# I need a basic Bacon Cure recipe



## wnc_smoker (Feb 2, 2021)

Why is it that every recipe I look up online comes with some sappy story the author tells about their life, like how they used to pick peaches in the summer with their grandmother.... just give me the ingredient list and instructions already!!!

anywho... had a couple hogs processed and i'm looking for a basic bacon cure using prague powder... everything I find online seems like is written specifically to match the weight of the meat...... like "start with a 3lb belly or 5lb belly"    well I just thawed out a 8lb pork belly and I can find no recipes that match that weight.....  I'm looking for a basic recipe i can use no matter what the weight of the meat is... something with ratios of salt/sugar/prague powder etc...    like, coudln't I mix up a bunch and store what I don't use til next time??


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## smokin peachey (Feb 2, 2021)

Here you go. Enter your meat weight in grams and it will calculate your amounts


			DiggingDogFarm
		

You can adjust % to your taste. Depending what type of salt you use I would drop the salt %.


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## DanMcG (Feb 2, 2021)

you want to go by weight of the meat to get an accurate amount of cure on it
Here's a dry cure formula.
http://www.diggingdogfarm.com/page2.html

Your 8 lb. slab would be 3632grams


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## DanMcG (Feb 2, 2021)

I guess I type to slow


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## daveomak (Feb 2, 2021)

Weigh the belly and add....
1.5 % Kosher Salt....
0.25% Prague Powder (cure#1)
1% white sugar....

That is a starting point recipe....  adjust after the first batch....
Add to the meat, both sides....
Place meat in a non-reactive container..  turn daily for 2 weeks....  check your refer temp to make sure it is between 35 and 38F....

Rinse and dry surface...  form a pellicle and cold smoke (<70F) using pellet dust for 6 hours then again the next day...  
Let bloom in the refer for 4-5 days on a wire rack....
Slice, vac pack and freeze....
Does not taste like store bought...  tastes like 1950's slab bacon from the meat market...

That's a very good BASIC bacon...  you can taste the pig....
If you want flavored bacon,  cover in cracked black pepper, maybe garlic powder, pick your poison...  It's all good...
I've never heard anyone say, "That bacon is bad"....


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## olecrosseyes (Feb 2, 2021)

Like all has said above for a dry brine^^^.
I still need to try that, I just need to get through the pounds of bacon I have in the freezer.

I wish to add something I picked up off of Bearcarver,  before adding the heat to smoke it, cold smoke it for a couple of days! Wholey Carp what a game changer!! Use the "A Maze N" tray and light it up only by its self with the bacon hanging. Let it go 8ish hours and let em rest in the chilled air. Repeat once again or twice over the next couple of days then hot smoke it very low and slow to your desired finished temp. The smoking part is a few days process.


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## wnc_smoker (Feb 2, 2021)

I need a good scale it looks like.... any suggestions on that?


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## WI Smoker77 (Feb 2, 2021)

A general question.....Why do you heat smoke bacon?   I only cold smoke mine.  I use cure #1 and leave it in the dry brine  x amount of days depending on thickness.  Then I 
cold smoke it for approximately 12 hours.  Cut and vac pack.   I have had many compliments on my bacon doing it this way.  I use the Amazin smoke maze tray.   Just wondering if I'm missing something flavor wise or other........Thanks for any responses...


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## DanMcG (Feb 2, 2021)

WI Smoker77 said:


> Just wondering if I'm missing something flavor wise or other


Not that I know of, I cold smoke mine too. Then cook it before I eat it.


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## smokerjim (Feb 2, 2021)

if ya don't mind a wet brine, don't get any easier then pops brine , no need to weigh meat.  1 gallon water, 3/4 to 1 cup salt, same with white sugar, same with brown sugar, 1 heaping table spoon cure.


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## tx smoker (Feb 2, 2021)

wnc_smoker said:


> I need a good scale it looks like.... any suggestions on that?



This is the one I got a couple years ago and love it!!


For weighing larger stuff like bellies just put a large bowl on the scale before you turn it on. It will automatically start at zero, put your belly in the bowl, and there ya have it. This has been a really good unit and very accurate.

Robert


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## bregent (Feb 2, 2021)

WI Smoker77 said:


> A general question.....Why do you heat smoke bacon?



I think for many folks, it's because they don't have access to a cold smoker.


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## thirdeye (Feb 2, 2021)

wnc_smoker said:


> Why is it that every recipe I look up online comes with some sappy story the author tells about their life, like how they used to pick peaches in the summer with their grandmother.... just give me the ingredient list and instructions already!!!
> 
> anywho... had a couple hogs processed and i'm looking for a basic bacon cure using prague powder... everything I find online seems like is written specifically to match the weight of the meat...... like "start with a 3lb belly or 5lb belly"    well I just thawed out a 8lb pork belly and I can find no recipes that match that weight.....  I'm looking for a basic recipe i can use no matter what the weight of the meat is... something with ratios of salt/sugar/prague powder etc...    like, coudln't I mix up a bunch and store what I don't use til next time??


Another vote for dry brine and 2X or 3X in the cold smoker.  It's best to mix your ingredients each time by weight.  In fact when I have 3 pieces for example, I mix 3 separate batches so all ingredients (especially the cure) is spot on accurate. 

And remember,  In two weeks when you check back in on this thread to tell us your success.... no sappy stories.


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## Brokenhandle (Feb 2, 2021)

You can cold smoke it,  some smoke it around 120 degrees,  and others smoke it to where it's fully cooked.  I believe alot of that is personal preference.  I believe it was 

 disco
  that explained it each type or temp gives a different texture.  Others hot smoke it if giving as gifts, thus fully cooked and safe to eat.  Don't know of anyone that eats belly bacon without frying first but for Canadian bacon or buckboard bacon maybe more so.

Ryan


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## daveomak (Feb 2, 2021)

*GRAMS SCALE    ... $14...*


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## bill ace 350 (Feb 2, 2021)

Try Pop's brine  and Bearcarver's recipes.

Use both.

Excellent results, cant go wrong with either.


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## daveomak (Feb 28, 2021)

WI Smoker77 said:


> A general question.....Why do you heat smoke bacon?   I only cold smoke mine.  I use cure #1 and leave it in the dry brine  x amount of days depending on thickness.  Then I
> cold smoke it for approximately 12 hours.  Cut and vac pack.   I have had many compliments on my bacon doing it this way.  I use the Amazin smoke maze tray.   Just wondering if I'm missing something flavor wise or other........Thanks for any responses...



I don't cold smoke when the temp is 17 degrees...  I need heat...
From Marianski...

*Cold Smoking*

Cold smoking at 52-71° F (12-22° C), from 1-14 days, applying thin smoke with occasional breaks in between, is one of the oldest preservation methods. We cannot produce cold smoke if the outside temperature is 90° F (32° C), unless we can cool it down, which is what some industrial smokers do. Cold smoking is a drying process whose purpose is to remove moisture thus preserving a product.
You will find that different sources provide different temperatures for cold smoking. In European countries where most of the cold smoking is done, the upper temperature is accepted as 86° F (30° C). The majority of Russian, Polish and German meat technology books call for 71° F (22° C), some books ask for 77° F (25° C). Fish starts to cook at 85° F (29.4° C) and if you want to make delicious cold smoked salmon that is smoked for a long time, obviously you can not exceed 86° F (30° C). Cold smoking assures us of total smoke penetration inside of the meat. The loss of moisture also is uniform in all areas and the total weight loss falls within 5-20% depending largely on the smoking time. Cold smoking is not a continuous process, it is stopped (no smoke) a few times to allow fresh air into the smoker.
In XVIII century brick built smokehouses a fire was started every morning. It smoldered as long as it could and if it stopped, it would be restarted again the following morning.
Cold smoked meats prevent or slow down the spoilage of fats, which increases their shelf life. The product is drier and saltier with a more pronounced smoky flavor and very long shelf life. The color varies from yellow to dark brown on the surface and dark red inside. Cold smoked products are not submitted to the cooking process. If you want to cold smoke your meats, bear in mind that with the exception of people living in areas with a cold climate like Alaska, it will have to be done in the winter months just as it was done 500 years ago. 

Using dry wood is of utmost importance when cold smoking. It is recommended to keep wood chips in a well defined single pile as they will have less contact with air, thus will smoke better without creating unnecessary flames and heat. By following these rules we achieve 75-85% humidity, creating the best conditions for moisture removal. Once the moisture content drops low enough, the salt present in the meat will further inhibit the development of bacteria and the products can hang in the air for months losing more moisture as time goes by.

Lox (smoked salmon) is smoked with cold smoke for an extended period of time. Applying hotter smoke (over 84° F, 28° C) will just cook the fish, the flavor will change and we will not be able to slice it so thin anymore. Cold smoking is a slow process and the hams, which lend themselves perfectly to this type of smoking, can be smoked from 2 to even 6 weeks. During smoking,  they will slowly be acquiring a golden color along with a smoky flavor.







Cold smoking allows us total smoke penetration inside of the meat. Very little hardening of the outside surface of the meat or casing occurs and smoke penetrates the meat easily. 







Hot smoking dries out the surface of the meat creating a barrier for smoke penetration.

.....


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## bill ace 350 (Mar 1, 2021)

I get excellent results cold smoking at temps between 32 and 40 f.


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## daveomak (Mar 1, 2021)

Have you tried cold smoking in the range Marianski recommends ??


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## bill ace 350 (Mar 1, 2021)

daveomak said:


> Have you tried cold smoking in the range Marianski recommends ??


Yes.


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## wnc_smoker (Mar 1, 2021)

Hey! Yo! I'm the originator of this thread, thanks for all the responses

 so I'm 4 days into a 6 day bacon cure. I used the 'Cure Calculator' this time, because I guessed last time and it was WAY too salty. I hate wasting meat, but I doubt I'll ever eat it.  Anyways, I did what the calculator told me to use, weighed it out on the scale........ So I've notice that I have very little juices draining from the meat... is this because I didn't use enough cure (salt/sugar/#1) or is it because I used the calculator and got it just right???  not sure what's going on.... I went with the calculator that was posted in this thread, but to double check myself i did run my numbers through another calculator I found online and it was calling for 20 grams more of salt.... Did I not use enough cure mix? if so am I screwed?  add more the last couple days?


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## smokerjim (Mar 1, 2021)

can you post amounts of what you used what you used and weight of meat, i'm sure you'll get your answer.


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## wnc_smoker (Mar 1, 2021)

smokerjim said:


> can you post amounts of what you used what you used and weight of meat, i'm sure you'll get your answer.



meat weight = 8.8lbs (3992 g)
salt used = 70g
sugar used 40g
cure#1 used = 10 grams

today was day 6, smoking it tomorrow a bit with some apple wood


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## smokerjim (Mar 2, 2021)

wnc_smoker said:


> meat weight = 8.8lbs (3992 g)
> salt used = 70g
> sugar used 40g
> cure#1 used = 10 grams
> ...


From what I can see your cure mix is right  , whats the temp in your fridge.I just think some meat will leak more juice then others. I'm no pro but that's what I'm going with.


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## chopsaw (Mar 2, 2021)

wnc_smoker said:


> add more the last couple days?


No .  If you used the calculator you should be fine . Some will show more liquid than others . Might soak it back up might not . I keep a therm in the fridge I use for this stuff . Do you know the temp in the fridge ?


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## daveomak (Mar 2, 2021)

When I do a rub cure, I leave it in the fridge 14 days....   Improves the flavor a bunch...


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## wnc_smoker (Mar 2, 2021)

chopsaw said:


> No .  If you used the calculator you should be fine . Some will show more liquid than others . Might soak it back up might not . I keep a therm in the fridge I use for this stuff . Do you know the temp in the fridge ?




yeah so, I realized that I didn't use any maple syrup on this cure which I usually do, this may explain the lack of liquid this round as i would imagine the syrup  being a liquid would add to it.... So I really like the maple flavor, and since I've forgotten to add some during the cure, is it ok to brush maple syrup on it and continue to brush some on as it smokes?


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## chopsaw (Mar 2, 2021)

I've never used it to cure with . I have brushed maple syrup on the slices while in the oven .


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## smokerjim (Mar 2, 2021)

i'm with chopsaw, i think you'll get more maple flavor adding while cooking or even after it's cooked then adding to the cure.


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