Bacon curing (again)

[howesm]

Just registered with the forum and only very recently begun to experiment with curing my own bacon on a small domestic scale(i.e. personal consumption for breakfast). I must say that it is fascinating reading the information that has been posted. I'm just a wee bit concerned now that I may get into this a little more seriously. Never mind. I've trawled through the majority of the postings on bacon curing and have probably answered my own questions concerning said matter of curing bacon, but thought I'd post a question or two anyway.

1. I have some traditional bacon cure that I've just purchased and was wondering what the ingredients are, as it doesn't say anything on the packet. I guess it contains salt, sugar and either potassium or sodium nitrate/nitrite. Does anybody known this answer?

2. I'm curing 1kg of loin at the moment in a plastic box in the fridge. Do I drain off the liquid or leave it?. The method I have been sent, instructs you to seal in plastic bags. What do you do about the liquid, or doesn't it matter?

Would be grateful for any advice. Thanks.

[Spuddy]

Hi howesm, welcome to the forum.

To answer your questions:

1. The traditional bacon cure contains salt, sodium nitrite and sugar in a precisely measured ratio.
2. Don't drain the liquid as it contains the unabsorbed cure. If you're not using a bag as suggested then remember to baste the meat thoroughly with the cure once or twice a day and turn the meat in the box once a day.

Good luck with your bacon and let us know how you get on.

BR
Spuddy

[howesm]

Thanks Spuddy. After posting my message I discovered even more info on this subject, some advocating draining the liquid and some the opposite. Will do as you advise and will let you know how I get on.

As to the ingredients, I guess that it is safer to buy the premixes as advertised rather than try and make your own, especially when you're dealing with those chemicals. I think for the price it is certainly good value. However, I do think that there should be something on the bag labelling its ingredients.

Regards.

[aris]

I've always left the liquid in there.

As for the ingredients - I think this has been posted once before - not sure where. Maybe Franco can put this information online somewhere.

[howesm]

Aris, thank you for your advice also. This is in fact what I am doing this time around and will post my results.

Regards.

[Platypus]

I have just completed a kilo of bacon in a similar way.

Made a mix of;
350g salt
60g light brown sugar
30g dark muscovado sugar
15g cure #1

Rubbed in at a rate of 100g/Kg
Placed the pork in a shallow dish just big enough to hold it.
Covered it with clingfilm and placed in the fridge.
Basted the pork with it's own juices every day and turned it over every other day.
Today was the seventh day and on this day it shall be rested.
Well taken out rinsed and dried actually

It looks great and I can't wait for breakfast tomorrow.

[Oddley]

Hi Platypus Please tell us how it came out. here is a breakdown of your cure. Did you work it out yourself?

Ingoing Nitrite 194 ppm
sugar 1.978%
salt 7.6923%

With over 7% salt it might be a bit salty. But I will be interested to find out what you think.

[Platypus]

Hi Oddley,

The recipe was based on the one Parson Snows posted in this thread http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewtopic.php?t=376&start=0

This is only my second attempt at bacon, the first was based on HFW's method and that used a LOT more salt, so I'm hoping this will be better.
That first one turned my tongue into instant biltong

[aris]

Easiest foolproof method is just to use Franco's bacon cure.

[Oddley]

Platypus if it is too salty don't give up. Let me know and I'll work out a cure mix for you using the same ingredients and nitrite ppm but less salt.

[howesm]

Thanks for sharing ideas Platypus, I hope you enjoy breaking the fast with said bacon. I shall be keen to hear your results.

For what it's worth, I used HFW receipe for both loin and belly a couple of months ago and sliced and grilled some for my 6 year old son for his tea, convinced that it would be absolutely fine, as it certainly looked and smelt that way. Let's just say that I hope I haven't put him off for life. It was basically inedible due to the excess salt factor.

I also tried a lesser quantity of the mix the next time I did some but I also rubbed in a generous helping of maple syrup. This certainly was a great improvement, however my bacon still had that porky taste. Know what I mean? I'm hoping that the cure I have bought from Franco that has "extras" in it will combat this problem.

Regards

[Jonty]

Hi Howesm,

I think that it's safe to say that once you've tried Franco's cure you won't look back. I'm sure that you've read many accounts on the forum from various people who've had success.

Let us know how the end result tastes.

Good luck!!

Cheers

[Platypus]

Aris - I have thought of using Franco's mix but it seems better to work out how to do it myself, rather than pay Franco's (understandable) markup on what is basically salt and sugar, even if this means I waste a few pigs in the process . I also like the idea of not relying on pre-made stuff, which is why I'm trying to make my own bacon in the first place

Oddley - Thanks for the offer, I may well take you up on that in the morning

howesm - I have had a batch of sausages turn out very porky and read somewhere on this forum that it can be solved by using meat from a gilt pig (one that has not had a litter). Anyway let us know how you get on with your next bacon, we may be able to compare notes.

[aris]

The cure isn't that expensive really - it does go a long way. 30g of cure per kilo of meat. Where do you get your cure #1 from? It isn't cheap either..

[howesm]

Hi Jonty,
Thanks for the reply. If the results are good then I shall certainly continue to use the pre mixed cure. It's a good price. However, I do think that it should give some idea of the contents on the bag. I know now what is in it having shared ideas with people, but I'd be happier if it indicated so in the first place. Know what I mean?

Platypus,
Thanks for the info re gilts. I'll perhaps pose that question next time I'm in my friendly butchers.

Regards