Looks good! Want to share you recipe/procedure?
A little saltier than I go but looks great. Try pushing your cure time out to about 14 days. Doing so will give more flavor development that is worth the wait.Dry brine: 2% salt, 0.25% sodium nitrate, 1% sugar (I used brown).
Vacuum sealed and rotated every day for a week.
Rinsed and dried overnight in my fridge then smoked at 200F for about 4 hours using pecan pucks (I use a Bradley smoker).
Turned out amazing!
Beat me to it Doug. Good points.A little saltier than I go but looks great. Try pushing your cure tome out to about 14 days. Doing so will give more flavor development that is worth the wait.
What % salt would you recommend?A little saltier than I go but looks great. Try pushing your cure time out to about 14 days. Doing so will give more flavor development that is worth the wait.
Saw your other thread - assuming the "0.25% sodium nitrate" you listed there was 0.25% cure #1?Dry brine: 2% salt, 0.25% sodium nitrate, 1% sugar (I used brown).
Sorry. I always get the nomenclature wrong! It was definitely cure #1Saw your other thread - assuming the "0.25% sodium nitrate" you listed there was 0.25% cure #1?
If was cure #1, just an FYI that's sodium nitrite, not nitrate. Nitrite (cure 1) is for what bacon and other short cures (like what you're doing here); nitrate (cure 2) is for long cures like dry cured sausages.
Not trying to be pedantic or anything, just want to make sure you used the right stuff
Bacon looks tasty, btw!
What % salt would you recommend?
It's a matter of taste. My numbers aren't necessarily better, just what I prefer. The salt and sugar can be played around with to suit your own taste.What % salt would you recommend?
It's a matter of taste. My numbers aren't necessarily better, just what I prefer. The salt and sugar can be played around with to suit your own taste.
What I use:
0.25% cure#1 (never changes)
1.5% salt (which gives you 1.75% total salt including the salt in the cure)
0.75% sugar