# bacon way too salty



## mister ed (Feb 15, 2014)

I made a small slab of bacon and it turned out way saltier than it should. I used a dry cure and I think I used too much. I smoked it anyway to IT 150 F. My question is can it be used or is it toxic and what can I do to cut the salt if I do use it is blanching effective. I would appreciate any advice.


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## eman (Feb 15, 2014)

what cure mix did you use and how much? how much did the belly weigh? 

Yes to much cure can be toxic.

  ALWAYS do a fry test before smoking to check salt. you can soak unsmoked  bacon in water to remove some of the salt .Once you smoke / cook it ,it is what it is.

 Do not eat it until you get some answers on if you used to much cure!


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## mister ed (Feb 15, 2014)

I used basic dry cure from charcuterie
and I put about 1/2 cup in a pan dredged in the cure then shook the excess off. The belly was around 3 lbs. I also put around 3/4 cup brown sugar on it.


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## eman (Feb 15, 2014)

you should only use 1 tsp cure ( 6.25% sodium nitrate) per 5 lbs of meat. If you used a pre mixed cure that was not just curing salt  and  followed the directions you should be fine. 

 I use TQ on my first batch of bacon and had to soak it for 4 hrs to get the salt level down enough for me.

 Now i use pink salt and mix my own seasonings and don't have the salt problem..


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## wade (Feb 17, 2014)

Mister Ed said:


> I used basic dry cure from charcuterie
> and I put about 1/2 cup in a pan dredged in the cure then shook the excess off. The belly was around 3 lbs. I also put around 3/4 cup brown sugar on it.





eman said:


> you should only use 1 tsp cure ( 6.25% sodium nitrate) per 5 lbs of meat. If you used a pre mixed cure that was not just curing salt  and  followed the directions you should be fine.
> 
> I use TQ on my first batch of bacon and had to soak it for 4 hrs to get the salt level down enough for me.
> 
> Now i use pink salt and mix my own seasonings and don't have the salt problem..



Was this a ready to use dry cure or was it a curing salt concentrate (like Pink Salt)? If it was the concentrate then do not eat it. I am sure though that you would have followed the instructions that came with it.

When dry curing you need to also ensure that there is sufficient nitrate/nitrite in contact with the meat for the duration of the cure and so if you simply coated the surface with the salt and shook off the rest then you cannot be sure how much cure actually remained.

The amount of saltiness will also will be a result of the time you left the bacon in contact with the meat. You say it was a "small slab" however the concept of what a small slab is will differ depending on whether you are a pig farmer in Iowa or an accountant in London. Generally the thinner slabs of streaky (belly) pork you will only need to cure for a few days however thicker back bacon will take about a week. How long did you cure for?

As eman says - test a slice before you smoke. Be mindful though that the very end slices will always taste a lot more salty than the ones several slices in.


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