Bacon didn't cure right through.

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Bacon didn't cure right through.

Postby Shalloy46 » Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:19 am

I recently cured a 2 kg slab of pork belly following a recipe I found online.

After 7 days I smoked it but when I cut it up it wasn't cured in the middle. The recipe said 7 days as do many I've seen online but should I have let it go in the fridge for 14 or even 21 days perhaps? Or should I have cut it in half and cured 2 X11 kg slabs separately instead?

How do you know if it's cured right through?

I probably sliced up more than half of it before realising it hadn't cured in the middle. U.S. There anything I can do with these sliced pieces? Also I have an approximate 250-300 gram chunk left. Am I able to cure thus piece again for another 7 days and re smoke it?

Thanks in advance.
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Re: Bacon didn't cure right through.

Postby NCPaul » Sun Aug 30, 2015 11:21 am

What was the cure recipe?
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Re: Bacon didn't cure right through.

Postby Shalloy46 » Sun Aug 30, 2015 12:13 pm

The recipe was

Cure #1
Salt
Brown sugar
Maple syrup
Black pepper.

The cure#1 I brought was only 1.25% nitrite but I used a meat calculator that allows you to put in the % of nitrites from your cure and meat weight and it automatically adjusts the amount of cure#1 and reduces the salt amount accordingly to compensate for the fact that your cure is 98.75% salt and only 1.25% nitrite.

I haven't got the recipe on me at the moment but I think I used about 32 grams of cure and 9 grams of salt for around 1987 grams of belly.
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Re: Bacon didn't cure right through.

Postby DanMcG » Sun Aug 30, 2015 6:07 pm

7 days should work for the average belly, unless it was abnormally thick or fatty. I'm pretty rusty at calculating cures but yours sounds alright. if it's cured but just not in the middle its probably a time issue.
I'm not sure if this will work but maybe vac seal it and let it equalize for a week in the frig.
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Re: Bacon didn't cure right through.

Postby Shalloy46 » Mon Aug 31, 2015 9:36 am

I'm out of vac seal bags. So I'm roasting the slab I've got and freezing the rashers that Ive already sliced. I will fry them up another time.

Next time I think I will cut the belly in half and just do 2 X11 kg pieces instead. And maybe for two weeks instead just to be sure.
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Re: Bacon didn't cure right through.

Postby Shalloy46 » Mon Aug 31, 2015 10:19 am

I roasted the slab I had left and sliced it up and I have to say it actually looks cured to me. And man does it taste good.

Image
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Re: Bacon didn't cure right through.

Postby NCPaul » Mon Aug 31, 2015 11:20 am

Looks cured to me. :D Give it a few more days with the cure next time to be sure, this will also help the salt to even out in the meat.
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Re: Bacon didn't cure right through.

Postby Shalloy46 » Mon Aug 31, 2015 9:05 pm

I think I was expecting it all to look like the edges did which is similar to store brought bacon. But I suppose they inject it with brine so its the same all over. Ive frozen the rashers I cut off so I can fry them up another time.

Man that pork belly I ate last night tasted good.
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