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old style bacon

PostPosted: Fri Jun 17, 2005 8:17 pm
by grant
Hi all,
Can anybody tell me how I can produce bacon like it used to be i.e. with a brownish/fawn colour and a pleasant 'musty' smell (in the nicest sense of the word) It used to be hard and stiff ? when it was in the piece and the fat also had a good colour and fabulous taste.
I have tried Franco's sweet cure but was a bit dissapointed. After the cure, it was the same as it went into the cure (looked like fresh pork) and also had no discernable odour. The flavour was OK but it just tasted like sweet pork to me!
I guess I am looking at 'salt' cure for my desired effect but I don't want it to be too salty to the taste.
I would be most gratefull if someone could give me some pointers.

Regards,

Grant.

PostPosted: Fri Jun 17, 2005 8:46 pm
by Oddley
grant if you want bacon like it used to be, you will have to do it by the old method. The link below gives a maynard Davis recipe a renowned curer.

http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewtopic.php?t=376

I have found Franco's traditional cure to be quite acceptable.

PostPosted: Fri Jun 17, 2005 8:50 pm
by Shaun
I would asume the longer you leave it in the cure. The more brownish/fawn and musty it will become. I left a belly in smoke cure for three weeks, and boy that tasted good, just like the good old days :)

PostPosted: Fri Jun 17, 2005 8:55 pm
by aris
I suspect that if the bacon was brown/fawn - then it was probably smoked too. Being "stiff as a board" means it was well hung and very dry.