Buckboard bacon

[rmiller]

Hi, haven't ever posted much, and probably been over a year since the last time i did. I got a new job and moved recently, and I'm just starting to get really settled in. I've been itching to do some curing and this was the first couple days off i had with little going on.

I butterflied a butt open, taking the meatier piece close to the bone off to let it lay even. I will cure this the same style as the bacon, but will end up using it more like a cottage ham for steaks and sandwiches if it's lean enough.

When i make bacon, i generally do bbb as shoulders are far cheaper than a belly, but i still cure it in the same style, only taking off a few days of cure time because it's not quite as thick. I use the recipe in the Ruhlman/Polcyn book with maple syrup and brown sugar (yes i actually use this recipe for my hams too! Not big bone in ones but if i break them down for lunch meat or when i do cottage hams.)

Also saw many questions regarding cure amounts while browsing. Weight is always preferred when measuring cures. But 1tsp cure #1 is for 5#ground meats (sausage) for whole muscles the general rule is 2tsp per 5# piece of meat.

20160510_191930.jpg

• rmiller
• May 10, 2016

20160510_192727.jpg

• rmiller
• May 10, 2016

First time posting from my phone, hope the pics show up! :) anybody else use a cure that's more of a rub/dry brine?

 

[rmiller]

Also the off date was way wrong lmbo. I only do 5-6 days. I looked at a calendar and obviously cannot count.

 

[dirtsailor2003]

This is what I use for curing bacon. I use it for BBB, Canadian and belly. I do add other spices, garlic, white pepper, etc.

http://diggingdogfarm.com/page2.html

Belly and buckboard I cure for 7-14 days. Cold Smoke for 18-24 hours over several days , smoking for 6-8 hours each day. Rest overnight in fridge then repeat. I then let the bacon rest in the fridge for 5-7 days before slicing and packing for storage.

 

[SmokinAl]

Most of us who use a dry cure do it the way Case does.

You wrote:

Also saw many questions regarding cure amounts while browsing. Weight is always preferred when measuring cures. But 1tsp cure #1 is for 5#ground meats (sausage) for whole muscles the general rule is 2tsp per 5# piece of meat.

It is always 1 tsp per 5# of meat, no matter if it's ground or not.

Al

 

[rmiller]

All of Ruhlman and Polcyn's recipes reference 1tsp for ground meats and 2tsp for whole muscles, as they get rinsed regarding 5#batches. If i am wrong that's fine, their books are the ones i most reference because I like the recipes so it's where i get most of my information regarding the cure amounts

 

[dirtsailor2003]

All of Ruhlman and Polcyn's recipes reference 1tsp for ground meats and 2tsp for whole muscles, as they get rinsed regarding 5#batches. If i am wrong that's fine, their books are the ones i most reference because I like the recipes so it's where i get most of my information regarding the cure amounts

You'll find lots of questionable recipes out there on curing bacon.  The most foolproof way of figuring out your Cure #1 amount is using the USDA guidelines for nitrite ppm, and calculating out the amount of Cure #1 by weight.  

For dry-cured bacon (without the skin), USDA says not to exceed 200 ppm of sodium nitrite.  If your bacon still has the skin on, then don't exceed 180 ppm of sodium nitrite.  If you are making your bacon by curing it in a brine, then don't exceed 120 ppm for skin on, or 108 ppm for skin off.

To calculate how much Cure #1 you need, here is the formula:

Cure #1 weight in grams = (ppm sodium nitrite) * (weight of belly in grams) / (.0625) / 1,000,000

1 tsp of Cure #1 weighs about 6 grams.  Cure #1 is 6.25% sodium nitrite and 93.75% salt.  

So for 5 lbs of pork belly, here is out it calculates out:

1 tsp of Cure #1 per 5 lbs belly = 165 ppm (meets USDA standards)

2 tsp of Cure #1 per 5 lbs belly = 330 ppm (above the USDA limit)

4 tsp of Cure #1 per 5 lbs belly = 660 ppm (3x above the USDA limit)

This is why the standard calls for using 1 tsp of Cure #1 per 5# of belly.  I'd personally throw out the belly that you used 4 tsp of Cure #1 on, but that is just me.  Others may have other opinions about that.