Buckboard Bacon Question


 
D

Don Irish

TVWBB Pro
Trying this for the first time. Today is 10 days in the Hi Mountain cure. I removed to soak and noticed that while the outside is that grayish-redish color that is shown on the site, the nooks and crannies where I removed the bone are still a nice pink more like fresh pork (smells fine). Is this normal or did I not cure long enough or perhaps the temp of the fridge was too cold? Is it OK to smoke? Any suggestions welcome.
 
Yes, I thought I did a good job of rubbing it down well. I have let is soak in water for an hour and those areas are greying up...we'll see after another hour of soaking.
 
It's okay to smoke. You'll better know if the cure didn't take after it's smoked. A too cold fridge will slow curing. Too too cold and curing is arrested.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Don Irish:
Thanks Kevin, but how will I know after the smoke? By looks? Taste? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Not Kevin but..More by looks, Don. Here's some Canadian Bacon that Shawn W. recently posted in the "Something Similar to Canadian Bacon" thread a little further down in "Barbecuing". You need to smoke your bacon before you slice it. This is pork loin but note the pink color all the way through. If your cure didn't take, there will be grey in the center or areas of grey instead of being pink all the way through.

HTH. Bill
 
Thanks Bill. They are on the smoker now and I guess I'll find out. I found an old post (searched under buckboard bacon and red) and one post said this was common. If it looks like the cure did not take all the way should I pitch it? Since it needs to be cooked anyway before eating would it be safe?....hey it is only a hobby....like I said in another post on brisket, "the worst smoke I ever did made the best chili I ever made".
 
Yes, it would be safe--just not as attractive as it would be had it cured through. The shelf life will be a bit shorter as well.
 
Thanks Kevin. My first rule is don't make anyone sick.
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But you will be cooking it again...aka bacon/c-bacon. I'm interested in what temps you maintained and what wood did you use. Any issues with temp rising too fast or too hi? Weather play a problem? How long did you smoke????
 
Chris,
It came out great (IMHO)!

Weather was much better than a few days before

Snow dump

Temp in the low 40s. Used the method described by Chris, one half ring of K with 20+ lit coals, temp climbed nicely to about 200 and stayed there with little adjustment. Used apple wood. I will DEFINITELY try this again, perhaps the Canadian bacon (pork loin).

Many thanks to all with the questions about curing. It came out fine, nice pink all the way through.
cured

smoked
sliced
Breakfast!

Don
 
Don,

The bacon looks fantastic! You have to try a belly one of these days...I've got a great recipe I'm going to post in "Rubs, Brines, etc." here.

Regarding your original question...I had the same problem at first. I'd leave a belly in the cure and it would cure to the middle, but after curing some of the meat just wasn't as "cured" (reddish/pink) afterward. The conclusion I've come to is that different muscles take up differing amounts of cure, and that not all will look completely simililar after cooking/curing (i.e., some a little less pink, some more so). That's my theory at least.
 
Thanks Phil....not bad for a first try at curing/smoking...It was fun to do. Your post on bacon looks awesome, I love the taste of maple.
 
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