So I saw the "Belly Prices" thread, and started searching for some pork belly locally. Found some at a mexican market for $3.99/lb. Since these will take a while to cure, I wanted to get a large quantity so I could freeze and have a good stockpile. Maybe not the best idea since this is the first time doing this, but oh well :)
Also, since I always like doing an A/B test, I did half with cure #1 and half with ecocure. I like the idea of using ecocure with my bacon since I want to sear it at high temperatures and that causes nitrosamines, yada yada yada. Not that I'm worried or anything, but I like the idea if it ends up working out well. If not, I'll eat cure #1 bacon happily until the end of my days (worth it if it comes sooner, haha).
(As an aside, why does Sausage Maker insist on having comically oversized containers for everything? I've got a fresh container of ecocure and NFDM and they're like 1/4 full. Takes up way too much space on my shelves... anyhow).
I found a recipe from
SmokinEdge
, and had great luck with his recipes in the past, so I decided to give it a go. Here's the original thread.
The starting bacon. I got the sense this wasn't premium, as there wasn't much actual meat on these pieces.
I weighed out each piece and measured out the appropriate quantities of cure #1 (0.25%) for the first two pieces, and ecocure (1%) for the rest. The container in the bottom left is the mix of granulated garlic and white pepper to dust on the pieces at the end.
To apply the mix, I put on some butcher paper and used a flour sieve to evenly dust with the cure mixture. Then I worked it in with my hands, flipped the meat, and did the same again. Then I smashed the sides into the remnants on the paper, put the meat on a rack, and then dusted the top with the remaining. Lastly, I visually dusted with the granulated garlic / white pepper mixture.
I then set my drying chamber to 37F and removed the humidifier. I set the dehumidifier to activate at 65% RH, but I doubt it'll do much of anything at this temp.
And that's it! Fingers crossed and will post next step in 14 days!
Also, since I always like doing an A/B test, I did half with cure #1 and half with ecocure. I like the idea of using ecocure with my bacon since I want to sear it at high temperatures and that causes nitrosamines, yada yada yada. Not that I'm worried or anything, but I like the idea if it ends up working out well. If not, I'll eat cure #1 bacon happily until the end of my days (worth it if it comes sooner, haha).
(As an aside, why does Sausage Maker insist on having comically oversized containers for everything? I've got a fresh container of ecocure and NFDM and they're like 1/4 full. Takes up way too much space on my shelves... anyhow).
I found a recipe from
SmokinEdge
, and had great luck with his recipes in the past, so I decided to give it a go. Here's the original thread.
The starting bacon. I got the sense this wasn't premium, as there wasn't much actual meat on these pieces.
I weighed out each piece and measured out the appropriate quantities of cure #1 (0.25%) for the first two pieces, and ecocure (1%) for the rest. The container in the bottom left is the mix of granulated garlic and white pepper to dust on the pieces at the end.
To apply the mix, I put on some butcher paper and used a flour sieve to evenly dust with the cure mixture. Then I worked it in with my hands, flipped the meat, and did the same again. Then I smashed the sides into the remnants on the paper, put the meat on a rack, and then dusted the top with the remaining. Lastly, I visually dusted with the granulated garlic / white pepper mixture.
I then set my drying chamber to 37F and removed the humidifier. I set the dehumidifier to activate at 65% RH, but I doubt it'll do much of anything at this temp.
And that's it! Fingers crossed and will post next step in 14 days!
Last edited:
