uncured bacon questions

So I'm gonna do my first bacon cure tomorrow, got a couple questions. I'm using just salt and sugar for the cure. My plan is to use a ratio of 2:1 by weight of salt and sugar, does that sound about right? Also, I figure to cure it for a week in a ziploc bag. Would it take less time to cure if I were to vacuum seal it? Would I get a more thorough cure by doing that?

Also, if I were to add other dry seasonings (pepper, garlic, onion, whatever), about how much by weight do you think I could add without overpowering the overall taste?

Can do some experimenting, got a 15 pound pork belly!

Thanks in advance,
Rob

You are not curing. You are brining.

Personally I would reduce the sugar content quite a bit, but I'm sure that's a matter of taste. I'm not into sweat meat. I only use a sugar content of 2:1 when I'm brining intestines, such as hearts, and I've used less lately with better results.

Regarding the other spices- you can use quite a lot. I'd stay away form union, at least fresh, as it develops a non- pleasant taste quite fast. I love pepper, and black pepper can give a long and nice aftertaste if you use several tablespoons. Are you dry- or wet brining?

Thanks for the responses.

Rex, I don't understand why what i described would be called brining and not curing. I'm not planning to add any liquid. The only thing I'm planning on brining today is a bunch of chicken parts.

I'll cut the belly into pieces so I can experiment with the salt/sweet ratio. Thanks Geir for the tips, that gives me something to work off of. Anyone have any opinions/ideas on vacuum sealing in regard to cure time?

a ratio of 50:50 is pretty common, all three cure's I use regularly call for it: The basic cure in Charcuterie, Saucisson Mac's brine cure, and Momofuku's cure .

As for curing, I think Rex is referring to the fact that you are not using a nitrate source (cure #1, tenderquick, prague powder, etc). As far as I know you can cure with just salt, proscuitto typically is, and I just cured a duck breast with only salt. Brining is a form of curing too, hams are brine cured.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Rob D.:
So I'm gonna do my first bacon cure tomorrow, got a couple questions. I'm using just salt and sugar for the cure. My plan is to use a ratio of 2:1 by weight of salt and sugar, does that sound about right? Also, I figure to cure it for a week in a ziploc bag. Would it take less time to cure if I were to vacuum seal it? Would I get a more thorough cure by doing that?

Also, if I were to add other dry seasonings (pepper, garlic, onion, whatever), about how much by weight do you think I could add without overpowering the overall taste?

Can do some experimenting, got a 15 pound pork belly!

Thanks in advance,
Rob </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

First, experiment with curing since there's no concern for water volume. Get your cures (like I do) from AlliedKenco.com. That source is mentioned somewhere on the vwb website. I personally like their maple sugar cure which costs <$8 for two pounds, enough to cure 100# of slabs.