Bacon

[kitchen-angel]

Hi everyone,

I have spent the morning on the forum, trying to do some research in curing my own bacon - I am still at a bit of a loss though, I'm afraid!.

If I were in the UK I would always buy back bacon, ( and ALWAYS Unsmoked!!) as I don't like streaky. What cut of pork should I buy then, from the butcher?

I don't want to make masses of the stuff as my fridge and freezer space can be quite limited ( I am living in Singapore, where EVERYTHING needs chilling). Can someone help/direct me in what to do via a simple recipe for a manageable amount of pork?

Thanks in anticipation!

Angela

[Wilf]

Hi Angela
Streaky bacon is the belly cured and back is from the loin, both of which you can but in any size pieces you like, we usually do a piece of about 1kg at a time, the back usually takes about a week to cure

[kitchen-angel]

Thanks.

So how do I go about curing say, a 1kg piece of loin?

[Paul Kribs]

kitchen-angel

It is preferable for you to remove the bones from the loin, or ask your butcher to do it for you.

The answer to your question is already posted on the forum, just click the link:-

http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewtopic.php?t=756&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

Loin is quite an expensive cut, collar is an alternative that is a bit cheaper. The collar is the roll of muscle just above the shoulder block.

Regards, Paul Kribs

[kitchen-angel]

Paul, thanks for your quick reply.

Read the thread you advised. Can I just check: Do I folllow the method procedure copied and pasted in that thread, and when it comes to the drying part, can I do this in the fridge as this place is stinking hot with high humidity?

Thanks

Angela

[Oddley]

Hi kitchen-angel

I've designed this cure for you, please follow the recipe and instructions precisely for you own safety.

Oddleys Quick bacon cure

1.3 kg meat (About 70% VL)
3.2 gm Cure #1 (6.25% Nitrite)
15 gm sea salt or rock salt
10 gm white sugar
0.5 gm Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C powder)

Method:

Rub the meat side with about 90% of the cure, making sure you get into all the crevices. Use the other 10% on the fat side. Put into a ziplock or similar bag, in the bottom of the fridge, 2 - 4 oC, turning every two days, for a least 2 days per inch of thickness + 2 days. When finished take out of bag wash in cold water, leave uncovered in the bottom of the fridge for about 2 days to dry out. Slice and enjoy.
**********************************************************

10 kg batch cure

32 gm Cure #1
150 gm Salt
100 gm Sugar
5 gm Ascorbic acid

Mix well before use.

Usage: 29 gm per 1 kg lean meat NOT FAT

If you are not sure about anything please ask.

[Paul Kribs]

kitchen-angel

For your information, the reference Oddley makes to 1.3 kg meat (About 70% VL) , the VL is Visual Lean. This is a percentage of 70% lean meat as opposed to fat (obviously 30%).. Just in case you didn't know.

Regards, Paul Kribs

[kitchen-angel]

Hi again,

Thank-you so much for the very concise instuctions. Having read posts throughout the forum I was getting a bit confused, and aware that there is an element of safety which must be considered ( am pregnant, so not my usual gung-ho self!).

will go and order all the dtuff I need now.

Thanks,

Ang

[kitchen-angel]

sorry,

thinking out aloud here,

How do I measure out quantities as small as 0.5g and 3.2g? Do I need to get special scales. Mine are electronic, but work in 5g increments.

[Paul Kribs]

kitchen-angel

Yes, you do need small caliber scales for accurate weighing of the cures. Have a browse on Ebay and do a search for 'scales'. Once bought they will last ages if looked after. Try to get a set with a calibration weight.
I bought mine from http://ukscales.com/shop/index.php?cPath=62_72

Regards, Paul Kribs

[kitchen-angel]

Thanks,

Am coming home in 2 weeks so I will get delivered there - Just to check that link took me to digital scales for �7.99. Will they do?

[Oddley]

Hi kitchen-angel

If you are planing to do any amount of curing it is really necessary to have accurate scales. As Paul has said.

As you can see in the recipe I have included a batch cure recipe with whole weights. This would probably be easier to make up. If you do please use at the prescribed rate, Also please make sure you mix the ingredients thoroughly before using.

[Paul Kribs]

kitchen-angel

Those �7.99 scales are the ones that I use and I have had no problems at all with them.

Regards, Paul Kribs

[aris]

I got this one:

http://ukscales.com/shop/product_info.p ... ucts_id=29

It is accurate to .1g (which is enough for this kind of work), which has a stainless steel (i.e. cleanable) plate, plus it uses standard AAA batteries. Some of the other models use a button cell which can be a pain in the arse (and expensive) to replace.

[howesm]

Kitchen-Angel,

I struggled for some time to make convincing bacon. I tried a number of receipes all with the basic ingredients of salt and sugar, but the end product still looked and tasted like pork.

I expressed my disappointment on this forum and someone suggested I buy the traditional bacon cure and use this. So I did and now I make excellent bacon. The fact sheet I received with the cure suggests using 30g/kg of meat. I bought a small set of scales in 5g increments and this does the job.

As I said, the bacon is better than the bought stuff. I tend to buy a decent piece of boned and skined loin from my farm butcher, which generally costs me around �15 for about a 2kg slab. I sometimes smoke it for half a day after it has been cured. Tastes even better.

What I would recommend is buying a proper meat slicer, an electric one. I managed to pick one up at a jumble sale, only used a couple of times. e-bay sells the professional ones but they go for a lot of money. It means that I can slice it as thick or as thin as I need.

Good luck