First time (saltpetre) bacon curing and a bit nervous!

[jenny_haddow]

I use a small Kenwood electric meat slicer, which seems to cut through it well, even rind on. It has a serrated blade though which helps I think. I paid just under �30 for it.

Cheers

Jen

[Smokin in Korea]

Hi CrispyBacon,
I am not sure which state you are in but we have a business called Master Butchers Limited in Perth who supply most of the local butchers with there curing products. perhaps you may have a similar Wholesale shop where you are or maybe you could get to know your local butcher better and ask him.
If you still have no luck let me know.

[Crispybacon]

I am not sure which state you are in but we have a business called Master Butchers Limited in Perth who supply most of the local butchers with there curing products. perhaps you may have a similar Wholesale shop where you are or maybe you could get to know your local butcher better and ask him.
If you still have no luck let me know.

Hi Smokin in Korea

Are you a West Aussie living in South Korea?

I am in Perth and MBL is where I got my saltpetre from and also where I saw the flossy salt. The first time I went there I think they were only just setting up their new premises but when I returned they had much more stock on the shelves. From what I could see they have lots of different sausage premixes (spices and rusk?) and casings etc. but not premixes for curing things like ham and bacon.

The second time I was there I did notice that they had big tubs of Prague Powder but it was labeled 2 X NN (from memory) and I didn�t really know what it was for. From what I�ve read on this site, most Prague powders are labeled #1 and #2 and each one has a specific application. I haven�t done much research on PP�s yet��..there�s so much to learn!

[wittdog]

I am not sure which state you are in but we have a business called Master Butchers Limited in Perth who supply most of the local butchers with there curing products. perhaps you may have a similar Wholesale shop where you are or maybe you could get to know your local butcher better and ask him.
If you still have no luck let me know.

Hi Smokin in Korea

Are you a West Aussie living in South Korea?

I am in Perth and MBL is where I got my saltpetre from and also where I saw the flossy salt. The first time I went there I think they were only just setting up their new premises but when I returned they had much more stock on the shelves. From what I could see they have lots of different sausage premixes (spices and rusk?) and casings etc. but not premixes for curing things like ham and bacon.

The second time I was there I did notice that they had big tubs of Prague Powder but it was labeled 2 X NN (from memory) and I didn�t really know what it was for. From what I�ve read on this site, most Prague powders are labeled #1 and #2 and each one has a specific application. I haven�t done much research on PP�s yet��..there�s so much to learn!

Typically Prague Powder 1 is used on meats that are cured and then smoked...Prague Powder 2 is like a time relase cold capsule and used on meats that are dry cured and aged..

[Smokin in Korea]

Hi Crispybacon,
I am currently into a 3 year contract here in Korea and my home base is around the Freo area.
There is certainly a lot to learn not only on the curing side of things but also on the smoking as well I have done a few cures such as Bacon, Ham, Sausages and Lox Salmon and all have turned out very well.
I am sure you will find a lot of helpfull people on this site who can offer youhelp as well as some good recipes but I think the most important part is to follow the recommended cure weights and times and you should not go wrong.
My efforts have been well received by the locals here and some of them are placing orders so I must be doing something right. HaHa
If you have any troubles with getting your cures you could try ringing my local butcher in Spearwood (Malones Butchers 94341878) and ask for Murray as he has given me some good advice and has also offered to get some cures for me when I head home in September.
Good Luck and let me know if I can help.

[Smokin in Korea]

PS Master Butchers also supply flavourings which you can add to the PP's but I am sure Murray will give you the run down.

[Crispybacon]

I am currently into a 3 year contract here in Korea and my home base is around the Freo area.

My brother lives in South Freo.

If you have any troubles with getting your cures you could try ringing my local butcher in Spearwood (Malones Butchers 94341878) and ask for Murray as he has given me some good advice and has also offered to get some cures for me when I head home in September.
Good Luck and let me know if I can help.

Thanks Smokin

I�ll keep Murray in mind if I need some one-on-one advice. So far I haven�t had much luck talking to butchers. Every single one I�ve asked about bacon can�t give me any advice as they all send their pork off to be cured in a factory. The most disturbing thing is that they don't seem to have any idea on how bacon is even made!

[Smokin in Korea]

Your comments about butchers and Bacon do not surprise me as most of the product we get in Perth is all mass produced and pumped full of goodies (NOT).
I am also south of Freo.
Please do not tell me he is a Dockers supporter.
Keep Murray in mind as he is very knowledgeable and will help where possible.
Good luck with your first batch and look forward to seeing your pictures.

[Crispybacon]

Please do not tell me he is a Dockers supporter.

No � he�s a dedicated Eagles supporter. I'm waiting for cricket season to start!

[Crispybacon]

Well my first piece of bacon is now finished. When I took it out of the vacuum bag there was no liquid to pour out. Would that be because the vacuum forced the liquid to stay in the meat? It was a nice pink colour and smelled okay so I rinsed and dried it off and wrapped it in a clean tea towel to be left for two more days in the fridge. The belly weighed 45g more than it did when I started. As I don�t have a meat slicer, slicing off my first piece was a real challenge. I ended up with a thickish misshapen piece to try. It tasted very nice when cooked � a little bit porkier than I�m used to but I think a thinner slice would probably taste less porky. The level of sweet was just right which surprised me a little as I was expecting that part to be overpowering to my taste.

I have a couple of questions. As my other half is away for another couple of weeks I was wondering if I could leave the whole piece intact in the fridge until he gets back? How long could I realistically keep a piece (left whole)? If I continue to make my own bacon in the future I will probably slice the whole piece up, vacuum pack and freeze.

And now a really dumb question � how do I know if it worked? If it tastes like bacon, looks like bacon and smells like bacon does that mean it�s bacon?

My question is coming from a safety perspective as to how you know that the preservation factor worked and it�s not riddled with nasties?

[saucisson]

I have a couple of questions. As my other half is away for another couple of weeks I was wondering if I could leave the whole piece intact in the fridge until he gets back? How long could I realistically keep a piece (left whole)? If I continue to make my own bacon in the future I will probably slice the whole piece up, vacuum pack and freeze.

And now a really dumb question � how do I know if it worked? If it tastes like bacon, looks like bacon and smells like bacon does that mean it�s bacon?

My question is coming from a safety perspective as to how you know that the preservation factor worked and it�s not riddled with nasties?

I'll answer these in reverse order:)
If it tastes like bacon, looks like bacon and smells like bacon does that mean it�s bacon? Look at it first, if it looks like bacon it probably is. If it is grey then the nitrate might not have worked and you have salted pork. If it is slimy and/or green the preservation has failed, see next point. Second smell it, if it smells like bacon it probably is. If it smells at all off it probably is, sling it. Finally and only if it passes the above 2 tests, taste it. If it tastes like bacon, congtratulations and welcome to succcessful bacon making.

Once happy you have bacon you can wrap it in greaseproof paper and keep it for ages in the fridge. It will gradually dry out and become progressively more like shoe leather but as long as it passes the smell test you should be OK. It may develop a white powdery coating like a salami, this is OK. If it starts going slimy or furry then bin it.

Hope this helps, please step in anyone if I have got anything wrong.

Dave

[Crispybacon]

Thanks Dave, I really appreciate the time you guys put in to answering my questions. I've wrapped my bacon in greaseproof paper and will see how it fares. I don't mind if it goes a bit dry - I like jerky!

[Smokin in Korea]

Hi Crispybacon,
Glad to hear you have had a satisfactory result for your first attempt and you should be well on your way to other adventures, Try and post some pics when you get chance.
I am currently trying my first leg ham so I am waiting with baited breath to see how it turns out.
Have you had anymore luck on finding a local supplier of cures??

[Crispybacon]

Hi Crispybacon,
Glad to hear you have had a satisfactory result for your first attempt and you should be well on your way to other adventures, Try and post some pics when you get chance.

Unfortunately I can�t take photos as my husband is away and he has the camera. By the time he gets back it may not be in a fit state to photograph.

I am currently trying my first leg ham so I am waiting with baited breath to see how it turns out.
Have you had anymore luck on finding a local supplier of cures??

Only what�s mentioned in this thread:

http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewtopic.php?t=2066

I�ll stick with saltpetre for now until I have a better understanding of what I�m doing. I�m not sure how much bacon I�ll do in the future. We eat bacon for breakfast about six days a week and I�m not sure I could keep up the supply without investing in a heavy duty slicer and more fridge/freezer space. I really wanted to just try it and see how good the homemade product is. Frankly if I have to slice it with a knife like I have been doing I think I�d skip breakfast altogether.

I put my first boned leg of pork into brine yesterday. I followed Dougal�s method here:

http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewtopic.php?t=1990

Can�t wait to see how this turns out. If I can make a decent ham I�ll be thrilled to bits.

[Smokin in Korea]

Hi Crispybacon,
I know what you mean about slicing the bacon, I put up with the knife for a while and then invested in slicer.
I am also getting some help from Dougal and Oddley on making my ham
and you might find some interesting tips in their comments in the thread I started.
The thread is listed under the Cooking in General section of the main Forum and the topic is Ham questions.

Anyway good luck with all of your experiments and look forward to reading more of your results.

GO THE EAGLES



MY HAM