How long to cure bacon for

Air dried cured Meat Techniques

How long to cure bacon for

Postby aris » Fri Sep 24, 2004 8:35 am

Is there a general rule of thumb one uses to know how long you should dry-cure particular pieces of meat?

I recently did a 1.3kg belly - and cured for 4 days. It tasted ok - but I was wondering what would happen if I cured it for longer - say 5 or 6 days. Would it just get saltier, or would the flavours get more intense?

If I had a larger piece of meat - say whole loin - would I need to cure longer? How do I know how long? Is it based on the thickness, or on the weight, or a combination of both?
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Postby Fatman » Fri Sep 24, 2004 12:00 pm

Aris

Sometimes I think the answers you are looking for are in your questions!

Also these answers are best achieved by experimenting, as then the answer will be your own and not someone elses.

Sorry, If I sound like a school teacher.

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Postby aris » Fri Sep 24, 2004 1:34 pm

Sure I could experiment, but if someone else has been there before - why not use their experience too? That's the whole point of this message board isn't it? To share experiences?
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Postby aris » Fri Sep 24, 2004 3:26 pm

Perhaps I shouldn't post this and let you all figure it out by experimenting, but here you go:

http://osuextra.okstate.edu/pdfs/F-3994web.pdf
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Postby Fatman » Fri Sep 24, 2004 4:50 pm

Aris

My response was only meant to encourage you to experiment for yourself, if I have offended you, then I am sorry it was not my intention.

Regards

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Postby aris » Fri Sep 24, 2004 6:39 pm

Hi Fatman,

Believe me, i'm pretty thick skinned - no offence taken. I'm just trying to get the ball rolling on this message board. Message boards are only as good as the people who contribute.

Franco - you need to contribute a bit more! I've posted loads of questions, but had no replies. After all - this message board is here to help with your sales on sausagemaking.org isn't it?
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forum

Postby Franco » Fri Sep 24, 2004 6:58 pm

I would love to get involved more in the forum, I set up the website as a bit of fun because I love sausage making, I just don't have time to spend all day on this forum. I run another business full time www.chesterfields.info and the sausage site is my hobby. I answer over 50 emails a day and take over 100 phone calls, is there anything specific you want answering?


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Postby aris » Fri Sep 24, 2004 9:10 pm

When are you going to put the vacuum bags online - i'm curious to know what the prices are before I purchase.

What plate sizes come with your mincers?

What is the difference between the different size mincers - i.e. 12/22/32 - is tha the size/diameter of the plate? Do the different size mincers have a different sized throats accepting larger pieces of meat?

Thanks,

Aris
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Postby aris » Mon Sep 27, 2004 6:33 pm

Any answers?

Thanks,

Aris
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bags etc.

Postby Franco » Mon Sep 27, 2004 7:04 pm

The bags will be online later this evening, these are the sizes of the throats of the various sizes of mincer plate:








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Postby aris » Mon Sep 27, 2004 9:01 pm

I see you've taken the size 32 mince off the website.

So if I were to purchase a size 22 mincer, how many and what size of plate would I get with it?
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Dry Curing times

Postby Parson Snows » Mon Dec 06, 2004 6:16 pm

As a general rule of thumb for dry curing use the information below

Cure at between 36 �F to 40 �F (2 �C to 4 �C) for the maximum of
a) 1.5 days per pound (450 g) of weight or
b) 7 days per inch (2.5 cm) of thickness taken at the thickest point of the cut

Hope that this is of some use to you

kind regards

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Heavenly Father Bless us
And keep us all alive
There's ten around the table
And food enough for five... Amen
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How Long to Cure Bacon For

Postby raydon » Mon Dec 06, 2004 8:33 pm

Parson Snows

I think your figures may be out a bit
I have a 920gram loin which is 2.5 in thick according to your a) answer the time in salt is 3 days and your b) answer it would be 17.5 days that's quite a difference. I actually did mine for 7 days which is 1/2 in per day plus 2 days and it was perfect

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Postby aris » Mon Dec 06, 2004 8:53 pm

Instructions i've seen say 1 day per half inch.
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