Salty Bacon


 

Tommy B

TVWBB Pro
Before I did my first bacon run I read the entire Bacon made easy thread. I know it was talked about a little bit but I have salty bacon questions...

I am about to pick up and cure two slabs of belly. I am using the bacon made easy recipe with tender quik. Last time the bacon was way too salty but seemed to get a little better the longer the bacon was frozen... Am I crazy for thinking that it got less salty the longer it was stored or do you think I just aquired a taste for the salty bacon? I stored in standard zip lock bags.

I thought I rinsed the belly well last time. Do yall soak it to get rid of salty taste? If so how long do you soak? Do you change out the water? With food safety in mind I figured if I soak I should change the water every 30 minutes.
 
I don't soak for long periods, I change the soak water often and rub the slab under running water with my hand

 
Bob, After you cure the belly you take belly out, run under cool water from faucet and run. Then you soak the belly? Would you guess you soak for 10 minutes at a time? 10 minutes and then change water. Soak again for 10 minutes? How many time do you do that?
 
Tommy,
I've never really timed it.
I cure it in a zip-loc and use it for the short soaks too.
Rinse really well, fill bag with water, soak a few minutes, then repeat maybe 3-4 times.
I think the water changes and rubbing are more helpful than long soak periods.

My plans are to document some of these nuances in the near future so I can hopefully be more specific with my advice.
 
I've tried soaking but gone back to a TWO MINUTE COLD WATER RINSE. I believe a constant 2 minute rinse should do it.
You may like to don a pair of thick rubber gloves doing this, my water tends to get extremely COLD during these two minutes.
anyway, my bacon gets the long rinse then a 12 to 24 hour refrigerated cold air dry treatment before smoking.

my last 6 or so bacon smokes have been very successful, and I do owe it all to AND thank the BaconBossBob Correll!

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thanks for the advice guys. Yes, I think a lot of us owe Bob a thank you for his bacon expertise!
 
Keep in mind, you can fine tune your taste to the saltyness by cutting off an piece and frying it up between soaks/rinses to figure out exactly what works for you.
 
I have to watch my salt intake so I go light on the TQ using a level tablespoon per pound, but only for the full pounds, if the slab weighs 3 1/2 pounds then three TBLS. of TQ if it's up around 3 3/4 I' add another tsp.
I rinse for about 2 minutes then soak for twenty minutes two times with fresh cold water and then a final rinse.
Air dry in the fridge for 24 hours.
Smoke it.
Eat it.
Comes out great every time.
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I rinse the same way Jim does. I've done 2 batches using Bob's technique and it is spot on. The only thing I do differently than what Jim posted is that rather that sitting in the fridge for 12-24 hours I set mine in front of a low fan for about 1 hour. I've been getting a decent pellicle doing this. Bob is indeed the bacon boss and am appreciative of his tips and insights.
 
Thanks for all of the advice. I am running by the Asian super market this afternoon to start my cure.
 
I cured according to bobs bacon made easy. I rinsed really well under running water and then I soaked the belly in cold water for 25 minutes. I dumped out the water and soaked them again for 15 minutes. I dried with paper towels, liberally applied black pepper and set on a cooling rack in the fridge for about 15 hours. I smoked using the snake method (my first time ever doing a snake cook). I plunged the belly in cold water after it reached 135 degrees internally. I vacuum sealed and refrigerated for 2 days. I then sliced and re vacuum sealed most to freeze. Another batch of bacon done well!

 

 

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