# Firs time making bacon



## JBPilot (Feb 1, 2022)

Ok guys, this is my first time making bacon.  I‘m planning on cold smoking it using my amnps tray with cherry dust.  I’m planning on doing 3-4 6-8 hour smokes with a rest in the fridge overnight in between.  I am using a basic recipe from here consisting of .25% cure #1, 1.5% coarse ground kosher salt (coarse ground is all I had), and .75% brown sugar.  I put all that into a bag and mixed it well then added the pork belly and made sure the whole thing is covered in the cure mix.  I’m planning to flip/massage the belly every day or other day for 10-12 days before I start the cold smoke process.  

1.802Kg Belly
45.05g cure #1
270.3g salt
135.15g brown sugar

Can y’all just tell me if I’m off base here?  Does this all look right?  

Here’s a few pictures just because everyone loves pictures!


----------



## mr_whipple (Feb 1, 2022)

Your math is way off. I think you moved a decimal point somewhere.  4.5 grams of #1 is .25% of 1802 grams. Same for your salt  at 1.5% (27.03 grams) and sugar at. 75% (13.5 grams)

That much #1 is 2.5 % which is way too high. I don't know where that puts you at ppm but I'm sure it's off the chart, as in unsafe to eat.


----------



## JBPilot (Feb 1, 2022)

Crap,  I’ll wash it off now.  Thanks for the catch!  Looking at my numbers now it should have been obvious that I was using WAAAAYYY too much!

it had only been on there for an hour or so, shouldn’t be a problem to just wash it off and start over right?


----------



## SmokinEdge (Feb 1, 2022)

JBPilot said:


> Crap,  I’ll wash it off now.  Thanks for the catch!  Looking at my numbers now it should have been obvious that I was using WAAAAYYY too much!
> 
> it had only been on there for an hour or so, shouldn’t be a problem to just wash it off and start over right?


Yup just wash it off since it was only an hour. And start over. 

 mr_whipple
 gave you solid numbers for the amounts. Watch that decimal point in the future, it makes a huge difference.

1802g (no decimal)
1.5% (0.015 )
0.75% (0.0075)
0.25% (0.0025)
The percentage written as a decimal number.


----------



## Brokenhandle (Feb 1, 2022)

Also, you can use diggingdogfarms cure calculator to figure out what you need. Type in the weight of meat and what percentage of salt and sugar you want...cure amount is set so you can't mess it up.

Ryan


----------



## JBPilot (Feb 1, 2022)

Thank you 

 SmokinEdge
 yeah, I know it makes a big difference and I feel like a dunce. Thank you for the numbers. I’ve done plenty of sausage and other stuff.  It was just a lapse.  Thank you again 

 mr_whipple
 for the catch!  I’ll update this later with pictures during the smoke.  Other than that monumental screwup with math does everything else look good to y’all?

This is why I asked y’all!


----------



## thirdeye (Feb 1, 2022)

Brokenhandle
 is correct about the ease of using Martin's "digging dog farm" online calculator. And in all honesty it is more accurate than most long-hand calculations because it accounts for the amount of salt used as the carrier for sodium nitrite in Cure #1.  In other words the total salt is spot on.

I learned about curing before the internet    and it's always good to understand the math behind an online calculator or spreadsheet. Here is snippet I have posted often. Once you realize how easy it is to work with the metric system, everything falls into place. 

*Curing Mathematics* - _I strongly suggest buying a gram scale and weighing the Cure #1 in grams, and it's just as easy to weigh the salt and sugar because grams and kilograms work hand in hand with percentages._  For example let's say you have a 5.29 pound (2.4 kilogram) pork belly and decide on a formulation that is 2% salt, 1.5% sugar and 0.25% Cure #1.  *For every kilogram (1000 grams) of meat you will need:*

20 grams of salt
15 grams of sugar
2.5 grams of Cure #1 
Here is a sample calculation if you have a 2.4 kilogram pork belly. You multiply the grams needed per kilo times the weight in kilos of your pork belly:
20g X 2.4kg = 48g of salt
15g X 2.4kg = 36g of sugar
2.5g X 2.4kg = 6g of Cure #1


----------



## JBPilot (Feb 1, 2022)

Thanks 

 thirdeye
 I did do everything in metric because like you said, it really is easier.  I just screwed up the decimal point. 

I really appreciate the help everyone!


----------



## SmokinEdge (Feb 1, 2022)

JBPilot said:


> Other than that monumental screwup with math does everything else look good to y’all?


Lol, don’t beat yourself up to much. Glad you posted what you did and it was caught and fixed. Otherwise wise it looks like you will make some very tasty bacon. 1.5% salt and .75% sugar is what I use also (when you add the .25% cure #1, the total salt is 1.75% that’s the sweet spot for me). How long you going to cure for?


----------



## JBPilot (Feb 1, 2022)

SmokinEdge said:


> Lol, don’t beat yourself up to much. Glad you posted what you did and it was caught and fixed. Otherwise wise it looks like you will make some very tasty bacon. 1.5% salt and .75% sugar is what I use also (when you add the .25% cure #1, the total salt is 1.75% that’s the sweet spot for me). How long you going to cure for?



I’m not beating myself up too much. In my profession (pilot) you’ve got to be able to admit mistakes and learn from them. 

My plan was to go about 10-12 days curing depending on my work schedule. After that I was planning to just cold smoke them with 3-4 different 6-8 hour smoking sessions. After that I’d let it set about 24 hours in the fridge then slice and bag up to save. 

I’m not 100% positive but I think your recipe is what I was copying to make my bacon. 

I’m equal parts excited and scared. Excited for the good bacon, scared that I’m not going to want any store bought bacon after this!


----------



## SmokinEdge (Feb 1, 2022)

Sounds like you have a good plan. I’ll be watching for the results.

Biggest problem you’ll have after this first one will be a steady supply of affordable bellies.


----------



## poacherjoe (Feb 1, 2022)

Biggest problem you’ll have after this first one will be a steady supply of affordable bellies.
[/QUOTE] Is $3.69 per pound a good price for pork belly ?


----------



## DougE (Feb 1, 2022)

SmokinEdge said:


> Biggest problem you’ll have after this first one will be a steady supply of affordable bellies.


His biggest problem is he will want to cure everything in sight.


----------



## fxsales1959 (Feb 1, 2022)

I didn't know you was supposed to measure it. I'm about 3 years in making my own and haven't died yet.


----------



## DougE (Feb 1, 2022)

thirdeye said:


> And in all honesty it is more accurate than most long-hand calculations because it accounts for the amount of salt used as the carrier for sodium nitrite in Cure #1


Long as you know how much salt the cure#1 will add (.25%), calculating long hand works fine. I prefer to know how to do it myself. What if the calculator I use disappears from the net?  What if I have something I need to cure right this minute, and I have no internet access?


----------



## SmokinEdge (Feb 1, 2022)

DougE said:


> Long as you know how much salt the cure#1 will add (.25%), calculating long hand works fine. I prefer to know how to do it myself. What if the calculator I use disappears from the net?  What if I have something I need to cure right this minute, and I have no internet access?


And every important, to you book written,  should be purchased in paper print. Stored proper, those books hold knowledge indefinitely. Even in a power outage. No batteries required. In your head is good too, but you can’t pass it along when you go, but a printed book can.


----------



## daveomak (Feb 1, 2022)

DougE said:


> Long as you know how much salt the cure#1 will add (.25%), calculating long hand works fine. I prefer to know how to do it myself. What if the calculator I use disappears from the net?  What if I have something I need to cure right this minute, and I have no internet access?




For mostly everything I use 1.5% salt (x0.015), 1% sugar (x0.010) and 0.25% cure#1 (x0.0025)...  Let it sit in the refer for12-14 days..  Rinse lightly, back in the refer for another couple days on a wire rack...


----------



## DougE (Feb 1, 2022)

daveomak said:


> For mostly everything I use 1.5% salt (x0.015), 1% sugar (x0.010) and 0.25% cure#1 (x0.0025)... Let it sit in the refer for12-14 days.. Rinse lightly, back in the refer for another couple days on a wire rack...


I pretty much do the same, but I do .75% on the sugar


----------



## JBPilot (Feb 1, 2022)

I’m already curing and smoking all kinds of stuff! (My sister-in-law wanted cheese and cheese-it’s which were apparently amazing!) as for the price, I wish I could get a pork belly for $3.xx a pound. If I can find it here it’s in the $5.xx + range.


----------



## thirdeye (Feb 1, 2022)

DougE said:


> What if the calculator I use disappears from the net? What if I have something I need to cure right this minute, and I have no internet access?








No internet???    Let's not let that shut down a good thing....


----------



## mr_whipple (Feb 2, 2022)

I do the math myself because I'm ultra  paranoid about stuff like that. Glad it was caught it before it was too late.


----------



## JBPilot (Feb 2, 2022)

mr_whipple said:


> I do the math myself because I'm ultra  paranoid about stuff like that. Glad it was caught it before it was too late.



I am too, thank you again 

 mr_whipple
. I’m normally pretty good at math, just had a dunce moment I guess!


----------



## mr_whipple (Feb 2, 2022)

It's all good


----------



## buzzy (Feb 3, 2022)

Not to highjack this thread but the diggingdog calculator caught my interest. Is quick & easy to use when only using cure 1 or 2 times a year. Question is why is his cure percentage at 6.25 not .25? Is this to account for the salt in cure #1. Do all #1 cure have the same salt in them? Just want to be sure before using calculator . Never used cure #1 but want to start to try different cures. Have only used Tenderquick so far but want to make some bacon with #1.
Thanks


----------



## mr_whipple (Feb 3, 2022)

The 6.25% is the percentage of nitrite in #1 cure. The other 93.75% is salt. It's just breaking out the percentage of salt so you're not forgetting to when figuring your total salt percentage, say you want 1.75% total salt, you calculate the cure at .25% and the salt at 1.5%.


----------



## buzzy (Feb 3, 2022)

mr_whipple said:


> The 6.25% is the percentage of nitrite in #1 cure. The other 93.75% is salt. It's just breaking out the percentage of salt so you're not forgetting to when figuring your total salt percentage, say you want 1.75% total salt, you calculate the cure at .25% and the salt at 1.5%.


Didn't know content of #1. Just looked closer at pack of #1 just recently got to see it says 6.25. DUH! Live & learn.  
Thanks again


----------



## DougE (Feb 3, 2022)

Just remember using that calc, your total salt % will include the cure. I calculate myself and add 1.5% salt in addition to what's in the cure (1.75% total salt). If I were to plug my 1.5% into the calculator, 1.5% total salt is what I would get, not the 1.75% I want.


----------



## jcam222 (Feb 3, 2022)

I have two Berkshire bellies in the freezer. I need to get them out and curing. Will prolly cure 1 1/2 and do half as burnt ends.


----------



## buzzy (Feb 3, 2022)

DougE said:


> Just remember using that calc, your total salt % will include the cure. I calculate myself and add 1.5% salt in addition to what's in the cure (1.75% total salt). If I were to plug my 1.5% into the calculator, 1.5% total salt is what I would get, not the 1.75% I want.


So u could change the salt in calculator to 1.75 to get the 1.75 u want??


----------



## buzzy (Feb 3, 2022)

jcam222 said:


> I have two Berkshire bellies in the freezer. I need to get them out and curing. Will prolly cure 1 1/2 and do half as burnt ends.


MMMMMMMM burnt ends. They r really good.


----------



## DougE (Feb 3, 2022)

buzzy said:


> So u could change the salt in calculator to 1.75 to get the 1.75 u want??


Yes. If I put 1.75 into the calc, total salt will be 1.75%. I didn't really think about it the one time I used it, and put 1.5 in thinking I'd get the 1.5% in addition to the .25% from the cure, but the calc adds both together, so the amount the calc said to add put me at 1.5% . The calc works, and is fine, but it really doesn't take me much longer to whip the calculator out on my phone and multiply everything out myself.


----------



## JBPilot (Feb 11, 2022)

Well I figured 10 days was enough time. I threw the belly into get some smoke today. I plan on smoking about 8 hours then back into the fridge overnight. I’ll do about the same tomorrow and then again on Sunday. After that I’ll slice it and bag it up (what I don’t immediately cook lol). Can’t wait!!!


----------



## thirdeye (Feb 11, 2022)

There is always a benefit of some mellowing in-the-fridge time after smoking. 

When you do decide to slice, put some in the freezer as a reminder of how good it is, but keep a generous amount fresh,  just experiment with it. One suggestion is PIG CANDY.  So good.


----------



## JBPilot (Feb 11, 2022)

Oh I’m definitely going to try the pig candy!!! Thanks for that!


----------



## JBPilot (Feb 12, 2022)

Day two smoking.


----------



## JBPilot (Feb 13, 2022)

Ok, i don’t have a picture yet (I’ll get one tomorrow when I slice it) but I’m done.  I fried a small piece and I LOVE it!!! I did have a lot of trouble with my smoker tray today though.  I didn’t realize that Amazen quit selling their sawdust.  The only one that I could find was from LEM.  I could NOT get that stuff to stay lit!  What is everyone with those doing for sawdust now?


----------



## DougE (Feb 13, 2022)

I haven't, but I reckon some are soaking pellets in water to make dust.


----------



## JBPilot (Feb 14, 2022)

Ok, now I get why y’all do this!!! Holy crap this is wonderful bacon!!! I’m already trying to figure out where I can go get another belly!!

Thanks for the help y’all!


----------



## bauchjw (Feb 14, 2022)

Wow! Just beautiful! that looks so good! Nice job jumping in!


----------



## JBPilot (Feb 14, 2022)

bauchjw said:


> Wow! Just beautiful! that looks so good! Nice job jumping in!



Thanks! I’m afraid I don’t have enough lol that was just some of what I cut in the picture (obviously) but still….


----------



## mr_whipple (Feb 14, 2022)

Looks like it all worked out. You're now about to have a problem  with bacon....in  good way!!! I'm about to make a BLT omelette with some home made bacon.


----------



## DougE (Feb 14, 2022)

Nice looking bacon! Heck it's well worth the effort. If you can't find a belly, try doing buckboard. Some here actually prefer it to belly bacon. I'm kind of on the fence on that, but BB is way cheaper to make.


----------



## JBPilot (Feb 14, 2022)

mr_whipple said:


> Looks like it all worked out. You're now about to have a problem  with bacon....in  good way!!! I'm about to make a BLT omelette with some home made bacon.



It did, thank you very much again! And yes I’ve got a big problem with bacon now lol!



 DougE
 what cut do you use to make BB?


----------



## DougE (Feb 14, 2022)

JBPilot said:


> DougE
> 
> 
> DougE
> what cut do you use to make BB?


Boneless pork shoulder. My grocery store usually has boneless boston butt roasts between 2 and 3 inches thick for less than 2 bucks a pound. You can also but whole butts and cut your own slabs.


----------



## DougE (Feb 14, 2022)

I just picked this one up awhile ago


----------

