The Quest for Real Bacon

[wheels]

From Ramsay’s web site http://www.ramsayofcarluke.co.uk/ayrshi ... n-c-1.html

Ayrshire-cured Bacon
The Ramsay family has been making Ayrshire bacon for well over 150 years. Ayrshire is the traditional Scottish cure that takes skinless and boneless sides of outdoor-reared pork and slowly cures them in a vat to give it an exceptional flavour.

Ayrshire bacon is matured slowly to let the natural flavours develop, and because we don't add water or additives, our bacon won’t shrink away in the pan and will crisp up beautifully. So if you value good traditional produce you owe it to yourself to give our bacon a try.

Because I have not see the show nor can I find a write up (BBC) on it, it makes me ponder as they have been doing it for over 150 years the traditional way why would they inject with a brine solution

Note what I have highlighted

Tee-hee, they fooled you as well did they. Read it, they don't add water or additives to the bacon. But see the 'History' page, they:

Established in 1857 as a natural offshoot of our farming interest, the growth in the early 1900’s within the bacon curing business resulted in our great grandfather moving to new premises on Carluke’s historic Kirkton Estate.

Boneless and rindless sides of bacon are cured in large vats of old fashioned pickle made to our forefather’s recipe. Our bacon has no added water and after curing the sides are left to mature before being divided into the traditional Ayrshire cuts.

Note the bit I've made bold. I think that it's what they call a clever use of words. Beyond me I'm afraid, but not exactly clear!

Phil

[BriCan]

From Ramsay’s web site http://www.ramsayofcarluke.co.uk/ayrshi ... n-c-1.html

Ayrshire-cured Bacon
Ayrshire bacon is matured slowly to let the natural flavours develop, and because we don't add water or additives, our bacon won’t shrink away in the pan and will crisp up beautifully. So if you value good traditional produce you owe it to yourself to give our bacon a try.

Because I have not see the show nor can I find a write up (BBC) on it, it makes me ponder as they have been doing it for over 150 years the traditional way why would they inject with a brine solution

Note what I have highlighted

Tee-hee, they fooled you as well did they. Read it, they don't add water or additives to the bacon.

Old on sunshine you said the following up there ^

Yes, I believe that Ramsay's method is something like that. In fact, I'm sure that on a UK TV Programme (Rick Stein?) that it showed them injecting the eye of the loins.

But see the 'History' page, they:

Established in 1857 as a natural offshoot of our farming interest, the growth in the early 1900’s within the bacon curing business resulted in our great grandfather moving to new premises on Carluke’s historic Kirkton Estate.

Boneless and rindless sides of bacon are cured in large vats of old fashioned pickle made to our forefather’s recipe. Our bacon has no added water and after curing the sides are left to mature before being divided into the traditional Ayrshire cuts.

Note the bit I've made bold. I think that it's what they call a clever use of words. Beyond me I'm afraid, but not exactly clear!

Phil

The Wiltshire bacon I do I do not add water to my loins (that don't sound right ) but like the discussion with Jim (Immersion curing) water, salt and cure migrate into the meat, when hanging maturing/curing/drying liquid evaporates from the product. If matured proper like then weight can drop at least 10% below start weight so in fact no water/liquid has been added

Ain't curing smashing

[Yannis]

Many thanks for sharing this !!!!!

[tommix]

Turbinado sugar is made by evaporating cane juice, demerara by boiling it.

Bit like the difference between smoke and smoke liquid

So Turbinado is a much more natural product, but not easily obtained in the UK. For our purposes I think you can substitute demerara for turbinado.

Thanks saucisson for the info about the sugar.

Tim

[poundofslingers]

I would think you can use any brown sugar you want to, the darker the better I find. I have used dark brown muscavado in my recipes.
I once found an online butcher here in the UK selling 'Black bacon' cured with ale and molasses. I can do that I thought. This is what I did to sell in my shop.
A piece of dry cured rindless back about ten inches long, 3 - 4 lb, put into a vacuum bag with a can of Irish stout and half a tin of black treacle. Seal without vacuum and leave to marinade for 7 - 10 days in chiller, turning daily as the treacle dissolves in the beer, and the bacon turns black. 3 or 4 days drying and it is ready to slice.
The other half tin of treacle wasn't wasted, I substituted sweet cider for the stout and made a sweeter cure bacon as well.
Both very tasty in a sarnie.
Flavour wise I prefered the cider version although it was outsold by the stout version threefold over the counter. Must be a boozy lot in Grantham

Mike

[wheels]

Old on sunshine you said the following up there ^

Yes, I believe that Ramsay's method is something like that. In fact, I'm sure that on a UK TV Programme (Rick Stein?) that it showed them injecting the eye of the loins.

The Wiltshire bacon I do I do not add water to my loins (that don't sound right ) but like the discussion with Jim (Immersion curing) water, salt and cure migrate into the meat, when hanging maturing/curing/drying liquid evaporates from the product. If matured proper like then weight can drop at least 10% below start weight so in fact no water/liquid has been added

Ain't curing smashing

Nah, I'm not suggesting for a minute that you are.

What I'm saying is that they (Ramsay's) seem to treat the addition of brine as 'not adding' water as long as there's no phosphate? (Ignore the injection bit, I may be mistaken - but I'm 99% sure they did!).

As you rightly say, the bacon can be dried post-brine and have less water than it started with, but the market seems to ignore that fact. With this in mind, I think that the wording on Ramsay's site has been carefully chosen to 'almost' give the impression that it is dry cured, presumably because dry cured is flavour of the month at present. The chef's and journo's mantra is dry cure, dry cure.

Phil

[saucisson]

A good concentrated brine will draw water out from the meat fibres, so you can brine and even inject, without "adding" water when you do the final water content calculations. Presumably?

[NCPaul]

What was the weight of the meat? The step by step photos are really helpful and I can't wait to see the finished product.

[BriCan]

What was the weight of the meat?

Boneless, ready on the table as Tom saw it was 10.015 kg

The step by step photos are really helpful and I can't wait to see the finished product.

Between the cutting of the carcase (pork) plus the prep work on the middle - spicing - the stuffed pork chops that I made I'm up to about 160 shots, I feel it is another record (as well as the paper trail) of what/how I have done things.

Written word is one thing and most are happy with it, myself I need more detail and find photos/pictures a lot more help.

There's another five days to go (curing/maturing ) then take a flat piece of wood and beat the meat -- well that's what it says then season, roll and hang for another week

The agony of waiting

[Gray Goat]

Great post BriCan, a real eye opener, thanks

[DanMcG]

hey Robert, are these still curing ? Would love to see and hear an update.

[Vindii]

hey Robert, are these still curing ? Would love to see and hear an update.

Or better yet I'll send you my address and you could send some samples!

[BriCan]

hey Robert, are these still curing ? Would love to see and hear an update.

Would you believe me if I told you I binned it

[BriCan]

hey Robert, are these still curing ? Would love to see and hear an update.

Or better yet I'll send you my address and you could send some samples!

Send on kind sir, I am only following said instructions given to me by Wheel's e'sed I ad tue heducate my North American friends

Two down and ow many millions tu go

[wheels]

Ya get worse!