Michael Ruhlman's Maple Cured Bacon from "Charcuterie"


 
Originally posted by RobK:
I just put 6, 3 pound pieces in the cure, I used the same
Formulation for the 5 pound'er. Now that I am thinking about
It, did I screw up?? The ratios are the same...
Now I'm worried.


Thanks
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Don't even worry about it. Curing is very very forgiving. Don't worry about it.
 
Thanks for your quick reply! That makes me feel better!
icon_biggrin.gif
 
Test piece was quite salty do I just soak in water for 15 min or so..? In the midst of this now any suggestion would be great! Thx
 
Either just keep rinsing it or soak it for a bit and then try another test piece. You can repeat as necessary so smaller soaks are better than longer soaks. Also keep in mind the edge piece can be saltier, so you might try cutting 2-3 slices instead of just one for that first test.
 
Thanks first batch flavor was incredible, but ya the salt was over powering. Have another piece on the flame now. Doing 6x3 pounders so I need to make sure it's right.

Thanks again!
 
Should you now - or ever - end up with too salty a finish after smoking you can slice the bacon then blanch (drop the slices into boiling water) for a couple or three minutes. This will remove some salt as well. It will also make the bacon cook a bit faster and a bit crispier.
 
That's good to know, I guess you don't want to lessen the salt ratio in the cure or it may not work properly?.
 
This is one of these things where it's better to overshoot and remove it later than undershoot and who knows what's going to happen.
 
At the end of a two week curing period, I simply rinse and pat dry the slab and allow it to air dry for twenty-four hours to allow pellicle formation. Then the slab is smoked to an internal temperature of 145F which takes approximately three to five hours for the slab to reach that temperature.

My only experience in cure lies in the making of bacon and buckboard bacon. And both of the final products, (EDIT)prior to smoking, are either rinsed or soaked to relieve them of excess saltiness. Also the cure that I use is not from CHARCUTERIE, but rather I use one that's commercially made and available from AlliedKenco.com. It's a maple sugar cure.

Checkout additional info for smoked bacon here.
 
Originally posted by Doug Wade:
Just keep plugging. Remember that the flavor will change after smoking, you're just checking the salt levels.
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I allow both my bacon and jerky to set for one week before consuming. That rest period allows for the flavor to develop and mellow and the seasonings to take greater hold and depth as it were.
 
Are you saying you rinse them *after* smoking? That can't possibly be a good idea.

Also I've tried the commercial maple cure and it's not nearly as good as either the Charcuterie recipe or just taking some tenderquick and adding some maple syrup to it. No question it wasn't nearly as good.
 
Originally posted by Doug Wade:
Are you saying you rinse them *after* smoking? That can't possibly be a good idea.

Also I've tried the commercial maple cure and it's not nearly as good as either the Charcuterie recipe or just taking some tenderquick and adding some maple syrup to it. No question it wasn't nearly as good.
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My previous post was edited for clarity. 8)

I rinse my slabs at the end of the curing process, that is, on the day prior to smoking.

As to the commercial maple cure that you complain about, who makes that one? Is it AlliedKenco's that I've mentioned previously? It's the only cure that I'm familiar with and it's made using both maple and brown sugars - no syrup if that makes any difference.

(And in no way am I affiliated with A.K..)

Best,
-T
 
Whew!

I got it from Butcher Packer but it sounds/looks the same. The AK one says "Composed of salt, brown sugar, maple flavor and sodium nitrite (.75%)." Notice - maple flavor not maple sugar. The Butcher Packer one doesn't list ingredients on the website and I'm too lazy to find the package but it's made to the same concentration of cure per pounds of meat.
 
Originally posted by Doug Wade:
Whew!

I got it from Butcher Packer but it sounds/looks the same. The AK one says "Composed of salt, brown sugar, maple flavor and sodium nitrite (.75%)." Notice - maple flavor not maple sugar. The Butcher Packer one doesn't list ingredients on the website and I'm too lazy to find the package but it's made to the same concentration of cure per pounds of meat.
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D@mn, you're right. I'll need to look for another brand, therefore. THANKS!
 
I'd just use the recipe in the first post... you can get the pink salt at any of the butcher places and the maple stuff from Amazon. but another option is just to take your cure and add enough grade B maple syrup to make a slush (1/2 cup or so?). If you find the flavor's much better that should motivate you to do it from scratch. :-)
 
Hi Gents,

Got the bacon in the smoker 198' it's been
d about a hour and bacon temp is already reading 127 does that seem right??
 
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