Need Advice on My Bacon

Vicki, I use a food grade plastic sack to put my bacon in while brining. I turn it over twice daily. I do not open the bag until I am ready to smoke the bacon. I try for 37-39 degrees, I have never tried 34.
After 5 or 6 days there will be quite a bit of moisture that has been drawn out of the bacon, this is what firms up the bacon. Do you have moisture that is being pulled out?

Bill

Bill, I have cut up the 17 lbs into two long strips, then cut each strip into 3 smaller slabs. Figure they would be perfect portions for my family of 5, plus guests, etc....

I put each section into its own freezer plastic bag and sealed as much air out as possible just with my hands. Then I put each plastic bag on top of each other into a food grade plastic bin I purchased at Restaurant Depot, easier to handle and catches any mess, but so far everything has gone by the book except for my fridge temp being a little colder.

They each have released at least 2 tblsps of liquid and I turn them everyday.

I really think that cold temp was hindering the process a bit. It is 9 days now and I am gonna smoke them tomorrow. I have also had no time this week so far, so sitting wont hurt them.

Does that sound right to you?

Thanks for the response, Vicki

Vicki, If the bacon has not firmed up, you may have not used enough of the instacure. I think that most people put too much sugar on their sugar cures. I usually use tenderquick which has sugar in it and I do not add any additional sugar. You want the bacon to firm up because it means that the moisture is coming out and the cure is working. If they are not firm, then I would be tempted to wash off the rub you have now, dry, and coat with instacure until tomorrow. Maybe try it on one or two packages and see if it helps for next time. Rinse the bacon, not soak, before smoking. Smoke with the vents open and go slow so the moisture will be taken out. I like cherry wood for bacon and hams, gives it a better color. I usually leave the bacon as large as I can handle and after smoking, cool off in the frige for day and then slice or package in smaller parcels. Do not panic, 9 days is not too many days. hope that helps.

Yes it helps. I am glad 9 is not too many. I will try what you said tomorrow morning when I have time. I followed the instructions to the t. They say to make their basic cure in a larger batch (I will use it again). 1 lb kosher salt, 8 oz sugar and 2 oz instacure. you then add brown sugar later to the bacon while rubbing the cure all over it. (I paraphrased). It said about 1/4 cup to the 3-5lb belly. I had 17lbs cut into 6 even sections, all just under 3lbs each. I was assuming 2tlbs of cure for each piece would be okay.

quote:

Originally posted by Vicki B:
Yes it helps. I am glad 9 is not too many. I will try what you said tomorrow morning when I have time. I followed the instructions to the t. They say to make their basic cure in a larger batch (I will use it again). 1 lb kosher salt, 8 oz sugar and 2 oz instacure. you then add brown sugar later to the bacon while rubbing the cure all over it. (I paraphrased). It said about 1/4 cup to the 3-5lb belly. I had 17lbs cut into 6 even sections, all just under 3lbs each. I was assuming 2tlbs of cure for each piece would be okay.

Vicki - I just reread this and noticed that you're using 2 tbs (6 tsp) of cure on pieces of meat a little under 3 lbs each. Is that correct?

Standard recommended usage is 1 level tsp per 5 lbs of meat. Most packaging that the cure comes in will state this. Check yours.

As I see it, in effect you're using the equivalent of 10 tsp per 5 lbs, 10 times the recommended amount. Unless I've missed something altogether, or you had a typo, that seems pretty excessive.

If you're following the cure recipe from Ruhlman and Polcyn's book "Charcuterie" then I understand the situation. I've had the same book since day 1, and many have criticized the recommended cure usage amounts. Around a year ago, on Ruhlman's blog, I questioned his recommended usage, and he responded by stating that it was Polcyn's recipe, not his. He also said that they were reviewing the recommended amounts and probably revise them in a later edition of "Charcuterie".

Good luck.

Yes, I make their basic rub then work from that. I don't use all of it. I make sure the rub with salt sugar and instacure is mixed evenly well before using so I am not actually using all that instacure on 17 lbs of bacon. I would definately use only 1 tsp per 5 lbs of meat in any other situation. The 2 TBS on each piece is the already mixed cure.

Vicki - Have you smoked your bacon yet? I have never used the instacure,I have always used the morton tenderquick. The tenderquick is complete cure, it sounds like the instacure has to have the salt and sugar added. I was lost some on the amount of the mixture you applied to each of your slabs. Maybe you did not get enough on, I would have put a heavy coating on each slab from the start. Also you mentioned to rub the bacon with brown sugar before smoking, I usually rinse off the outside, dry and then smoke, you might try some that way. The problem with too much sugar is the sugar will get dark when frying. If the grease after cooking is not a nice off white color then the sugar level was too high. When curing the salt will bring out the moisture and the sugar is used to a minimum to offset the salt taste. The sodium nitrates and potassium nitrites are used to inhibit growth of bacteria, contributes to the flavor and color while retarding rancidity. I do add one thing to the cure which I forgot, Garlic, have to have garlic on all meats :-).

KS Q, I just rinsed off all the bacon (a light rinse), patted it dry and placed it back into the Cambro container without the individual zip locs. I covered the container with its top and placed it back in the fridge until tomorrow morning at which time I will begin the smoking. I would love to have the drying affect, but I dont have the space to lay each one out flat fridged. I will forgo the pellicule, sp? and just smoke. I wonder if I had enough cure as well...But I am only gonna keep out one slab at a time and the rest will be vacuum packed and frozen sliced up.

If it turned out that the cure was not enough what will have been the greatest sacrifice? Taste, appearance, safety??? Oh, next time I will try some individual flavors since I put each one in its own baggie anyway. We love garlic

Thanks, Vicki

Vicki, The lack of cure will affect the taste more than anything else. Your bacon is not that old for the temps you used to be unsafe. I smoke my bacon slow with the vents open to dry it out and bring it to 160 internal, refrigerate down to temp and slice. But I am not sure you can wait that long to slice, the news slicer sure looked like a nice. Have fun.

Bacon smoked to 150 with pecan and apple. Two pieces in fridge, 4 vac packed and in freezer. Will be slicing it on the slicer tomorrow morn for bkfst. Will post some pics and taste test results tomorrow.