Homemade Pork Belly Bacon Problem


 
M

Mike in Dallas

New member
I followed the cure recipe on amazing ribs. It called for the pork belly to be cured for 3 days. After cure I let sit in fridge for 24 hours then smoked on 200 until internal temp of 140. After sitting in the fridge overnight I tried slicing the next morning. The meat had the texture and consistency of a ham rather than bacon. It was very thick and hard to cut through. I fried it in a pan and it tasted like a mixture of ham/bacon.

What went wrong here?
 
My first guess is that you didn't allow it to cure long enough...Don't know whether you used pink curing salt #1 or something else, but 3 days seems really short. I cure for 7 days, flipping the bacon daily. That would account for the hammy taste. But, remember that it's not going to taste like Oscar Meyer.
 
I used pink curing salt #1. Can it be re-cured after smoking already?

Does curing also change the texture of the meat from hammy to softer/smoother bacon?
 
This is an excellent resource by Bob Correll on how to make bacon using Morton Tenderquick.


https://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?13312-Bacon-made-easy

I'm not sure what went wrong, but Cure is what makes ham taste hammy. You might have had a particularly lean pork belly is my only guess. I haven't really delved into the Amazing Ribs recipe. I would absolutely not attempt to re-cure. Most recipes already call for a maximum amount of curing salt allowed by the FDA.
 
Mike in Dallas said:
I used pink curing salt #1. Can it be re-cured after smoking already?

Does curing also change the texture of the meat from hammy to softer/smoother bacon?
Click to expand...

I agree with Dustin...I wouldn't re-cure it. BTW- I went back and looked at my notes. I used the same recipe that you did. I just cured mine for 7 days. I also cooked mine to 145*. The bacon will be a little more hammy than Oscar Meyer, it'll be more like the stuff you find in the meat case or Maverick Brand.

Not sure if the longer cure affects the texture...and as far as slicing goes, I usually put it in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes before I slice it. I think that makes it a little easier to slice.
 
Don't re-cure!

Like someone above said: it could be that your belly pork was very lean.
I cure for about a week, flipping daily.
Then take it out of the cure and let dry somewhat.
I then either leave it as is, or cold smoke and keep in the fridge for some more days to dry it out more.
 
Within reasonable limits, I don't believe you can leave the bacon in the cure for too long. You can leave it in for not enough time. So better to err on the high side. At least that's been my experience with Canadian bacon. I've left it in the cure a week or more beyond the minimum suggested time and detected no ill results at all.
 
I've been using Bob Correll's curing process with Morton Tenderquick for years now with great results and it taste like....bacon.
 
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