Finally I've finished the cure from Franco, and I went to collect "Charles" (or rather his left half), yesterday, so on Tuesday when I cure the belly, I shall be using my own cure.
This is what I've mixed up, and I'd appreciate any comments - "looks OK" "watch out for ..." and so on. When I've finished the curing process, I shall fridge dry to form the pellicle and then smoke using the Probbq c.s.g. (for the first time. ) I noticed that Phil smokes for two complete runs, but I will try it out with one, because after tasting, I can always smoke a second time, or brush with liquid smoke, but can't take it away of it's too smoky for my taste.
Ian's First Bacon Recipe.
125 g of 0.6% nitrited salt
100 g pale muscovado sugar
100 grinds of black pepper
1/4 tsp (=1.25g) saltpetre
I will be using this at 4.5% = 45 g/kg.
Method.
Skin, debone and then weigh meat, calculate weight of cure at the rate of 45 g per kg. Rub cure well into meat, approx 60% meat side, 40% fat side. Vac pac, measure thickness and then cure in fridge for 1 day per cm plus 2 days.
Remove from pack. Rinse in cold water, dry & store in fridge uncovered on a rack till pellicle forms (c 1-3 days).
Smoke over oak dust in Pro BBQ C.S.G. 1 fill (10 hours) at ambiant temp.
Calculations.
My nitrited salt contains 0.6% sodium nitrite. If rubbing with finished cure at 4.5 % that's 2.5% salt or 25 g/kg So I will have 6*25/1000 g of sodium nitrite.. This is 0.150 g = 150 ppm ingoing nitrite.
Saltpetre. Weight used per kilo will be 1.25*45/225 = 0.25 g = 250ppm ingoing potassium nitrate. (I've ignored as insignificant the added weight of pepper and saltpetre when calculating the total starting weight of mix).