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by **Paul Kribs** » Thu Jul 28, 2005 3:07 pm

Has anybody added Franco's Hickory smoke powder to either the Sweet bacon cure or the Organic bacon cure? Reason I ask is I have a reasonable amount of both, and whilst they both give nice results I would like to try some bacon with a smokey taste. I do not eat bacon too often due to being on a diet, and I don't want to buy the Smoked cure and have 3 lots of cure wasting away. The hickory smoke powder is recommended at 0.05 grms per kilo of sausage, would the same apply to adding it to a cure for bacon?

Any tips on amounts etc would be appreciated.

Regards, Paul Kribs

by **aris** » Thu Jul 28, 2005 3:10 pm

Never tried it - but personally, i'd make a dilution of powder in some water and brush it onto the meat, then rub in the cure as usual.

by **Oddley** » Thu Jul 28, 2005 3:47 pm

Paul the recommended amount in sausage is 0.05% or 0.5 gm. I have tried it in sausage and it is very weak at this rate. Although I have not tried to mix a cure with the hickory smoke I think I would add more than 0.5gm per kg.

by **Paul Kribs** » Thu Jul 28, 2005 3:59 pm

Thanks Oddley & Aris

I do generally use the top end of the scale for seasonings or mixes so maybe I will put 1.0 grm per kilo and see how it goes.

Regards, Paul Kribs

by **deb** » Thu Jul 28, 2005 5:13 pm

I tried this in the ordinary (traditional??) bacon cure. I used it at the rate quoted and it wasn't enough. I would definately double it next time, and even then I'm not sure if it would be enough or not. If you get a satisfactory result would you let me know how much you used please.

by **Franco** » Thu Jul 28, 2005 6:28 pm

The guidelines for the use of the smoke powder were supplied by the manufacturer, I personally think that you need to use a little more to get a true smoked flavour. The powder is used at the recommended usage rate in the production of sauces and marinades for the food industry where only a hint of smoke is needed.

As it is a natural flavour there is no danger in using above the recommended usage rate.

Franco

by **Paul Kribs** » Thu Jul 28, 2005 9:46 pm

Looks like it will be 1.5 grms per kilo then. :shock:

Thanks for your comments.

Regards, Paul Kribs

by **Wilf** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 5:46 pm

Just tried it a 1g per kilo in some English breakfast bangers (Franco's Mix) and it gave a nice just noticeable flavour.

by **Paul Kribs** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 6:32 pm

Thanks Wilf, I will go with 1.5 grms per kilo and see how it goes, and will probably make just 1 kilo and maybe try again at 2.0 grms per kilo. I will let you know. I do like a bit of flavour.

Regards, Paul Kribs

Master Butchers Choice · by **othmar** » Sat Aug 06, 2005 12:51 am

Flavouring behaves very differently when used in sausage mixtures, liquid cures and dry cures.
I never tried any artificial flavourings but common sense tells me it would have to be quit a bit more in liquid cures then the recommended amount, simply due to the fact that in liquid cure there is obviously a lot more liquid and therefore dilution then in sausage mixtures and dry cures.

Regards
Othmar

by **Paul Kribs** » Wed Aug 17, 2005 5:14 am

I bought a piece of pork loin and deboned it. It then weighed 1.25kg. I measured 50 grms of Francos Organic cure, and decided to use 2 grms of smoked hickory powder. Unfortunately I was tapping the bag of hickory powder and ended up with nearer 3 grms. I decided to go with it and mixed them together and applied it to the loin. I removed it yesterday and washed and dried it and having had 24 hours in the fridge to dry out I had to try it this morning. It smelled exactly as I remember 'proper' smoked bacon and is equally delicious. despite my fears it is in no way overpowering, and I feel my accident with the weighing turned out as good fortune.

I have yet to try the smoked hickory powder in sausages.

Having said that, I have now learned that I must weigh ingredients seperately in the future. On saturday I tried some Bratwurst made using Francos mix. The mix was put into sheeps casings and linked at 8". I hot smoked them using Ash chippings and all those present commended them.
I shall definitely be doing them again.

Regards, Paul Kribs

by **deb** » Wed Aug 17, 2005 7:40 am

Paul, have you any idea how much that would be in terms of teaspoon measurement? I have a set of spoon measures that go down to one-eighth and much prefer to measure small ammounts this way rather than weighing.

Thanks.

by **Paul Kribs** » Wed Aug 17, 2005 7:57 am

deb

I don't possess any of those dedicated measuring spoons but have just used an ordinary teaspoon and a slightly rounded one of the smoked hickory powder weighed 2.7 grms... which was about what I inadvertantly used.

I don't think it would matter if you are slightly over or under, all depends on your personal preference. I was glad the powder was not as strong as I thought it might be, would have hated to waste that loin.

Regards, Paul Kribs

by **deb** » Wed Aug 17, 2005 5:16 pm

Cheers Paul, that's a great help.
As I said earlier in the thread I used the quoted ammount when I gave it a go and was dissapointed with the result. I'll have to try again soon.

by **Paul Kribs** » Wed Aug 17, 2005 5:24 pm

deb

As I say it is all a matter of personal taste. It appears I have had a happy accident which turned out well and I will use those guidelines in the future. If my better half says the bacon is beautiful then the bacon is beautiful. Seems a bit odd that it needed 6 times the recommended dose, as I say, personal taste.

You actually had me looking at measuring spoon sets on Ebay today.. I resisted. :wink:

Regards, Paul Kribs

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