Bacon made easy


 
Did you allow for the weight loss from the skin being removed for the cure amount?
You'll be okay if you didn't, but might want to give them extra rinsing later.

A liquid will form in the bags, so by turning them daily the cure get evenly be distributed.
 
I didn't weigh them until after removing the skin. Each piece was almost exactly 4 lbs and 11 oz. i figured 4 full tbs and 70% of a 5th. It was so close, I rounded up to 5.

When I did my canadian bacon, I soaked it in water for an hour, changing the water once. Would it be good to do that with bacon, too?

I can't wait to cook them. What do you like to put on them before you cook? I was thinking keep it simple and just add black pepper, maybe a little paprika for color.
 
That looks just phenomenal! I would not have guessed to use Cinnamon. It doesn't even really sound good to me on bacon. But, I'm willing to try it, for sure.

Funny story. I had your picture of bacon on the beer bread up on my monitor at work. My boss walks by and says, "Quit looking at bacon." He's just jealous :). I bought him TQ for Christmas. And, I'm getting around to trying bacon before he is.
 
Thanks Darren!

I'm a firm believer in if it sounds good try it, if not, then pass.
Would not want part of your bacon to not fit your tastes.

"Quit looking at bacon"
that is funny!
 
I just ordered my first fresh side. 11lbs I think is what it was... about $3.79 a lb... trimmed.. It will be frozen when I get it, let it thaw and cut it in sections?
 
I haven't read the whole thread, and I'm new here, so if what I am passing on here is already common knowledge, I apologize.

For any future bacon curers who are nervous about doing it right the first time, take a look at a product called Hi Mountain Buckboard Bacon Cure. It is a pre-mixed cure that works on any cut of pork. Their suggestion, and one I fully support, is to do a shoulder. It is so meaty compared to a belly! I've also done loin, with marvelous results.

It is how I did my first cure...then I got hooked and have done several using various recipes. If I am honest with myself, my best bacon has come from just using the Hi Mountain cure. You can buy it direct from the mfg., but I've also found it in Bass Pro Shops.
 
Matthew,
Yes, that will work fine.
In the past I have thawed a whole frozen side just enough to cut in in half, refroze half, and cut the other, to be cured, into manageable sections.
 
Jeff,
I read good reviews about Hi Mountain BB cure.
But to be clear, MTQ is a pre-mixed cure too, and using it I've made, belly, buckboard, and Canadian bacon.
When my bag of MTQ is gone I might give Hi Mountain a go.

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Like I said, Bob, I didn't read the whole thread. In the first couple pages I saw some cure recipes and some talk of pink salt and TenderQuik, all of which I have used, but like I said, some of my best cures have come from letting someone else to the chemistry part. I'll take a look at MTQ.

Your pictures are lovely. Instead of sitting here typing, I need to be getting my loin in the cure.

By the way, for any Canadian bacon fans reading this thread...or pork fans in general...Sam's has whole loins for $2.69 a pound. They're a dollar a pound less than cheap hamburger. We had center cut pork chops a couple nights ago, I'm grinding the tail into ground pork and/or sausage, I'm getting ready to cure a couple pounds of Canadian bacon and we have two "party of four" sized roasts in the freezer. All for $23.
 
Bob Correll said:
Jon,
Poke around on the slab with your finger.
If it feels firm, even in the thickest part, then it's probably fully cured already.

7 days is a pretty good guide for a larger piece/slab, but at 2 lbs I'll bet that 5 days is plenty of time to cure unless it is very thick.
Click to expand...

Both my slabs are from a #5 slab, so around #2.5 each... Curing time? 5 days?
 
I'd go ahead and go 7 days.
My two 2.5/lb slabs just came out of the cure today after 8 days, I was busy yesterday.

Cold smoking is usually around 80 to 100 F, takes longer, and is pretty hard to maintain using charcoal.
Hot smoking is usually around 175 F.
 
Bob Correll said:
I'd go ahead and go 7 days.
My two 2.5/lb slabs just came out of the cure today after 8 days, I was busy yesterday.

Cold smoking is usually around 80 to 100 F, takes longer, and is pretty hard to maintain using charcoal.
Hot smoking is usually around 175 F.
Click to expand...

Thanks. They are half thawed, will do in the morning...
 
If you have a minute, I'd like to get some last minute tips. My bacon has been in the refrigerator for 7 days, as of yesterday evening. I bought it frozen. By the time we got them prepared and into the refrigerator, I'd say they were about 1/2 frozen. I'm thinking that's going to work to our advantage because they won't cure quite as quickly for the first 12-24 hours or so. I really want to cook these Saturday. That would be a total of 10 days curing + 1 day refrigerated without curing from Friday evening to Saturday cook time.

I've cured Canadian bacon a couple of times. And, I believe I went 10 days each time. I rinsed them well, put them in ice water for an hour and changed the water once. I did a fry test and was pleased with the saltiness. Had I not been, I would have soaked longer and tried another sample. Will this strategy work with pork belly bacon?
 
Darren,
You should have no problem doing this with belly either.
I have some smoking right now on the kettle, using the snake method, and holding at 170 to 180 with sugar maple for smoke.

Saw on the news that bacon is at it's highest price in 30 years at an average of $6.11/lb.
 
Just a couple of quick questions.

1. When can u tell when cure is done.
2. What if I did not add enough cure? Need a new scale.
3. after soak in water, just let it sit in fridge uncovered?
 
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