Jump to content
Aussie Ora

Home cured Pork Belly for Bacon

Recommended Posts

No pics yet but a question I started curing a belly last Saturday it's been a week now the others that I have done have gone 7 days then smoked and turned out great but I am working the day I was planning on smoking can you take it to 14 days or should I try and smoke it after work.was thinking of draining it and starting off again
 
Outback Kamado Bar and Grill
 
 


Link to comment
Share on other sites

Number of days is a minimum time to make sure it's safely cured. According to Meathead, you can go up to 25% longer. After that you should remove from the cure, rinse, and wrap in plastic in the fridge until you can smoke it. 

http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/curing_meats.html

Edited by HalfSmoke
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It really depends what you are using to cure is with, salt,sugar sodium nitrate or celery juice powder or extract. When we cure bacon, or most anything, we use percentages for an equilibrium cure (EQ). 2 to 2.25percent salt, 0.25% cure#1 (sodium nitrite), and whatever amount of sugar you prefer. In theory, since it's a constant 2.25 to 2.5 % salts you have virtually no time limits. Also for a thinner whole muscle like belly, the rule of thumb is 1 day per kilogram. I vacuum pack most meats under cure, but with bellies I cover in a large pan,plastic or s.steel. NEVER aluminum. I find under EQ I can "get there" in 3 to 4 days. YMMV.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you can keep it in the fridge after rinsing, put it on a rack UNCOVERED until you smoke it. It's been cured, and preseved. This also will promote a Pellicle, that is very important, for smoke to adhere to the surface of the meat. Otherwise you can get a bitter taste on the surface. And remember, less is more when it comes to smoke...a thin blue wisp is the goal!

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

With all the rain in our forecast for this weekend, I pulled mine out of the dry brine yesterday (5 days) and put in on the KK for 2.5 hours with the cold smoker. Was windy as the front moved in, so I kept having to relight the wood chips in the smoker, but managed to get some decent smoke going for most of the time. Rested overnight in a zipbag in the fridge. Just went into the freezer for about an hour to firm up for slicing. Will try and post some pics of the final product. BTW - this is my 1st attempt at bacon, so we'll see. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@MacKenzie - just sounded like a good use for the cold smoker. The meat is cured and you're going to cook it before eating anyway, so no harm to cold smoke it. 

It took longer to chill up for slicing than I had planned, so I just left it in the freezer overnight. Got it out this morning and sliced it up. The belly pieces from CostCo were very lean, but were not very thick (about 1 1/2"), so it was a PITA to slice even frozen, soI didn't get very even slices. But, here a pic anyway! While it doesn't look all that nice, it did fry up pretty tasty!

58d80bb5da51e_1stBacon.thumb.jpg.e9052e2417f833b4724476cbbaa2b978.jpg

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, all!

Yeah, MacKenzie, that's what I thought, too, when I saw it in the meat section at CostCo. Unfortunately, when i got home and broke it down for putting it in the freezer, I found out that instead of 6 nice thick hunks of belly, it was 12! I only did one pack this time and have another pack of 6 pieces still in the fridge for later. Those I might not slice, but just cube up into lardon. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you can keep it in the fridge after rinsing, put it on a rack UNCOVERED until you smoke it. It's been cured, and preseved. This also will promote a Pellicle, that is very important, for smoke to adhere to the surface of the meat. Otherwise you can get a bitter taste on the surface. And remember, less is more when it comes to smoke...a thin blue wisp is the goal! 

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

 

 

I've been working pretty full on and keep it in my mini bar freezer fridge in the games room going to rinse it off tonight Tuesday leaving it uncovered in the fridge to Saturday or Sunday will that be OK or should I wrap it in cling wrap. Getting home late and having to do everything else I keep forgetting lol

 

Outback Kamado Bar and Grill

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...