# Newbie here w/ basic bacon question



## Ty520 (Feb 26, 2021)

Wife bought me a Masterbuilt Adventure Series Electric smoker for Xmas.

I plan to christen my new smoker with an attempt at a basic Bacon recipe.

 I bought a copy of Ruhlman's "Charcuterie" book as a guide since it seems he's pretty well-respected.  His recipe was for a large batch for multiple slabs of bacon, and measured in ounces, whereas other recipes measured by volume, and only made enough cure for a single batch of bacon  - however, their ratios/ proportions seemed to coincide with Ruhlman's.

i was hoping to go over my understanding of the process for a basic hot smoked bacon process and get a thumbs up/down from you guys to make sure I am doing things properly. my biggest concern is if i am using too much or too little cure.

cure recipe:
-16 ounces kosher salt
-8 ounces brown sugar
-2 ounces PP#1

1. wash and dry my 3# slab of belly
2. dredge the belly on all sides with about 1/4 cup of cure mix, rubbing thoroughly into all crevices
3. put in 2.5gal bag w/ an *additional *(is this necessary?) 1/4 cup cure mix and work the extra cure throughout the bag and belly, and place in fridge.
4. flip each day for 7-10 days until firm
5. rinse thoroughly
6. cut off and cook a sample slice to check saltiness.
7. if too salty, soak in cold water for 30-60 minutes to extract excess salt
8. dry belly and rest in fridge overnight
9. smoke on rack at 200*F until internal temp reaches 150*F
10. trim skin *(any suggestions with  what to do with the skin? )*

Now, for some questions:

-approximately how long should it take for a 3# belly to finish?
-Can I use my Taylor instant digital thermometer to monitor temperature, or will the wire interfere with the door closure?
-How much wood chips should i use for a single  3# belly?


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## 617Smoker (Feb 26, 2021)

Ty520 said:


> Wife bought me a Masterbuilt Adventure Series Electric smoker for Xmas.
> 
> I plan to christen my new smoker with an attempt at a basic Bacon recipe.
> 
> ...



I had about 8 pounds of pork butt rot on me using Ruhlman's recipe (plus, to be fair, I think my fridge was too warm). It wasn't precise enough, and when I looked back at my measurements, it wasn't enough cure. This site, which has been shared many times in this forum, gives you the precision you need http://www.diggingdogfarm.com/page2.html -- I'll let more experienced folks here comment on the rest, but two red flags to me is the imprecise 1/4 cure mixture, and then throwing in another 1/4 on top of that.


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## TheBBQChef (Feb 26, 2021)

This is a great article that covers the topic of curing, and provides a calculator which I use whenever I am concocting a cure.  I haven't used the other reference mentioned above, but if it's widely used on the forum it's likely a solid reference.  









						The Science Of Curing Meats Safely
					

Curing meat is not like any other recipe. You must be pretty precise about some ingredients.



					amazingribs.com


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## Ty520 (Feb 26, 2021)

617Smoker said:


> I had about 8 pounds of pork butt rot on me using Ruhlman's recipe (plus, to be fair, I think my fridge was too warm). It wasn't precise enough, and when I looked back at my measurements, it wasn't enough cure. This site, which has been shared many times in this forum, gives you the precision you need http://www.diggingdogfarm.com/page2.html -- I'll let more experienced folks here comment on the rest, but two red flags to me is the imprecise 1/4 cure mixture, and then throwing in another 1/4 on top of that.



yeah, i was concerned about the impreciseness of it too, but his book came highly recommended - very adamant about not overthinking things. Not a single recipe i came across in books instructed to mix the cure based on meat weight, just as ratios relative no one another.


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## Brokenhandle (Feb 26, 2021)

I would suggest the diggingdog farm cure calculator also, leaves no doubt if you're using correct amounts! It uses grams, so your 3lb slab is 1362 grams (1lb is 454 grams). His calculator is set using 2% salt and  1% sugar. 
You would use
3.4 gr cure # 1
24.05 gr salt
13.62 gr sugar

If you don't have one, I would get a small scale that is accurate to hundreds (.00) of a grams, good for measuring small amounts. 

Time wise don't be in a rush to hot smoke it, you'll end up with bacon without much smoke...many cold smoke their bellies up to 12 hours or more. Look for 

 Bearcarver
  s  step by steps, he gives very detailed instructions for curing and smoking bacon...but he uses tenderquick not cure #1, they are not the same or interchangeable! Another good post is 

 disco
  I believe he has a video on his process. 

You are correct in doing a fry test after curing and before smoking in case it's too salty to your liking. 

Ryan


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## JLeonard (Feb 26, 2021)

Bear's "Step by Step" Index
					

Bear's "Step by Step" Index  I made this index, because a lot of guys use my "Step by Steps", and I couldn't get them all in my Signature. Then I'd have to find the one I had that best suited what they were wanting to do. At times it has taken me forever to find one of my Step by Steps that...




					www.smokingmeatforums.com
				



There is Bears step-by-step. Bookmark it so you can reference it easily.  Its my go to if  I have questions.
Jim


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## Ty520 (Mar 8, 2021)

smoked the slab of bacon this weekend - turned out quite well! Soaked for 30 minutes after washing off the cure, but was too salty for me, as others mentioned above. will soak for a full hour next time.

Reserved half of it for lardons


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