Michael Ruhlman's Maple Cured Bacon from "Charcuterie"


 
Originally posted by RobK:
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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Tooo hot. I try to keep the temps to around 145F for as long as possible before raising the temps to 155, 165, 175...

You want the temps to rise SLOWLY.
 
It must be this charcoal I got, wow I could not get the temp down. I closed the vents added cold water and it wouldn't cool down. When I pulled the bacon off I think it was around 2 hours 45 min in total and the temp was 155 ish.

A couple of things I learned was 1. Never use charcoal that says it burns hotter,,
2. Always trust your thermometer.


They look and smell good, I threw them in zip locks and put them in cold water for a while and now off to the fridge till tomorrow for a taste test. I hope they will be ok.

Thanks
 
I do mine around 170, maybe going to 180 or 190 at the end. I pull the bacon at 145ish, usually takes 4-5 hours.

Normally it's OK if the charcoal burns hot because it's all about the oxygen flow anyway - it doesn't matter in a smoker. But trying to hold at 170 mostly it's about making sure there are hardly any coals in there. I make a little ring of lump charcoal and stack wood on top - there's a picture in this thread somewhere of a similar setup.

One trick that's kind of fun is if you're hot smoking it above 145 it's totally safe to eat without frying it. It's fun to cut off some little corner where it's not square anyway and just eat it "raw" without frying it. Definitely a different taste.
 
Originally posted by RobK:
...I threw them in zip locks and put them in cold water for a while and now off to the fridge till tomorrow for a taste test. I hope they will be ok.

Thanks
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Once removed from the smoker, my slabs are placed on racks that overly newspapers to allow the condensation to evaporate - for at least twenty-four hours prior to bagging. Otherwise you'll end up with a bag full of moisture which may promote the growth of mold.
 
I noticed the sweat on mine and was wondering about it. Do you soak to cool down or straight to the fridge out of the smoker?
 
I leave mine out on a cooling rack for a while before sticking them in the fridge. I would only do some kind of a cool down soak if I somehow badly overshot my temps and then I'd take them out of the bags after. I don't know that it's critical to go so far as the "at least twenty-four hours" tjkoko recommends, but there's definitely no harm leaving them uncovered for that long.
 
Originally posted by Doug Wade:
I leave mine out on a cooling rack for a while before sticking them in the fridge. I would only do some kind of a cool down soak if I somehow badly overshot my temps and then I'd take them out of the bags after. I don't know that it's critical to go so far as the "at least twenty-four hours" tjkoko recommends, but there's definitely no harm leaving them uncovered for that long.
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Since the slabs are cured and smoked, there's absolutely no harm in leaving them 'out to dry' - at least in my experience. Let 'em breathe.
 
Originally posted by RobK:
I noticed the sweat on mine and was wondering about it. Do you soak to cool down or straight to the fridge out of the smoker?
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And it's been my experience that if you bag within a week to ten days, you'll start to see condensation form inside of the bag, Yeah, it almost seems as if your slab is a real, genuine, living and breathing entity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


-T
 
What would the recipe be if I use mortons tender quick?
I would just use instead of the salt and nitrite?
 
Originally posted by RobK:
What would the recipe be if I use mortons tender quick?
I would just use instead of the salt and nitrite?
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Yes, just leave out the salt if using TQ.
The ratio is one tablespoon of TQ per pound of meat.
 
I just took my bacon out of their bags and they don't seem as firm as the last time,they have been brining for 7 days. Is that normal sometimes??
 
I did a test piece and the taste good, pulled them out for smoke day tomorrow other wise it would have to wait for another week,which is probably to long.
 
Apparently after it's cured it actually can sit a week before smoking, but I'd just do it tomorrow as you're planning.
 
Also depend on the state of the hog the belly came from at time of slaughter...a tense hog can drive up the ph of the belly which will make it on the softer side.
Also it depends on what the hog was fed...the commercial hogs are being fed a portion of distillers grain which can make fat, especially belly and back fat softer
 
TJMartin said:
Where can I get this Pink salt for curing?
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Checkout ALLIEDKENCO.COM for your ingredients. And as to my curing, I use their maple sugar cure and allow my slabs to set in the ziplocks for up to twenty days. Then, I allow them to air dry for around a day or so prior to smoking. Once smoked to an internal temperature of 145-155F, I allow them to air dry for up to a week prior to wrapping in butcher paper, cooling in the fridge for 4-5 days followed by freezing.
 
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