Is my bacon curing properly?

[ImEbee]

I’m attempting bacon for the first time and feel like the curing process is not going quite right. I used the calculator posted in other threads and am concerned that I goofed something up. It’s been a week and I have not seen an appreciable difference in the color, texture or amount of liquid released. I have it vacuum sealed in a food saver bag.

Would it be prudent to take it out and redo the cure or let it ride and see if get progress?

Thanks for the advice, cheers!
Eric

 

[SmokinEdge]

As long as you used cure#1 you are fine. Color won’t change until it’s hot smoked or sliced and fried. If you used the digging dog calculator (most popular) you should be good to go. How much longer will you let it cure? Are going to smoke it?

 

[ImEbee]

I did use the digging dog calculator. I was planning on a week so I’m thinking I’ll put it on my Traeger this weekend. I’ll be making some burnt ends with the other half of the slab I have!

 

[mr_whipple]

^^^^^
What he said, and also tell us your process and numbers for meat weight, cure, salt and sugar. That will make it easy to answer your question.

 

[ImEbee]

4lb 10oz slab converted to 2103 grams. 37g salt, 21g sugar, 5-6g #1 curing salt (pink). Rubbed the cure, stuffed in a food saver bag and vac sealed.

I suppose I was expecting a little more water loss but there hasn’t been an appreciable difference in the amount of moisture after the first 24 hours.

 

[mr_whipple]

Sounds good to me. I normally go for a little longer in the cure...14 days give or take. Sometimes you see a lot of liquid, sometimes you don't.

 

[gmc2003]

4lb 10oz slab converted to 2103 grams. 37g salt, 21g sugar, 5-6g #1 curing salt (pink). Rubbed the cure, stuffed in a food saver bag and vac sealed.

I suppose I was expecting a little more water loss but there hasn’t been an appreciable difference in the amount of moisture after the first 24 hours.

I've never vacuum sealed bacon during the curing stage, but with an air tight bag would you see a lot of drawn out liquid? If there is any liquid I would think it would be dispersed in a thin layer around the bacon and probably not really visible like if you were using a Ziplock bag. Just guessing here.

Chris

 

[SmokinEdge]

Your recipe looks fine. I’m not a fan of vacuum sealing for curing because it seems to me to disrupt the process. Diffusion is first followed by osmosis. For this to work properly the moisture inside the meat must be allowed to the surface, I think vacuum slows that process down. Maybe not but I see no upside to the vacuum in the bag. Some folks pull a soft vacuum then seal maybe better but it’s all not necessary in my mind. Just a simple zip bag and done. Or no bag at all just place on a wire rack loosely covered on top with plastic and let the liquid drain away.

As far as liquid in the bag goes, that’s dependent on the moisture content of the meat, freshness, and how long or how many times frozen. The fresher the more liquid.

 

[indaswamp]

I'd go 2 weeks on the cure.....better results.

 

[DougE]

Recipe looks fine. I don't know if vac sealing has any effect on the cure uptake or not, but I just use plain old ziplock bags. And as Keith said, I'd let it ride for a couple weeks. Full cure will be done in less time, but letting it ride longer gives you better flavor development.

 

[netspyder]

this is how i did mine, and it came out great. i used a vac bag and sealed it but didnt vac it - the zipper bags always leak on me, and then i have to clean the fridge. i didn't get a lot of liquid released... but then ... i'm not really sure how to qualify a lot... it wasn't swimming. don't forget to turn it and flip it - if you don't do that you'll end up with an uneven brine.

 

[Cajun Smokes]

I've never vacuum sealed bacon during the curing stage, but with an air tight bag would you see a lot of drawn out liquid? If there is any liquid I would think it would be dispersed in a thin layer around the bacon and probably not really visible like if you were using a Ziplock bag. Just guessing here.

Chris

Same here, I use the vac sealer but only until most air is removed then seal it. This assures I'm not creating a mess in my fridge.

 

[DougE]

I'm what ya might call cheap. I use the cheap ziplock bags and put them in a full size steam table pan to keep stuff from running all over the fridge if they should leak (they usually don't if you take care to make sure the cheap bag actually is sealed). The bags are way cheaper than vac bags/rolls and the steam table pan was inexpensive and has more than paid for itself.

 

[SmokinEdge]

I'm what ya might call cheap. I use the cheap ziplock bags and put them in a full size steam table pan to keep stuff from running all over the fridge if they should leak (they usually don't if you take care to make sure the cheap bag actually is sealed). The bags are way cheaper than vac bags/rolls and the steam table pan was inexpensive and has more than paid for itself.

AND, if you roll the bag down before loading it, this avoids getting seasoning in the zipper. It’s not difficult and they seal just fine.

 

[ImEbee]

Thanks for the input fellas! Would it be a good idea to open up the vac bag and reseal it to loosen things up a bit? Or I’m thinking just see what happens and use it as a learning experience. Good news is it’s going on the smoker and into my belly before too long!

 

[DougE]

Thanks for the input fellas! Would it be a good idea to open up the vac bag and reseal it to loosen things up a bit? Or I’m thinking just see what happens and use it as a learning experience. Good news is it’s going on the smoker and into my belly before too long!

I'd just roll with it as is.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Yup, I’d just roll with it too. You are fine. Go 10 days at minimum and 14 days for a maximum. Make the days work for your smoke schedule.

 

[SmokinAl]

I have been using the DD calculator for quite a while & for me, vac sealing, but loosely works the best for me. Just enough air left inside to create liquid, and no worries about the seal leaking. I also go a minimum of 14 days in the cure. I just made a batch of bacon & the schedule worked out that it had to be in the cure 17 days. It tasted great!
Al