Am I safe here?

[Brian M.]

The following is Michael Ruhiman's recipe for a 5 lb slab of bacon. I have some slabs that weigh less and some that are more than 5 lbs so I thought I would change his ingredient list to grams and then divide by 5 to get the correct amount per lb. My calculations are in red.

I sure would appreciate any input from those in the know.

Am I on the right track?


—Mix the following together in a small bowl:
2 ounces (1/4 cup Morton or Diamond Crystal coarse kosher) salt (56.699 grams /5= 11.3309 grams per pound)
2 teaspoons pink curing salt #1 (10 grams /5 = 2 grams per lb meat)
4 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper (60 grams / 5 = 12 grams per lb)
4 bay leaves, crumbled (1 per lb)
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (5 grams / 5 = 1 gram per lb)
1/4 cup brown sugar or honey or maple syrup (32 grams / 5 = 6.2 grams per lb)
5 cloves of garlic, smashed with the flat side of a chef’s knife ( 1 clove per lb)
2 tablespoons juniper berries, lightly crushed (optional) (30 grams / 5 = 6 grams per lb)
5 to 10 sprigs fresh thyme (optional) ( 1 to 2 per lb)

Thanks

 

[Brian M.]

Actually I looked at the post Chris has above mine about the calculator and Martin pretty much answered my question. The above formula seems too heavy in salt.

 

[Dave from Denver]

I agree completely: the recipe as written calls for a salt percentage of 5.8% if you apply it all to a 5lb slab of bacon. This is I think why he instructs you to use the "salt box" method and only use what sticks.

Don't forget that the pink salt is over 90% NaCL too when thinking about salt for curing.

What I did with Ruhlman's ratio for bacon was to make a big batch of this mix, and used his metric conversions and some quick math so I can scale per weight of meat. For my salt preference of 3% I think for me it comes to 50g per kg.

 

[Jon Des.]

I enjoyed reading Ruhlman's book, but I use Martin's calculator every time. I hated having to soak the salt out of something I just spent days curing.