Bacon book

[countryrocker212]

I was looking into getting into making my own bacon. Are there any books that go in depth on the process and explain why you do things and the ratios for cure? Was thinking about picking up Ruhlmans book can't think of the title off hand but don't know if he goes into details. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

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[pops6927]

Have no fear, you are here!  We go into almost infinite detail on bacon-making right here on the forum, and have in-depth experts that can answer your every question!   We have several tutorials on it  If you know where the search engine line is:

search engine line.jpg

• pops6927
• Aug 29, 2012

you will see it right under the main pull down menu bar, where it faintly says "Search Forums, Articles, Reviews and more!"

This is the key that unlocks the magic door to the magic playhouse!

Just put "bacon making" in that line, like this:

bacon making search.jpg

• pops6927
• Aug 29, 2012

hit Enter, and it will lead you to a plethora of articles on bacon making, going back several years, like this:

2012-08-29_04h53_44.jpg

• pops6927
• Aug 29, 2012

and there is 3 of over 8,000 threads on bacon-making for you to peruse and enjoy!  Also, you will see Articles, Images, etc. breaking down your search further!

Now, while we're on the subject, there are basically two ways to make bacon; dry cure and wet cure.  Both accomplish the same end, to cure with a curing agent the meat along with salts and spices and water in some level and capacity to prepare the meat to be ready to accept smoke and into a finished product.  

having said that, I'll confuse you even more!  Now, there are two ways to accomplish this once the meat is cured, by cold smoking or hot smoking it; you can do it either way.

And, there is a good Article on Home Processing that I will first refer you to:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/curing-and-smoking-reference-for-home-production

is a book unto itself and gives you good basic knowledge to work with.

Enjoy your journey on here, and most importantly, ask questions - we're all here to help!

 

[fpnmf]

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/124885/bacon-made-the-easy-way

 

[countryrocker212]

http://ruhlman.com/2010/10/home-cured-bacon-2/

I pretty much know i wanna dry cure and cold smoke it. I was thinking about starting with this recipe. The only thing is i dont know if i can substitute cold smoking for hot smoking with just pink salt as a cure. I know nothing about thoose things.

 

[scarbelly]

Have no fear, you are here!  We go into almost infinite detail on bacon-making right here on the forum, and have in-depth experts that can answer your every question!   We have several tutorials on it  If you know where the search engine line is:

search engine line.jpg

• pops6927
• Aug 29, 2012

you will see it right under the main pull down menu bar, where it faintly says "Search Forums, Articles, Reviews and more!"

This is the key that unlocks the magic door to the magic playhouse!

Just put "bacon making" in that line, like this:

bacon making search.jpg

• pops6927
• Aug 29, 2012

hit Enter, and it will lead you to a plethora of articles on bacon making, going back several years, like this:

2012-08-29_04h53_44.jpg

• pops6927
• Aug 29, 2012

and there is 3 of over 8,000 threads on bacon-making for you to peruse and enjoy!  Also, you will see Articles, Images, etc. breaking down your search further!

Now, while we're on the subject, there are basically two ways to make bacon; dry cure and wet cure.  Both accomplish the same end, to cure with a curing agent the meat along with salts and spices and water in some level and capacity to prepare the meat to be ready to accept smoke and into a finished product.  

having said that, I'll confuse you even more!  Now, there are two ways to accomplish this once the meat is cured, by cold smoking or hot smoking it; you can do it either way.

And, there is a good Article on Home Processing that I will first refer you to:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/curing-and-smoking-reference-for-home-production

is a book unto itself and gives you good basic knowledge to work with.

Enjoy your journey on here, and most importantly, ask questions - we're all here to help!

I agree with POP's there is more info here than in all the books you will ever read

 

[diggingdogfarm]

http://ruhlman.com/2010/10/home-cured-bacon-2/
I pretty much know i wanna dry cure and cold smoke it. I was thinking about starting with this recipe. The only thing is i dont know if i can substitute cold smoking for hot smoking with just pink salt as a cure. I know nothing about thoose things.

Yes you can.

That Ruhlman recipe is 2.73% salt (on the high side for some folks) and twice the Cure#1 that you need.

Here's a calculator so you can get just enough salt, sugar and cure without going overboard.

http://www.diggingdogfarm.com/page2.html

Here's a good basic rundown on curing methods, there's much more relative information on that site....

http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/sausage-making/curing/methods

HTH

~Martin

 

[countryrocker212]

ok so i think i understand the calculator from what I read on the other curing site. For salt you want 2-3% of the meats weight.  Does regular Kosher salt work? For the cure you need 1 ounce for 25lbs of meat so the calculator does the math. How does sugar work? Is it mainly a taste thing or is there a percentage you want to shoot for for some reason?

 

[diggingdogfarm]

ok so i think i understand the calculator from what I read on the other curing site. For salt you want 2-3% of the meats weight.  Does regular Kosher salt work?

Yes.

For the cure you need 1 ounce for 25lbs of meat so the calculator does the math.

Yes, it's a good idea to have a high resolution and accurate gram scale.

How does sugar work? Is it mainly a taste thing or is there a percentage you want to shoot for for some reason?

Yes, it's a matter of personal preference, I don't use any more than 1% because I don't care for sweet bacon, and a high level of sugar leads to burning if you're not real careful.

~Martin

 

[countryrocker212]

Alright when applying the cure is it better to apply before the rest of your spices to ensure even coverage or is mixing it all up and rubbing them on at the same time ok?

 

[diggingdogfarm]

You can apply them at the same time, it certainly won't hurt to rub in the salt, sugar and cure first followed by the spices, that way you're assured that the cure has been well applied, yet there's plenty of time for the spices to do their job as well.

~Martin

 

[countryrocker212]

Alright thank you very much for the info you saved me from buying a book. one last question though do you follow the 2 days per lb?

 

[diggingdogfarm]

I would go by the thickness.
3 days per inch of thickness, plus one day, when dry curing bellies.


~Martin

 

[diesel]

I still recommend buying the book.  His first book is Charcuterie and he just released a new book Salumi. Not trying to sell his books are anything like that, heck any meat curing book would be a nice reference.  The main reason I say go ahead and get it is because it exposes you to other recipes and techniques.  This forum and a good "meat book" will just take it to another level. 

You asked about how many days to cure the bacon, well after a couple of batches you will be able to tell by the look and the feel. And trust me, after eating your own home cured bacon you won't be  eating much more store bought.  

Martin,

I have been using Ruhlman's recipe for bacon.  I have been playing with the sugar amounts and using the salt box method.  I didn't realize that the #1 was almost double what was needed.  Thanks for that information.  I am getting ready to start another batch so I will use your links for calculation.  Can't wait to see how it turns out.

that is what I love about this forum... so much good info!

Aaron.