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Okay mindphlux si correct, the bacon in the op is from pr0k and it is smoked. The sliced bacon i posted up top is unsmoked (brown skin vs yellow skin). If you cant smoke it you dont HAVE to is the point. Smoke is a flavor additive like what si in the cure. We had some discussion in the last thread when a goon went to a bacon classa dn they were doing tea and habanero and other wonderful flavors without smoke so you could taste the subtle flavors. All of this is valid. Nitrates... DO NOT BE AFRAID OF NITRATES!!! Nitrates are NOT bad for you. The .1 grams in an entire slab of bacon will not do anything to you. You get mroe than that when you eat a salad of dark leafy greens. So don't be fooled by the hysteria. Nitrates also inhibit the growth of Clostridium botulinum which causes botulism poisoning. Worry more about that then the minute amount of nitrates you will be ingesting with home cured products.
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Sep 28, 2011 15:44
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Jose posted:For those who smoke in the UK, do you have a good source of different woods for smoking? I have only just started smoking stuff since I found out in the other thread that I don't need to buy anything fancy and I can just use my bbq. I bought a big bag of Jack Daniels barrel chips from Waitrose and some hickory and apple chips from Lakeland. I am considering placing an order with these people when I run out as they have more variety and are cheaper than Lakeland. But I haven't ordered from them yet so I can't vouch for their customer service etc.
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Sep 28, 2011 17:12
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Planning to take my first go at charcuterie in the next few days by using the Ruhlman recipe/method in the OP. I just want to confirm something though. The recipe says: 2 teaspoons pink curing salt #1 (I use this DQ Cure from Butcher-Packer, $2) Is this referring to the pre-mixed curing salts (i.e. prague powder #1) or pure sodium nitrite? I'm assuming it's the blend but I'd like to be sure. Thanks!
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Sep 28, 2011 19:26
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Appl posted:Nope, completely different ways. Bacon is cured and then usually smoked, jerky is dehydrated. Classically, jerky is smoked. In fact, a term for a pirate, buccaneer, refers to their habit of jerking meat while at anchor, and comes from the same root word we get bacon from. However, in the modern nomenclature, jerky is lean. Errant Gin Monks posted:Nitrates... DO NOT BE AFRAID OF NITRATES!!! Nitrates are NOT bad for you. The .1 grams in an entire slab of bacon will not do anything to you. You get mroe than that when you eat a salad of dark leafy greens. So don't be fooled by the hysteria. Like I said, I like cured meats, and I eat them. I would like to look at ways of reducing my nitrate intake. A little nitrate won't hurt you, but making a habit of it could be unwise. All things in moderation.
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Sep 28, 2011 20:33
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Joborgzorz posted:Planning to take my first go at charcuterie in the next few days by using the Ruhlman recipe/method in the OP. You would be correct -- the recipe calls for preblended curing salt. Pure sodium nitrite is more suited to chemistry labs than kitchens -- it's toxic in certain amounts. That's part of the reason why curing salt doesn't contain much nitrite by percentage, and it's dyed pink to keep it from being confused with sugar or regular salt.
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Sep 28, 2011 23:55
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I started 3lbs of the OP recipe bacon last night. This morning, there was a layer of liquid in the ziplock bag I stuck the pork into. I poured it off, but should I worry about replacing the salt/curing salt that got washed off by whatever draining happened?
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Sep 29, 2011 17:33
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CaptainCrunch posted:I started 3lbs of the OP recipe bacon last night. This morning, there was a layer of liquid in the ziplock bag I stuck the pork into. I poured it off, but should I worry about replacing the salt/curing salt that got washed off by whatever draining happened? That liquid is natural, and you want it to be there. Ideally some liquid will form and then every day or so you'll flip the belly over to submerge the opposite side in it. I don't know what harm you've done by pouring out the liquid (but don't pour out any more). Maybe someone else can speak to that.
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Sep 29, 2011 18:51
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Isn't that just the water and enzymes that get sucked out by the salt?
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Sep 29, 2011 20:13
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schwein11 posted:That liquid is natural, and you want it to be there. Ideally some liquid will form and then every day or so you'll flip the belly over to submerge the opposite side in it. I don't know what harm you've done by pouring out the liquid (but don't pour out any more). Maybe someone else can speak to that. Whups! Well, hope it'll be fine. I'll let it be. Thanks. Had it in my head that curing = drying and well, ignorance occured.
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Sep 29, 2011 20:40
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I don't wanna be a panicky nelly, but I don't know what sort of effect that's gonna have on your cure. It's true it is water and proteins getting sucked out by the salt, but at the initial phases of the curing, it's basically all the salt on the outside. So, if you poured it off, most all of your salt might be gone. Idea is, it forms a brine, then moves its way back in to penetrate to the center of the meat. I'm not sure anyone could really answer the question of how big a deal it'd be, without measuring the quantity of liquid it was, and measuring the salinity of the water and comparing it to how much salt/cure you originally used. if you wanted to be safe, you might measure out an appropriate amount of cure, mix it with a cup of water or however much, and add that back to the bag.
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Sep 29, 2011 20:51
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mindphlux posted:if you wanted to be safe, you might measure out an appropriate amount of cure, mix it with a cup of water or however much, and add that back to the bag. I think I will do that exact thing as soon as I get home from work. Gah. Teach me to not know what to expect during a cure!
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Sep 29, 2011 21:00
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CaptainCrunch posted:I think I will do that exact thing as soon as I get home from work. Gah. Teach me to not know what to expect during a cure! naw, I don't blame you; it is pretty counter-intuitive. you'll probably end up with a slightly salty version of bacon given the mishap and my above suggestion, but it's better than unsafe or uncured bacon I guess. anyone else more experienced than I am feel free to chime in, I've only cured like ~10 bellies before. and I am a lil bit of a panicy nancy when it comes to food safety. stupidly.
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Sep 30, 2011 06:00
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Joborgzorz posted:Is this referring to the pre-mixed curing salts (i.e. prague powder #1) or pure sodium nitrite? I'm assuming it's the blend but I'd like to be sure. I'm almost positive it's a blend of sodium nitrite and regular salt. I thought Ruhlman mentioned the percents in his book, but I'm not seeing it. I tried making some kielbasa the other weekend and was having a horrible time both keeping things cold and doing the actual stuffing. Do folks usually grind with the small die right away? Or with the large, then the small die on your grinder? For the stuffing itself, I kept getting tears in the casings. Was it just cheap casings? Are there any techniques for the stuffing process to mitigate that? Are there any tricks when you get a tear to prevent too much waste?
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Sep 30, 2011 16:46
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EvilLile posted:I'm almost positive it's a blend of sodium nitrite and regular salt. I thought Ruhlman mentioned the percents in his book, but I'm not seeing it. Going from memory, the typical pink salt is 93.75% standard salt and 6.25% sodium nitrite (I might be off by a half percent).
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Sep 30, 2011 17:49
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This is my first time attempting to make bacon and I plan on following the recipe in the OP. I am making it for a large group though and would rather not be responsible for getting them sick/killing them. Could someone calm my fears about curing pork? I plan on following the OP exactly and was able to find Prague Powder #1. I also live in a college house with 5 other guys so its not the cleanest place, although I'm kind of a nut about food safety and do my best to keep everything sanitary.
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Sep 30, 2011 19:45
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What It Dooski posted:This is my first time attempting to make bacon and I plan on following the recipe in the OP. I am making it for a large group though and would rather not be responsible for getting them sick/killing them. Could someone calm my fears about curing pork? I plan on following the OP exactly and was able to find Prague Powder #1. I also live in a college house with 5 other guys so its not the cleanest place, although I'm kind of a nut about food safety and do my best to keep everything sanitary. People have been making bacon in caves and mud huts for thousands of years. You have to really try to gently caress it up. If it smells bad, don't eat it.
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Sep 30, 2011 20:17
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EvilLile posted:I'm almost positive it's a blend of sodium nitrite and regular salt. I thought Ruhlman mentioned the percents in his book, but I'm not seeing it. I'm doing an internship with a charcuterie maker so I can answer a couple of your questions. Usually we start out with the largest die setting and work progressively down to the smallest. If you're having trouble keeping your stuff cold just work faster in smaller batches and chill stuff in-between different steps. It's best to just make sure to keep your casings pretty wet because it keeps them pretty pliable. Tears do happen though, so just squeeze out the filling and throw it back in your stuffer minus the casing.
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Sep 30, 2011 21:49
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MsJoelBoxer posted:Those pictures of the soppressata and duck breast prosciutto in the OP look awfully familiar That's a real inspiration. I shall commence digging a basement.
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Oct 1, 2011 08:14
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O Canada! 6.5lbs of pork loin is dry curing in my refrigerator. By Thursday, it should be ready to smoke. The suspense is killing me.
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Oct 1, 2011 19:10
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Okay so, dumb question. I finally managed to smuggle some pink salt into Vancouver, and am going out to get some bellies later this morning. When I cure them, should I be cutting the skin off of them, or just let them be? Will the cure soften the skin enough in the next week to not be annoying to slice through and eat? What about if I make pancetta?
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Oct 2, 2011 15:28
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If you're making bacon and plan to hot smoke it to finish, which I recommend, it's easiest just to leave the skin on. Once you hot smoke it, you can run a sharp chef's knife through the layer of fat between skin and meat - almost like skinning a filet of fish, and the skin will come off beautifully, leaving the fat intact on the bacon. Pancetta, guess you'd want to skin that first.
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Oct 2, 2011 19:32
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A Gremlin Eel posted:Okay so, dumb question. What mindplux said, but I'll also throw in that I tend to bake, rather than smoke, bacon and even then I leave the skin on until after I've cooked it and then cut it off while it's still hot before slicing. You definitely want to cut the skin off for pancetta, since you won't have an opportunity for that once you've rolled it up.
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Oct 2, 2011 22:12
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Thank you gentlemen. Six pounds of belly are in the fridge, waiting to be delicious.
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Oct 2, 2011 22:41
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A Gremlin Eel posted:Thank you gentlemen. Six pounds of belly are in the fridge, waiting to be delicious. Also, by all means keep the skin. I'm told it makes a great addition to soups/stocks. The time I made pancetta I also salted the skin and baked it later on to make some pretty tasty pork rinds. Another sausage question; what do folks do about the twists in links? Do you just cut it after you're done stuffing? Do you tie some butcher's twine around it so stuffing doesn't come out at all during cooking? I'd been doing the latter, but I don't know if I'm just being paranoid or not.
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Oct 3, 2011 04:51
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If you're leaving enough room, you shouldn't have any trouble with loads of filling spurting out during cooking or anything - even if a little pokes out it isn't a big deal (to me, at least)
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Oct 3, 2011 04:57
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In regards to the OP bacon recipe: how strict is the 7 days for curing? I was looking to get it ready to go for this coming Sunday, but some things came up and I was out of town all weekend. Can I get away with just curing it from now till late Saturday/early Sunday? Thanks
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Oct 4, 2011 03:26
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A week is best, but if you're having a party or something and can put it together ASAP, you should be fine. Especially is you're planning on using it quickly.
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Oct 4, 2011 07:03
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I'm going to be making a batch of sausage to keep in the freezer for tailgates and the link (and probably a few lunches). Since stew beef is on sale I was thinking of trying the Hungarian paprika sausage from Ruhlman's book. I've made the holiday kielbasa and the hunter's venison sausage from the book last winter but wanted to try something with beef in it. There is also a bratwurst recipe but the amount of eggs/cream seems unideal for keeping in my freezer (and more work). Anyone made either of those recipes before, wouldn't want to make the hungarian if the fresh brat is a life-changing experience.
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Oct 6, 2011 00:30
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Trip report on the bacon that I drained a bit of moisture out of after a few hours. I took mindphlux's advice and added a similar amount of water with a bit more curing salt in. 7 days later, did the oven bit, took 2 hours for it to hit 150 degrees in the center. The result? It's beautiful! Sliced off an end and fryed it up, delicious. Easily better than store bought. It's a touch saltier than I prefer but my ignorant move in the beginning might be the cause. The next batch will be identical to the OP recipe, well half the next batch. The other half is going to be jalapeno/garlic cured. I'm ordering that book, I'm hooked.
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Oct 6, 2011 18:22
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The end will be quite a bit saltier than the interior - just fyi.
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Oct 6, 2011 22:20
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PainBreak posted:O Canada! My Canadian Bacon just came off the smoker. I did a fry test, and holy crap. If you're the least bit comfortable running a smoker, this begins your foray into cured meat. It's on a whole 'nother level, my friends, and it's one of the easiest things I've ever made. "Basic Cure" from Charcuterie. Trim the pork loin. Roll it in cure. Bag it and put it in the fridge for 5 days, turning it over every day. Remove from bag, rinse, pat dry, then let air dry in the fridge for 12 hours. Hot smoke to 145F. Do it. Do it now.
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Oct 6, 2011 23:11
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PainBreak posted:My Canadian Bacon just came off the smoker. I did a fry test, and holy crap. By God, I will.
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Oct 9, 2011 06:13
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A Rambling Vagrant posted:By God, I will. The loin, and the cure both came from Moody's Meat Market, just so ya know. 
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Oct 9, 2011 21:13
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I am doing this shortly. I live in Australia and so we are used to rind on our bacon (yum yum!). I presume the rind is just the skin, so I should leave the skin on?
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Oct 10, 2011 05:57
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You're gonna leave the rind on, and you're gonna chew on it like the human doggy treat it is after the bacon is fried.
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Oct 10, 2011 12:50
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Sjurygg posted:You're gonna leave the rind on, and you're gonna chew on it like the human doggy treat it is after the bacon is fried. One of the best things about leaving the skin on, best texture ever.
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Oct 11, 2011 22:37
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I've recently discovered the wonderment that is beef bacon. Any insight on to how I could attempt this at home?
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Oct 12, 2011 23:33
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Is it ok to post about purchased cured meat products in here (i.e. stuff you didn't make yourself)? I wanted to pimp this place, because they're so awesome: http://www.patakmeats.com/Patak_Meats/Welcome.html I visited them yesterday and it is a magical land of meat. Picked up some hungarian sausage which is really excellent.
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Oct 14, 2011 22:40
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What's a good place to find curing salts around the central NJ area? There's not really a Cabella's or anything like that near me, and our Walmarts have a fairly limited selection, not selling food or . Would Agway (farm supply store) carry it? They have mason jars and basic veterinary supplies. I don't want to pay online shipping, so if I can find a place to buy it in person, that'd be great. Also, I recently had "pork belly pastrami" (I am not sure if it should be considered bacon, actually) at a restaurant, and I'd like to try reproducing it. Can I just try a pastrami recipe with pork belly, or would it take more adaptation? Google turned up this recipe, which sounds good, but is light on specifics and sounds more like it's meant for a deli.
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Oct 24, 2011 00:16
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Can anyone in the UK recommend good second hand smokers if possible? Think I might have enough money to pay for one soon and my dads birthday is coming up. New if they're cheap/decent quality. Electric would be best though
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Oct 24, 2011 03:23
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