Honey Cured Bacon Crusted with Chile Flakes and Black Pepper

[JerBear]

I had an extra belly sitting around and some friends who wanted some special bacon so this is what I put together for them. It tasted awesome and we can't get enough of it. I based the recipe of Rytek Kutas' Honey Cured Bacon from the book, Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing.

1 pork belly (approx 3-3.5 kg)
225 g kosher salt
25 g cure #1
2 cups honey
3 Tbl crushed chile flakes (approx)
40 grams black peppercorns, toasted and crushed to medium fine

I dredged the belly in the salt and cure then rubbed all over with the bacon. I cured the belly for 6 days, flipping it daily. After six days I rinsed the belly and hung it overnight after which I sprinkled it with the chile flakes and pepper, pressing the flakes and pepper into place (not rubbing). I then smoked the belly over a 70/30 blend of hickory/applewood for about 11 hrs.

I've got to tell you that this is one of the most awesome things that I've ever stuffed in my face. First you get the sweet from the honey, then the chile goes to work on your tongue with a sharp heat before the black pepper takes over with a little warmth and tickle in the back of your throat. It was so delicious I'm going to be starting another belly in the next few days.

Honey Curing



After Chile and pepper



After smoking and resting

[wheels]

That sure looks good.

Personally, I'd reduce the cure #1 to about 10gm for your 3.5kg meat.

Phil

[JerBear]

So i've been thinking about your response Phil and agree that I need to tighten up my salt and cure amounts. What is your reference point for the 10g just so in the future I have a solid stepping off point? I was reading in my Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages about calculating total cure to add for ground meats using this formula (based on US starndards of final nitrite ppm and US Cure #1):

ppm = (cure mix(g) x sodium nitrite in cure % x 1,000,000)/weight of meat

also expressed as (where n = total cure to add in weight):

n = (156 x 3181) / (0.0625 x 1,000,000)

where n = total cure to add in weight
156 = maximum allowable ppm
3181 g = my belly's weight in grams

That equation comes to a 7.9 grams

Thoughts?

[DanMcG]

In the States 120 ppm is the maximum allowed in commercial bacon, and it works for me.
It sure looks good!

[wheels]

Dan
I hesitate to question your post as you're in the US and I'm not - but isn't the 120PPM limit for immersion cured bacon? Unless it's changed the figure for skin-off dry cured bacon is 200ppm.

Jerbear
Your method of calculation was correct but I think that the max figure you worked to probably wasn't.

Dan/Jerbear
I calculated this as a dry cure - I guess it could be argued that the honey makes it wet - but my 'gut' feeling is to treat it as a dry cure?

The copy of the Inspector's handbook I have, says on page 28 (which for some bizarre reason is page 33 of the .pdf file):

...Dry Cured Bacon (rind-off): A maximum of 200 ppm of nitrite or equivalent of potassium nitrite (246 ppm) can be used in dry cured bacon. Note: the calculation method for nitrite in dry cured bacon is the same as that for nitrite in other dry cured products. Refer to pages 24-27.

It goes on to add:

Pumped, Massaged, Immersion Cured, or Dry Cured Bacon (rind-on): The maximum limit for ingoing nitrite and sodium ascorbate or sodium erythorbate must be adjusted if bacon is prepared from pork bellies with attached skin (rind-on). A pork belly's weight is comprised of approximately 10 percent skin. Since the skin retains practically no cure solution or cure agent, the maximum ingoing nitrite and sodium ascorbate or erythorbate limits must be reduced by 10 percent. For example, the maximum ingoing limit for nitrite and sodium ascorbate or erythorbate for pumped pork bellies with attached skin would be 108 ppm [120 ppm ! 12 ppm (120 × .10)] and 495 ppm [550 ppm ! 55 ppm (550 × .10)], respectively.

Given that Jerbear's bacon is skin-off I did the calculation just like you did Jerbear, but for 200PPM, with a meat weight between 3 and 3½kg - it's about 10gm!

I agree with you Dan, it doesn't actually need 200PPM - I too use less and cure to the EU max level of 150PPM - it's fine.

If the handbook's been revised, then my apologies in advance!

Phil

[JerBear]

Actually I think you're spot on Phil. I did the initial calculation based on the 156 ppm because it was all I could find in my reference. Further inspection led me to a different section of the book that specifially talks about bacon and gave the rate of 200 ppm for dry-cured rind off bacon. When I recalculated at that amount I also came up with 10 g (10.17 to be exact if I remember correctly but I don't think my scale is that specific )

I think that part of my problem (including a prior post on over-curing bacon) is my tendencies towards impatience. When I was talking about over-curing previously I was actually talking about over salting and the end results is that yes, you can oversalt the belly. And while salt is an integral part of the curing process in the future I'll have to refer to them separately as they should be. This next bellly I'm going to use a quantity of salt to equate to about 3.5% and the lower amount of cure #1 to get me to the 200 ppm and just leave it in the cure for longer. Part of what was rushing me to pull the bellies out of cure quicker was the concern on oversalting, however, if I've added a proper quantity of salt at the onset oversalting shouldn't be a concern.

And Phil, do you have a URL for the hendbook?

[NCPaul]

Here you go:

http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewtopic.php?t=1906

Try 2 - 2.5 % salt, I think you'll like it even better.

[JerBear]

awesome, thanks Phil!

[DanMcG]

Dan
I hesitate to question your post as you're in the US and I'm not - but isn't the 120PPM limit for immersion cured bacon? Unless it's changed the figure for skin-off dry cured bacon is 200ppm.

Dang I believe you're right Phil. it is 200ppm....
Thanks for the correction.

[DiggingDogFarm]

Keep in mind that the ppm numbers from "dry cured" in the handbook for bacon are for an extended curing/drying time.
156ppm is plenty for short term curing.

I agree that 2 to 2.5% salt is usually plenty!

Here's a universal cure calculator, as well as a weight units converter, that I set up with initial help from Phil.
Thanks Phil!

http://www.diggingdogfarm.com/page2.html

~Martin

[wheels]

Blimey, I'd forgotten about that!

FWIW, my standard cure that Mrs wheels and I eat occasionally 'cos we're on a diet, is here:

http://www.localfoodheroes.co.uk/?e=561

Phil

[JerBear]

I just started another belly which weighed 4320 g. I went ahead with 3% salt or 130g, 15g of pink salt, 2 cups of honey and for an experiment 0.2% (10g) phosphate. I've been hearing 2 days per lb but thats leading me to something like 18 days of curing. Seems a little long to me

[JerBear]

I just realized that I meant to ask for feedback at the end of my last posting. Does the 18 days curing time seem long. More recently I've been thinking about overhauling on day 6 and pulling the belly out of cure after 12 days. Thoughts?

[BriCan]

I just realized that I meant to ask for feedback at the end of my last posting. Does the 18 days curing time seem long. More recently I've been thinking about overhauling on day 6 and pulling the belly out of cure after 12 days. Thoughts?

I do my dry cures for four and six days My maple bacon fourteen but technically it is seven with a further seven with the maple sugar My immersion cures are between four and six days

HTH

[wheels]

Similar here. I do bellies for about 5 days, loins for about 7 days. This type of cure isn't time critical, but I wouldn't leave it 18 days.

Phil