# Homemade cure for Buckboard bacon?



## whisper100

I have a 7 lbs Boston butt my brother brought yesterday hoping I could make some buckboard bacon.  I use to use the Hi-Mountain cure for it, but looking for the cure online, seems for what the cure and shipping costs, it'd be cheaper just to buy bacon from the grocery store.

Since I've already got the Boston butt, I was thinking of making the cure myself.  I've seen some recipes that just use kosher/sea salt, sugar, and spices for the cure, but those recipes use pork belly, which I know takes less time to cure than the butt.  

If I add Prague Powder #1 to one of these bacon recipes, will the meat be safe to eat if I cure it for 10 days then smoke it?  If so, how much Prague Powder #1 should I use for 7 lbs of pork?


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## noboundaries

Whisper100, I see this is your first post.  Be sure to stop in over at Roll Call so folks can say "hi" properly. 

I use the same cure recipe for butts (buckboard), loins (including tenderloins and sirloins), country style ribs, etc.  I've got 7.5 lbs of pork sirloin curing as I type. 

The thickness of the meat will determine how long you need to cure it safely.  Figure 1 week (7 days) per inch of thickness, but you can go longer without it being a problem if you are using cure #1. 

I also smoke my buckboard bacon (Canadian bacon, etc) low n slow until the internal temp is 145-150F.  This way it is safe to eat without frying.  It is more like a ham actually. 

*Cured Pork with Prague Powder #1*

.

*Ingredients per Pound of Pork*
1 lb Boneless Pork
1 1/2 tsp Morton's kosher salt .....  OR
1 3/4 tsp Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
1/5 tsp Prague powder #1
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbs dark brown sugar
1/4 cup water or beef stock
 

*Directions*

1. Put the meat in a ZipLock bag large enough to hold the meat. Add the curing ingredients and water.  Zip the bag and squish everything around until well mixed. Put the bag in another Ziplock to catch any leaks and place in the fridge at 34 to 38°F 7 days per inch of thickness. 

3. Remove the meat from the bag, throw the liquid away.  Pat dry.  Either put back in the fridge for 24 hours, uncovered to form a pellicle, or put right on the smoker. 

4. Hot smoke over indirect heat at 225°F until the internal temp is 150°F, about 2-4 hours.

5. Cool, vacuum seal, and store in refrigerator or freezer.  Do not wrap in foil because it can react with the salt.


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## daveomak

Whisper100 said:


> I have a 7 lbs Boston butt my brother brought yesterday hoping I could make some buckboard bacon.  I use to use the Hi-Mountain cure for it, but looking for the cure online, seems for what the cure and shipping costs, it'd be cheaper just to buy bacon from the grocery store.
> 
> Since I've already got the Boston butt, I was thinking of making the cure myself.  I've seen some recipes that just use kosher/sea salt, sugar, and spices for the cure, but those recipes use pork belly, which I know takes less time to cure than the butt.
> 
> If I add Prague Powder #1 to one of these bacon recipes, will the meat be safe to eat if I cure it for 10 days then smoke it?  If so, how much Prague Powder #1 should I use for 7 lbs of pork?


Ray has noted a good recipe for you...   it is for 1# so adjust accordingly...

Morning and welcome...   An electronic scale makes for more repeatable recipes and a product that is safe, when curing using nitrite, cure #1 and others....  For a 6.25% nitrite cure, that's what's generally available in the US, for sausage, 1.1 grams per pound of meat...  for bacon, 0.9 grams of cure #1 per pound of meat..    or 1 tsp. per 5#'s for both, if you don't have a scale...

Scales can be had fairly inexpensively...  click on the link below...


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