# Help with first bacon cure



## OhioCook (Mar 17, 2018)

I’m thinking my bacon is done it is skin on.  I used traditional method with course Kosher salt and turbinado sugar.  I was under the impression you put in new container and touch up salt every day.  The first 24 hrs I got loads of moisture every day since I have barely gotten moist salt under the belly.  I thought it was supposed to take 7 days roughly to cure.  I tried a slice yesterday and liked it just need to pull some salt out. Took my brother some he said he may have burnt it and it had a lot of grease and some hard spots.  I’ll take some pictures and post any help would be great.

Also, with the sweetness from the sugar any opinions on peppering and smoking was going to do green and black peppercorns and smoke it but not sure that will compliment the sweetness.


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## OhioCook (Mar 17, 2018)

Here’s the bacon today cut it in half to see the center. About to rinse and soak hoping to hear from someone first.


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## OhioCook (Mar 17, 2018)

Oh, this belly seems like almost all fat too.  Did I get an end piece the roast I made had more meat and he slice I fried up was good but again like 10% meat 90% fat is that normal


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## atomicsmoke (Mar 17, 2018)

What recipe are you using? Doesn't sound like bacon. It sounds like salted belly. If you covered the belly in salt no wonder is hard.

Are you using cure#1? You need to if you want bacon that tastes like bacon.

Look up here dry cured bacon and pops brine. Two true and tried methods that yield oustanding bacon.

And yes it takes a lot longer than 24h to cure. Longer than 7 days usually. Most members here cure for 10-14 days.

Lack of moisture is not an indication of the curing status. Nor is the meat colour.


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## OhioCook (Mar 17, 2018)

I was doing a traditional cure without curing salt if the videos I watched on YouTube were accurate.  I wanted to try doing it without curing salt before I try curing salt.  Today is day 8.  The slice I ate yesterday tased good like bacon just salty.  I’ll check out those recipes here shortly.


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## OhioCook (Mar 17, 2018)

Can you not cure pork belly with just salt? And, peppering or smoking afterwards if desired?


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## atomicsmoke (Mar 17, 2018)

OhioCook said:


> Can you not cure pork belly with just salt? And, peppering or smoking afterwards if desired?


You can cure belly with just salt. But you won't get bacon. You can make yourself believe is bacon. But is not.

I cure a variety of meats without pink salt. Just with salt. Including belly. Tastes great but it doesn't taste like bacon.


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## indaswamp (Mar 17, 2018)

You can brine belly without cure, but it will not have the flavor of bacon and it will not turn pink... UNLESS you cold smoke under refrigeration temperatures like they use to do in the old days during winter with traditional smokehouses on hills with the firebox a long distance away and the tunnel lined with cold sand stone so that the smoke entering the smokehouse is very cold. The fire, well the flame from the fire, produces NO and CO gases and that is what will turn the meat pink just like cure will...it's the same molecules....but you might as well just add the cure and be safe about it.
With Cold smoking, the cold temperatures allow the smoke to penetrate deeply within the meat so the pink color travels deep.

I do not recommend this practice. I use cure #1 to ensure safety and I like my bacon to taste like bacon.


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## OhioCook (Mar 17, 2018)

I thought it tasted like bacon yesterday but I guess I’ll have to try it out next time.  Do you recommend cutting off the skin I kind of like it.


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## OhioCook (Mar 17, 2018)

OhioCook said:


> I thought it tasted like bacon yesterday but I guess I’ll have to try it out next time.  Do you recommend cutting off the skin I kind of like it.


Not the cold smoking lol that sounds a bit more involved than I can do at the moment.  But thanks for the help I’ll post again once I get some more pork belly later this month.  Any opinion on peppering after I pull some salt out and smoking?


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## atomicsmoke (Mar 18, 2018)

OhioCook said:


> I thought it tasted like bacon yesterday but I guess I’ll have to try it out next time.  Do you recommend cutting off the skin I kind of like it.


As long you are happy.....

You can leave the skin on if you like it.

Ok to pepper it.


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## OhioCook (Mar 18, 2018)

Thanks I did green and white pepper and smoked it gonna try it tomorrow.


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