Curing bacon question - piercing the meat


 

Ed Jones

TVWBB Pro
I just put 18 pounds of belly in the fridge to cure for 7-10 days using the cure in "Mastering the Craft of Smoking Food" by Warren R. Anderson. This isn't my first time making bacon, but it is the first time I got the idea to use my bear claws and make a lot of piercings in the meat. I figured it would help distribute the cure better. After I did that, I realized I may have just screwed up my cure timing.

The slabs were about 1.5" thick and there is a hole every half inch or so on both sides of the slabs. I cut each slab into 3 rectangles. There are 9 pounds of belly in each 2 gallon plastic bag.

Does anyone have any thoughts on how long I should cure these? Do I stick with my 7-10 day plan or do I need to reduce the cure time?

Thanks!
 
After a week it should be OK. You can usually tell by the colour and firmness. For the record don'\t poke holes in it again.
 
The (one) time i made back bacon (5" diameter loin) I didn't poke it and it turned out perfectly cured throughout.

No need to add holes as the cure penetrates without your help;)
 
Ok. Lesson learned :) The last time I didn't poke the holes either. I don't know what came over me today. Now I'm worried it may sit too long in the cure before I can smoke it. The good news, at least, is that I can get fresh pork belly easily in Columbus so I can do-over if needed.

Thanks!
 
Ed,
I've never poked holes, but do not see what possible harm they could do.
Maybe cure a little faster, but it shouldn't cause an over-cure problem.
Just be sure to rinse very well.
 
As long as the ratio of salt and meat is correct, it is not possible to "overcure", holes or not.
There is no reason to punch holes in the meat, as long as you have the time needed to let the process progress in a natural way.

If you are talking about industrial production, it will save you time (and money) by shortening the curing period, by inserting needles and injecting salt water, but then again you can just trot over to your local meatmonger and buy the bacon they offer there.
 

 

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