Conflicting advice on bacon

bernieross · Dec 11, 2017

I've made a few pieces of guanciale, and a very successful coppa/capocolo, and would like to try some cold-smoked, dry cured bacon now. But I'm getting all sorts of different advice from different websites.

Advice on percentages of nitrate, nitrite and salt seems pretty constant, but that's about it.

I've read that I should use 35 grams of cure per kilo, and leave the meat in a ziplock bag for 3 days per inch of thickness, plus 4 days, then it's done. Air dry it for a couple of weeks (should I aim for 30% reduction, as for guanciale or coppa?), then I'm done.

But I've also come across a couple of instructions to prepare a cure mix, cover the meat with it, and after a day I should pour off the resulting liquid, briefly rinse off the wet curing salt, and then add a few more handfulls. I should repeat this daily for five days - pouring off the liquid, and adding more cure. It seems with this method there is no limit the total amount of cure used - the recipe just says "handfulls" of cure - which is confusing.

But if the meat is sitting in a bath of its own liquid, is it still "dry" cured? And if the cure mix is rinsed off and replaced daily, aren't there issues with it getting too salty to eat? I've also experienced problems before, when I was over-generous with the amount of cure used and the product (in that case, a coppa), turned out too salty. And might there also be issues over amounts of nitrite?

Can anyone fix my confusion here? Thanks!

piker · Dec 11, 2017

I have had real good luck with the following method. I buy the ready mixed bacon seasonings add one teaspoon of sodium nitrite per five lbs and spread it one pork belly both sides and the edges. I then vacuum pack put in frig for at least eight days turning daily. Then out to the smoker for a light smoke and get the temp to an I.t. Of 135f. Set in frig over nite and next day remove the rind slice vacuum pack and into the freezer. You could remove the rind before the smoke but I find it comes off way easier this way. I have probably done 250 lbs over the years. This.

atomicsmoke · Dec 11, 2017

I've read that I should use 35 grams of cure per kilo, and leave the meat in a ziplock bag for 3 days per inch of thickness, plus 4 days, then it's done. Air dry it for a couple of weeks (should I aim for 30% reduction, as for guanciale or coppa?), then I'm done.
-------
First of all: Coppa and guanciale are cold cuts. You can eat them as is (or cook them). Bacon is not a cold cut. You have to cook it before eating. Therefore the 30% weight loss does not apply.

Second: 35g of cure/kg of meat is way too much. I like to use the minimum required. Rule of thumb is 1tsp/5lbs. I prefer weights and go for the minimum requirement: 108ppm for belly with skin - 1.728g/kg of meat.

atomicsmoke · Dec 11, 2017

Also the meat in liquid cure rinsed daily and then soaked in new cure is wrong advice. Don't do it

Dry cure is what it says: rub bacon with cure/salt and spices in a bag. Close bag, flip often. Cure for at least 10 days preferably two weeks. Rinse, dry overnight, smoke, rest, slice.

daveomak · Dec 11, 2017

I have had real good luck with the following method. I buy the ready mixed bacon seasonings add one ounce of sodium nitrite per five lbs and spread it one pork belly both sides and the edges ...

That is incorrect information... Correctly, you should be adding 1 tsp. of cure#1 per 5#'s of meat...

piker · Dec 11, 2017

piker said:
I have had real good luck with the following method. I buy the ready mixed bacon seasonings add one ounce of sodium nitrite per five lbs and spread it one pork belly both sides and the edges. I then vacuum pack put in frig for at least eight days turning daily. Then out to the smoker for a light smoke and get the temp to an I.t. Of 135f. Set in frig over nite and next day remove the rind slice vacuum pack and into the freezer. You could remove the rind before the smoke but I find it comes off way easier this way. I have probably done 250 lbs over the years. This.

daveomak said:
I have had real good luck with the following method. I buy the ready mixed bacon seasonings add one ounce of sodium nitrite per five lbs and spread it one pork belly both sides and the edges ...

That is incorrect information... Correctly, you should be adding 1 tsp. of cure#1 per 5#'s of meat...

Sorry my mistake I meant to say one teaspoon per five lbs. of mear

Bspeech · Dec 11, 2017

I just did a dry cure and it turned out great. Mixed cure #1 (1 tsp per 5lbs) plus salt, sugar and a few other spices. Mixed well and applied to belly, with rind removed. Just make sure to use all the rub and then place in zip-lock bag in fridge for 7 days. I flipped the bag and massaged the belly (no homo) each day, then removed after 7 days, rinsed well and patted dry. I tested a piece to make sure it wasn't too salty after I rinsed. Mine was ok, but if you find it too salty, you can soak it in water for a few hours to remove some salt content. I put mine on a cooling rack in the fridge for another 24 hours to dry out before smoking. I smoked at 110 degrees for 6 hours or so, let it cool to room temp then wrapped in foil, let it rest in the fridge overnight and sliced the following day.

daveomak · Dec 11, 2017

Curing 5#'s meat... 1 tsp. cure #1... for 2% salt 7 tsp. Morton's Canning and Pickling salt... 17 tsp. Diamond Crystal Kosher salt... for 1% sugar 5 tsp. white sugar....
Those numbers would be closer if you used a grams scale...

motocrash · Dec 11, 2017

Bspeech said:
I flipped the bag and massaged the belly (no homo) each day, then removed after 7 days, rinsed well and patted dry.

HAH! Was it a male pig?

chef jimmyj · Dec 12, 2017

There is frequent confusion when talking Dry Curing, applying a Dry Rub containing cure as opposed to using a Brine, for color and flavor but not to preserve the meat. Verses, Dry Cured for Preservation, as in Coppa, Prosciut and Country style Bacon, often just called Dry Cured Bacon. Dry Curing bacon for flavor with a dry rub requires Xg Cure#1 per Kilo Belly to get 120ppm but not more than 200ppm Nitrite in contact with the meat and KEEP IT THERE until it has been absorbed, about 7 days per inch thickness. The belly is then smoked, cold or to desired IT and must be refrigerated. Dry Cured Bacon is literally the same procedure but the Bacon is hung to Dry the desired amount. Dry a few days to concentrate flavor and firm or dry up to 2 weeks, per USDA, which will likely result in a weight loss lowering water and concentrating salt for long term preservation, still under refrigeration or a cool environment less than 60 degrees F.
The whole make a Dry Rub with Cure and apply daily allowing moisture to drain off is based on a mix that will contain 625ppm Nitrite and it is up to you to develop a schedule were you will not exceed 200ppm in the finished product. This requires testing equipment, used by the commercial processor to monitor in going amounts, and is not intended for home use by a novice. YES... There are recipes posted using this method but they require extensive knowledge on curing and experience to use.

Bottom line...Any recipe or procedure found on SMF, that is more than 24 hours old, has been reviewed for Safety, Accuracy, and to meet Federal Standards. Recipes here can be trusted. Anything else off the net you use at your own risk...JJ

atomicsmoke · Dec 12, 2017

Chef JJ,

Would belly bacon lose 30% of its green weight if air dried? In my experience fatty cuts lose significantly less.

Also, while i understand the purpose of concentrating flavour by drying the bacon, if the outside meat layer dries and shrinks much more than the inside "vein" so when fried they don't cook evenly.

I left a slab once to dry for a week. It looked great, but when fried the exterior meat layer would be almost black (not burned, just dried up) by the time the fat was rendered.

bernieross · Dec 12, 2017

Thanks everyone. To clarify - by grams of "cure" I am referring to the mix of salt, nitrate/nitrite. I used a "General Purpose Curing Salt for Air Dried Products" available here in the UK. It is a mix of salt plus Sodium Nitrite at 0.6%, and 0.4% Potassium Nitrate. Hope that makes more sense. This is the same stuff I used for a recent, very successful copa. As I'm going to cold smoke it, and cook it, I understand that the 30% weight loss target doesn't apply, and that I'll just get a firmer, more concentrated flavour the longer I dry it.

I'm hoping to preserving it, like what you call "country style bacon", and being able to eat it without cooking, like Italian pancetta. So I'll aim for a good amount of weight loss.

chef jimmyj · Dec 13, 2017

After your post and review. You are correct if a high percentage of fat less weight loss, with a higher weight loss for a meaty belly. I was thinking 30-40% loss as a pretty standard indicator of sufficient drying but did not consider all the variables. Good catch! Consistent drying inside and out is based on humidity control so the outside does not harden blocking interior loss...JJ

atomicsmoke · Dec 13, 2017

bernieross said:
Thanks everyone. To clarify - by grams of "cure" I am referring to the mix of salt, nitrate/nitrite. I used a "General Purpose Curing Salt for Air Dried Products" available here in the UK. It is a mix of salt plus Sodium Nitrite at 0.6%, and 0.4% Potassium Nitrate. Hope that makes more sense. This is the same stuff I used for a recent, very successful copa. As I'm going to cold smoke it, and cook it, I understand that the 30% weight loss target doesn't apply, and that I'll just get a firmer, more concentrated flavour the longer I dry it.

I'm hoping to preserving it, like what you call "country style bacon", and being able to eat it without cooking, like Italian pancetta. So I'll aim for a good amount of weight loss.

Do you like pancetta uncooked?
From what i see here many folks make pancetta, only to end up cooking it as they realize they don't care about the raw texture/taste.

bernieross · Dec 13, 2017

Yup. I do like pancetta uncooked. I lived in Italy for a while, and I love all those Italian raw cured meats - pancetta, speck, coppa. I'm referring to pancetta stesa here. I'm happy to eat it thinly sliced and raw, or use it for cooking.

atomicsmoke · Dec 13, 2017

Execellent. I like cured fat too. Looking forward to pictures of the final product.

Conflicting advice on bacon

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