
Cold smoking is a drying process usually involving many hours for several days or even weeks. Products are not smoked continuously as fresh air is usually allowed into the smoker at regular intervals to allow time for complete penetration of smoke deep into muscle tissues. As moisture leaves the meat, the product will become rigid naturally.
Because cold smoked meat and fish products are not cooked, cold smoking is an entirely contrasting process from hot-smoking as the heat source is remote and the smoke is "piped" into the smokehouse from several feet away, giving the smoke time to cool down. Most often, the cold-smokehouse is elevated higher than the heat source, or the smoke is forced inside by a fan.
Because fish begins to cook at 85°F. (30°C.), the temperature in most American "cold-smoke houses" is less than 85° F. (29°C.) and often much lower in order to prevent spoilage. In Russia and many parts of Europe, the upper limit has been 71°F. (22°C.).
Cold-smoked products must contain nitrite or nitrate/nitrite cures to be safe because even using thin smoke, oxygen is cut off and most obligate anaerobic bacteria, some facultative anaerobic bacteria, and even some microaerophile bacteria may thrive. Never cold-smoke fresh sausage or any meat product without using a curing agent. Some dry-cured (raw) sausages are held for weeks in cold-smoke while they continue to dehydrate safely below .85 Aw. Additionally, some semi-dry cured sausages may be cold-smoked after they have been prep-cooked. Again, cold smoking is not a continuous process and it assures deep smoke penetration. It is usually discontinued overnight, allowing fresh air to assist with the uniform loss of moisture.

Widetrackman, could you tell us where the recipe came from and maybe even post it if you still have a copy. We need a bit more info.
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
Chuckwagon, no recipe other the Morton TQ directions other than I cured for 15 days with a overhaul with 12 oz at day 10. I was trying repeat what I think my father did when I was very young , about 60 years ago. what I think he did was to cure with Mortons sugar cure in salt box for 2 weeks, wash, dry ,then cold smoke for 48 hrs in large smokehouse. He then hung the bacon in the salt room on the back porch and fatback in the salt box. We ate bacon and salt pork untill May. Hope I can figure how he did it it.
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Post by Chuckwagon » Tue Dec 20, 2011 09:16

Western Style, Ranch-Made, Honey-Cured Bacon

There's no need to rush out and buy a bunch of "special" ham and bacon cures. All you're paying for are simply Cure #1 and sweeteners. Shucks pards, make your own! Why not try some real honey-cured bacon? This authentic product is just not available in your grocery store. Once you`ve tried it, you`ll stop buying that supermarket junk! These days, one may have to purchase 1/2 container (four full-sized bellies) at a time. You may wish to split an order with a neighbor. We square-cut pre-measured slabs (for convenient hanging in the smokehouse), and freeze one entire belly (they are huge) then get right to work making another into bacon. This is enough to keep a bunch of ranch hands happy for quite a spell. In butcher`s lingo, the word "fresh" means not cured. It has nothing to do with the meat being "alive" just 20 minutes before we decided to make bacon out of it! Here`s how we cure one entire fresh pork belly (also called fresh bacon):

1 lb. granulated, non-iodized, (kosher) salt
2 oz. (eight level teaspoons) Cure #1
1 pint honey

Using sterile glove-covered hands, we combine the salt and cure #1 then rub the mixture well into the bacon before evenly spreading a pint and a half of our Utah honey onto its surface. Next, we use heavy plastic-lined freezer paper to wrap each slab, or bag each one in a heavy zip-type plastic bag before placing the slabs into a cooler or a separate refrigerator at 38 degrees F. for six days.

When the bacon is removed, we wash it very well with warm water, and then allow it to dry about forty-five minutes before it is hung on hooks in a preheated smokehouse at 135°F. (57°C.). The bacon must be completely dry to the touch to take on any smoke. Our outfit likes hickory flavor so we dampen hickory sawdust that we purchase from the eastern states. The west has plenty of mesquite (harsh smoke - great for beefsteaks but not for bacon), but we have no hickory! In a pinch, we`ll use a little applewood but generally, we just import hickory chips and sawdust. The bacon is then smoked until the internal meat temperature reaches 128°F.(53°C.). Then we reduce the smokehouse temperature to only 115°F.(46°C.), and continue smoking the bacon until a desired color is obtained. Finally, we hang the slab inside a cooler at 38° F.(3°C.) for eight hours before slicing it as thick as yer` hat! This is the best bacon you have probably tasted anywhere in your entire lifetime! In fact, your tongue just might slap the daylights out of your tonsils! And it`s so simple to prepare, you may cook it for breakfast every single day, if you don`t mind more cholesterol than a heart surgeon`s medical manual! Our outfit cooks this stuff a couple of times per week, and always on Sunday mornings, for a special treat with poached eggs.


Bad Bob`s Bacon
Salt-Cure Mixture For Bacon And Salt Pork


1/2 cup Cure #1
2-1/2 lbs. salt (not iodized)
Sweet Hungarian Paprika (for bacon)
1 pt. honey and/or maple syrup

In many places, it is becoming difficult to purchase small amounts of "fresh" (uncured) bacon. Butchers may order entire bellies from his supplier, selling home hobbyists enough "fresh" bacon to feed the NFL and adequate salt pork to flavor a mountain of beans. I used to drive myself nuts trying to trim the skin from a belly before I learned how to cure and cook it first, and then using a scimitar, remove the skin the minute it comes out of the cooker-smoker while the subcutaneous fat remains softened. Oh... the lessons we learn the hard way eh? Anyway, cut squares to fit your smoker and bacon hooks.
Ideally, for making salt pork, the skin is removed, the raw squares are cut in half lengthwise, the meaty bacon pieces are separated from the side pork, and all of it is rubbed with a salt-cure mixture. However, it is at this point I like to add a jar of honey to the mixture used on the bacon slabs (not the salt pork). Real maple syrup is often used with or instead of honey, for a great alternative flavor.
Separated inside their own food-grade plastic lugs, (or in large, zip-type plastic bags), the bacon and salt pork slabs are placed on beds of salt-cure with additional salt-cure sprinkled generously on top of each slab. Place the product into a cooler six days at 38°;F. (3°;C.). Remove the bacon and salt pork, drain away the moisture and repeat the salting process once again - another bed of salt with more on the top for another six days in the cooler.
Finally, remove the product and wash it thoroughly with cool (but not cold) water. Some folks like to soak the bacon half an hour to remove some of the salt at this point. Cut bacon pieces into convenient foot-long sections and hang them to dry four hours. Rub the meaty bacon pieces with plenty of paprika but omit the spice on the salt pork. Note that in the U.S.A., backfat is also used for salt pork and may be cured along with any bacon pieces.
To prep-cook the bacon, hang it in a preheated 135°;F. (57°;C.) smokehouse, apply hickory smoke, and continue cooking-smoking until the internal meat temperature reaches 128°;F. (53°;C.). Reduce the smokehouse temperature to 120°;F. (49°;C.) and continue cooking and smoking until the desired bloom is obtained. Refrigerate the bacon overnight before slicing. Note: As this product is not cooked beyond 138°;F. (59°;C.) during preparation, it must be considered a raw meat product and kept refrigerated until it is cooked for consumption.
To prep-cook the salt pork, hang it in a preheated smokehouse at only 75°;F. (24°;C.), apply hickory smoke twenty four hours. It should be fully bloomed at this point, exhibiting a brick-red color. Note: As this product is not cooked beyond 138°;F. (59°;C.) during preparation, it must be considered a raw meat product and kept refrigerated until it is cooked for consumption.
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! :D
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Post by ssorllih » Tue Dec 20, 2011 16:32

I have a question concerning cures and curing times. I am very new to this business and the first few pieces I cured I followed the "standard proceedure as outlined here and found the result was excessively salty. So lately I have been mixing my dry cure according to the weight of the meat. For a kilogram I use 25 grams of salt, 2.5 grams of cure #1, a tablespoonful of sugar and a half tablespoon of molassas. This I mix in a bowl and rub into every nook and crany of the slab that I cut from the skin side of the pork butt and the two pieces that are cut from the body side. I put the entire batch into a very large 2 mil plastic bag and without much effort to expell the air I close the bag with a tight string knot. The bag full of goodies goes into a 32.5 degree fridge for the next 2 weeks and everyday I pull it out and roll it around on a table to shift all of the pieces. I don't drain any liquid and I don't have any free liquid at the end of the two weeks. When I remove the meats from the bag there is no crystaline salt left and I give them a quick rinse and dry them with a towel. Then I tie the meat into round rolls and hang everythig to dry. While it is drying I light the fire in my smoke box and warm the grill with the gas flame. I like a good base of coals in the smoke burner so that when I drop chunks of hickory in and close the dampers it will smolder nicely. The grill is very much vented by its construction. I smoke with hickory for at least 8 hours and slowly raise the temperature in the grill. By the 8th hour the meats are getting close to 150°F and I shut the gas off and let the smoke fire burn out. The weather is cold here so I just leave the meats in the grill over night.
I have shared this bacon with several people and have been told that it is the best they have ever eaten.
I know that brine strength and time in brine to cure are inversely related and I believe that is the reason that my low salt/long cure time works.
Ross- tightwad home cook
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Post by ssorllih » Tue Dec 20, 2011 18:29

By frequently turning the bag and the meat the liquid never gets a chance to settle.
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