Wet Curing Bacon

[ssorllih]

Since pork bellies are so expensive I made inquiry concerning jowls. I was able to order some already cured and smoked. They are not filled with water and are very pleasing to the taste. Critically tasting and discusing we have concluded that the bacon I make is too salty. Not too salty to be good but saltier than this. I have been using 1.5% salt plus .25% cure. When next I make some I will reduce the total salt to 1.25% including cure#1. I also use 1.5% sugar and that will stay the same.
Nancy has remarked that my bacon tastes like ham so the effort here is for a more mild taste.

[Big Guy]

I use a wet cure( brine) and never had bacon too salty, I make a brine of 1 cup coarse salt, 1 cup brown sugar, 20 cups water and cure #1 at the rate of 1 tsp for every 5 lbs of meat and brine, leave the bacon slabs in ther brine 10 days refrigerated, or 7 if you pumped the meat with the brine. Remove and hang to dry before putting into the smoker. That is what works for me.

[ssorllih]

I am not concerned with excess salt so much as simply lowering the present salt content. I use a semi dry cure and can easily limit the salt content. I had satrted with 2% salt by weight for the cure and have reduced that. My intention is to further reduce it by increments in search of the taste I seek.

[crustyo44]

Hi Col,
I have tried your bacon/pork curing recipe and just fried up some this morning.
Man, was it good, not too salty, just to suit my taste, without soaking the bacon before smoking.
Even my wife was impressed with the cooked result and that IS saying something.
Congratulations my friend and thank you for sharing your recipe.
Jan.

[Baconologist]

Cured and smoked jowl is awesome!