Dry Curing belly Pork

[mark oriel]

Living off the land and using traditional living skills to dry cure a belly pork. The main difference between pork and bacon is that pork is uncured. www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmKUIseGqPk

[rik_uk3]

I think there is a tutorial on the forum about home cured bacon, probably British Red has done one.

[mark oriel]

I will have a look, the last one was me though and I thought this may make my written word more enlightening and interesting.

[lavrentyuk]

Done that a few times now. Easy, but you do really want somewhere cool or it goes off before it cures sufficiently.

Never bothered with the saltpetre though.

[mark oriel]

I think saltpetre is more important when curing a ham with the bone in. It helps prevent bone taint and the ingress of bacteria around the ball joint. totally agree with the air flow though. The other problem is too high a humidity, which is why traditionally bacon curing was a winter project, followed by a session of cold smoking. The last belly I cured at the moot I added some mixed herbs and now it is out air drying the smell is great,looking foward to trying that one.

[John Fenna]

Let me know when you next slaughter a pig - I could be interested in a belly to play with ... if you do not want them all yourself!

[Pignut]

i tried this once before and it was hugely salty!

I am really wanting another go... i have a question.

after salting, do i leave the liquid that drains out of the pork in the tub and turn it so all the meat is coated in the "brine" or do i remove the liquid and add more salt?

I will also be attempting a cold smoke on (some of) this... help every tutorial on google seems to be different..

Sorry for the hijack

[MLL Knives]

i tried this once before and it was hugely salty!

I am really wanting another go... i have a question.

after salting, do i leave the liquid that drains out of the pork in the tub and turn it so all the meat is coated in the "brine" or do i remove the liquid and add more salt?

I will also be attempting a cold smoke on (some of) this... help every tutorial on google seems to be different..

Sorry for the hijack

In my home I do my bacon.
You have to always drain the fluid, and keep the meat covered with salt, keep the meat dry.

[Buckshot]

Agreed, ditch the liquid
You can cure in brine but that's a different process

[fishfish]

I think there is a tutorial on the forum about home cured bacon, probably British Red has done one.

i did one on here too a while back :

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/sho...ighlight=bacon

[Pignut]

Great info!!

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[lavrentyuk]

I have previously made bacon using a salt cure, it is dry, lasts well, retains less colour and is too salty without soaking a bit but is a very good thing. Using this method I keep it out of any liquid that forms, usually using wooden batten son the bottom of the container.

I am currently making some using a commercial curing mix which also includes brown sugar and smoke powder which is specificially kept in the briney liquid. Seems weird but smells good. I shall be removing it from its cling film and putting it in musliin this evening. Fingers crossed.

I had some ribs cured for a shorter peiod in the same mix this weekend, barbecued, and it was lovely.

[Pignut]

So how do i stop it becoming horribly salty

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[Buckshot]

Cold smoke it
Salt preserving makes it salty

[Pignut]

My intention was to salt the meat for about 5 days then cold smoke for about 8 - 10 hrs... Is this the wrong way? will it still be salty?

i also read an article saying to salt cure for a week, then soak for 2 hrs in a change of water, hang for 24hrs then cold smoke for 8 - 10.... man am i confused!



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[Buckshot]

Not tried that
As I understand it smoking is a different technique and not really compatible with salting
Don't take my word for it though, I'm no expert

[lavrentyuk]

Curing in salt will make it salty. No way around that. If you buy one of the commercial curing mixes they use nitrates/nitrites etc and it will taste much less salty. One of the mixes has smoke powder in it which isn't for the purists but does work.

I would smoke after curing, not instead of. I don't believe that just cold smoking will preserve it without curing as well.

Anybody do differently though ?

[Pignut]

Here is my plan...

Dry cure the bacon
Soak for 2 hrs
Dry for 24
then cold smoke for 8 ish.

If it does not work then nothing to much lost....

(this plan is taken from a tute' i found online)

Oh, just got to build my smoker first

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[Buckshot]

Let us know how it goes...

[Pignut]

The pork is in the cure! It's been in for 4 hrs and the quantity of liquid that has run out is amazing

[lavrentyuk]

So true, amazing how much liquid is in it.

[Pignut]

Quick update, this will be out of the cure on Friday, then going in water to soak, then dry overnight.

Sat it will be in the cold smoker!!!

[lavrentyuk]

Finished my last batch just over a week ago. Almost gone already, delicious.

[fishfish]

so how did it go? any pics?

[Pignut]

Oh.. Must have posted in the wrong thread.... Here it is.





Had some last night.

Chicken breast stuffed with cranberry and stilton. Wrapped with this bacon and roast in the oven. Mmmmmmmmmmmm


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[fishfish]

oh boy that looks really fine!

[MLL Knives]

Looks very well, with some eggs...