# new to forum- first batches of bacon



## smokin_kiwi (Jun 10, 2021)

Hi there
I am from New Zealand and found this site while researching bacon curing. So far I have done two batches of bacon and both were successful first was a pork belly and second was a pork loin. I cold smoke with a venturi style smoke generator attached to an old refrigerator.


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## kilo charlie (Jun 10, 2021)

Welcome to SMF! 

Your bacon and your cold smoker set up look pretty awesome!


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## SmokinEdge (Jun 10, 2021)

Welcome to SMF.
That bacon looks tasty. Tell me about your recipe.


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## smokerjim (Jun 10, 2021)

welcome to smf. bacon looks good


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## kruizer (Jun 10, 2021)

Welcome to SMF from Minnesota. Smoker looks awesome.


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## gmc2003 (Jun 10, 2021)

Looks like a total success to me. Back in high school we had a foreign exchange student from New Zealand. She fit in with our crowd like she grew up here. 

Point for sure
Chris


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## Wurstmeister (Jun 10, 2021)

Welcome to the Forum from South Carolina's Thoroughbred Country.  The bacon has beautiful rich color.  Didn't note much surface seasoning.  How did you season it?  Sharp looking and compact cold smoker.  Like the layout and footprint.  
John


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## MadMax281 (Jun 10, 2021)

Welcome to SMF from Houston. Looks great.


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## SmokinAl (Jun 10, 2021)

Welcome to SMF!
Your bacon looks awesome!
Al


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## smokin_kiwi (Jun 10, 2021)

Wurstmeister said:


> Welcome to the Forum from South Carolina's Thoroughbred Country.  The bacon has beautiful rich color.  Didn't note much surface seasoning.  How did you season it?  Sharp looking and compact cold smoker.  Like the layout and footprint.
> John


Hi John
I don't season my bacon I just cure for 7 days then rinse, dry and put in fridge till it forms a good pellicle then into the cold smoker. I aim fir bacon that I remember as a kid when it was made and smoked in the butchers store, I leave my seasonings for low n slow bbq :)


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## smokin_kiwi (Jun 10, 2021)

SmokinEdge said:


> Welcome to SMF.
> That bacon looks tasty. Tell me about your recipe.


Its nothing special just a 50/50 mix of rock salt and premade cure weighed out to 5% of the meat weight and some maple syrup thrown in for a bit of sweetness. I have been vacuum sealing the meat while curing and foing the usual flip over every 24hrs for 7 days then rinse and pat dry taste test then put in fridge to form a pellicle and off to old smokey


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## Winterrider (Jun 10, 2021)

Welcome from North Dakota.  Nice job on the bacon, looks good!


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## SmokinEdge (Jun 10, 2021)

smokin_kiwi said:


> Its nothing special just a 50/50 mix of rock salt and premade cure weighed out to 5% of the meat weight and some maple syrup thrown in for a bit of sweetness. I have been vacuum sealing the meat while curing and foing the usual flip over every 24hrs for 7 days then rinse and pat dry taste test then put in fridge to form a pellicle and off to old smokey


5% salt to meat weight is stout. I’m assuming you are using potassium nitrate for cure? I get the 50% salt, but what is the other 50%? No criticism, just genuinely curious. It is fascinating to me to learn how peoples around the globe successfully cure meats.


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## smokin_kiwi (Jun 10, 2021)

SmokinEdge said:


> 5% salt to meat weight is stout. I’m assuming you are using potassium nitrate for cure? I get the 50% salt, but what is the other 50%? No criticism, just genuinely curious. It is fascinating to me to learn how peoples around the globe successfully cure meats.


The cure mix contains salt and sodium nitrite hence the 50/50 mix of salt and bacon cure. I found 5% of the meat weight for the cure was pretty good was not too salty unlike the belly bacon where I goofed and went 15% and ended up having to soak it to get the excess salt out.


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## SmokinEdge (Jun 10, 2021)

smokin_kiwi said:


> The cure mix contains salt and sodium nitrite hence the 50/50 mix of salt and bacon cure. I found 5% of the meat weight for the cure was pretty good was not too salty unlike the belly bacon where I goofed and went 15% and ended up having to soak it to get the excess salt out.


Good to know. So how much sodium nitrate is applied, by weight To the meat?


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## chef jimmyj (Jun 11, 2021)

Welcome to SMF.
The Bacon and Smoker both look great.
I too am curious about the % Nitrite in the Curing Salt? With common Prague Powder, 6.25% Nitrite, 5% of the meat weight would be SUPER High, considering 0.25% of the weight is sufficient. I have seen a few European Cure Mixes that have significantly lower amounts of Nitrite.
Then there is Morton's Tender Quick with 0.5% each of Nitrite and Nitrate....JJ


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## smokin_kiwi (Jun 11, 2021)

chef jimmyj said:


> Welcome to SMF.
> The Bacon and Smoker both look great.
> I too am curious about the % Nitrite in the Curing Salt? With common Prague Powder, 6.25% Nitrite, 5% of the meat weight would be SUPER High, considering 0.25% of the weight is sufficient. I have seen a few European Cure Mixes that have significantly lower amounts of Nitrite.
> Then there is Morton's Tender Quick with 0.5% each of Nitrite and Nitrate....JJ


Sodium nitrite percentage in the curing mix I buy is 0.99% and there fore eliminates me having to measure out any sodium nitrite this cure mix is made by a butcher who sells online here in New Zealand. Also if I was to use Prague #1and make my own mix from scratch I already know it is 2.5grams per Kilogram of meat when using it.


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## chef jimmyj (Jun 11, 2021)

Thank You Sir!☺ We watch each others backs here. Lots of guys have posted Cure Recipes, off the Net, with Crazy Large amounts of Prague Powder or other cure mixes. Take care...JJ


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## daveomak (Jun 11, 2021)

*Ingredients                 *
               Salt, Cane and Maple Sugar (100% Maple Syrup), Sodium Nitrite (1%).

As best I can, I will explain how to use this "Turkey cure" as a dry rub to your bacon.....

cure#1 is 6.25% nitrite...  This stuff is 1% nitrite...
Therefore    6.25/1 = 6.25 X the amount of Turkey Cure is necessary for the proper amount of nitrite to cure the meat..
cure#1 is used at a rate of ~1.1 grams per pound for ~ 150 Ppm.....
Dry rub bacon can accept up to 200 Ppm nitrite according to the USDA....

So, knowing that, to get the correct amount of cure for your bacon, 1.1 X 6.25 = ~6.9 grams of Turkey Cure / per pound of meat will satisfy the cure needs...
My bellies are ~5#'s each and ~6.9 grams will return ~ 150  Ppm cure...
200/150 X 6.9 = ~46 grams of Turkey cure for ~200 Ppm nitrite...
Minimum amount of nitrite = ~120 Ppm nitrite would be ....  120/150 X 6.9 grams = 5.5 grams of Turkey cure to meet the minimum requirement for nitrite, according to the USDA...
There is a lot of leeway to keep the bacon in the safe zone....   No worries....

The Maple adds a nice flavor to the bacon....

I have requested the %Salt in the Turkey Cure from Walton's, and will report their response when I receive it..



I too use a 1% nitrite commercial mix...






						Old World Bacon...  My Way....
					

To those that miss the flavor of "slab bacon" that was readily available in the meat markets up until the 1960's, here's my adaptation to that great flavor... It's still available at niche markets at a ridiculous  price....  The commercial mix I have been using is nowhere to be found....  I did...




					www.smokingmeatforums.com


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## smokin_kiwi (Jun 11, 2021)

chef jimmyj said:


> Thank You Sir!☺ We watch each others backs here. Lots of guys have posted Cure Recipes, off the Net, with Crazy Large amounts of Prague Powder or other cure mixes. Take care...JJ


I can fully understand that I have seen some while google searching that made me go WTF,


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## JLeonard (Jun 11, 2021)

Good looking bacon! I like the cold setup also. Welcome from Mississippi.
Jim


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