Maple Syrup bacon

[aris]

Thanks to Franco's fantastic bacon cure, my family is totally hooked on home-made bacon. We had some of the shop bought stuff yesterday, and it was disgusting in comparison. Never again!

So, now i'd like to experiment with some flavours. If I wanted to add a maple syrup flavour, when would be the best time to do this? After rubbing in the cure (which already contains demerrara sugar), or after the cure is complete and i've washed the bacon of any excess cure?

Has anyone got any other suggestions? I've heard that juniper berries are a popular flavouring.

[Franco]

Aris, I sometimes add spices to the cure, my favourite is a mixture of ground coriander seed, ginger and sage. I put around 10 grammes of each with 500 grammes of dry cure.


Franco

[aris]

Franco,

If I wanted to mix my own bacon cure, what would I use? Cure #1 or #2? I'm thinking that I can mix it with maple syrup to give a different flavour.

[Franco]

Aris, You should use cure 2 at a rate of around 10 grammes per 4.5 kilos of meat, this should not be applied directly to the meat but mixed with salt, sugar and any other spices.

I must add that it is never recommended that you mix your own cure from nitrates and should always use a premixed cure and then add your own flavours.

Franco

[aris]

Hi Franco,

I'm not sure what you mean by 10g of cure#2 per kilo per 4.5 kilos of meat. Can you explain?

By a pre-mixed cure - do you mean a prague cure which is pre-mixed with salt?

It is my own flavours i'd like to add - just not demerrara sugar.