Bacon help request

[Whisky Fish]

OK I've been over the old threads and insta cure instructions, and here's what I've come up with. Would you all check to see if it's accurate?
1. It doesn't matter what type of bacon I'm doing, be it BBB, CB or BB, It's
a.)one teaspoon per each five pounds of meat(instacure#1)
b.)equal parts of sugar to the cure
c.) other ingredients to personal taste
2. Curing time is either;
a.) one day per 1/4 inch thickness(or Diameter)
b.) 7 days per inch of radius (half the diameter) plus a day
3. Don't worry about going a little longer if your cure quantity is correct.
4. Meat may or may not be worked (massaged) daily.
5. Don't worry about liquid in the bag/pan
6. Fry test = cutting off a peice after cure time and washing, then frying it up to test for color and saltiness. Soaking in clean water, if neccessary, till extra salt is leeched out, changing water every 15 minutes or so.
7. Smoke temp is between 210 and 240
8. internal temp is from 140-160, with most of you leaning toward the 160 and never less than 140.
Any and all comments are welcome as well as appreciated.
Thanks
JT

[Richtee]

I'm confused about the "equal parts sugar"- equal to what? The 1 tspn/5lbs cure amount? You'll need more than that, and if using #1 you'll need to add salt as well. Now I'd buy equal amounts of salt and sugar- I do not use the #1, but many do- they can help with salt/sugar amounts. My guess would be about 1 to 1.5 tspns/Lb Kosher/brown sugar

240 would be very high for bacon, unless you plan on a cooked Canadian style with lighter smoke. Belly bacon should be done under 150- down to "cold smoking" temps of 100 or less. It is not brought to an internal temp so much as smoked to the right taste level.

[Whisky Fish]

Makes sense on the bacon temps.
As for the cure The teaspoon per 5 pounds comes off the lable. The insta cure number 1, I bought, is from the Sausage Maker inc. I noticed some of the posts here use much more. I've seen .5 ounce per 5 lbs and that's 2 tsp.
So I'm a little confused on the quantity.
Another question I had is that they recommend, Insta cure #2 for dry rubs and I have not seen that used here at all.
As for the sugar to cure ratio being 1 to 1 I'm not sure where I got that one but it made sense at the time lol.

[curious aardvark]

a.)one teaspoon per each five pounds of meat(instacure#1)

WEIGH STUFF !
teaspoon sizes vary widely (where's the picture)

this is just a handful of teaspoons I grabbed from the cutlery drawer. a you can see every single one isa different size to all the others.
so all of us are probably using different amounts for each teaspoon.
for most things it makes no real difference. for cure it does - so WEIGH it !


other than that it look about right.

The 1 tspn/5lbs cure amount? You'll need more than that, and if using #1 you'll need to add salt as well

sort of. if you don't want iot salty then don't add extra salt. I do tend to have - at least - equal amounts of salt and sugar. But that's just me :-)

So weigh cure salt - bear in mind that insta cure is much more concentrated than tq, and it's all toxic.

but other than that - you seem to have got the right ideas - have at it !
(with pics - of course ;-)

[Richtee]

#2 is a cure developed for LONG TIME curing projects, such as a prociutto or salamis... Cure #1 is the one to use in this case.

And yes you should go by weight... you will need an accurate scale.

[Whisky Fish]

So the correct weight should be 1/4 oz. per 5lbs meat?
And you were right Rich it was equal parts salt/sugar that I had read about.
Thanks to both of you. I can't wait to get rollin'

JT

[Kingudaroad]

Here is a good basic cure to start with from the Ruhlman book "Charcuterie".

By weight...

1 pound salt
8 oz sugar
2 oz cure #1

Just dredge the bellies till coated on all sides and shake off the extra. You can also add other spices if you wish.

Average thickness bellies need about 10 days to cure. Do not cure longer than 13 days. Rotate bellies every couple of days or the bottom one soaking in the brine will get overcured or "cure burn".

[Kyote]

WEIGH STUFF !
teaspoon sizes vary widely (where's the picture)

this is just a handful of teaspoons I grabbed from the cutlery drawer. a you can see every single one isa different size to all the others.
so all of us are probably using different amounts for each teaspoon.
for most things it makes no real difference. for cure it does - so WEIGH it !


other than that it look about right.


sort of. if you don't want iot salty then don't add extra salt. I do tend to have - at least - equal amounts of salt and sugar. But that's just me :-)

So weigh cure salt - bear in mind that insta cure is much more concentrated than tq, and it's all toxic.

but other than that - you seem to have got the right ideas - have at it !
(with pics - of course ;-)

sound like the man know what he is doing.

[Richtee]

Here is a good basic cure to start with from the Ruhlman book "Charcuterie".

By weight...

1 pound salt
8 oz sugar
2 oz cure #1

Just dredge the bellies till coated on all sides and shake off the extra. You can also add other spices if you wish.

Average thickness bellies need about 10 days to cure. Do not cure longer than 13 days. Rotate bellies every couple of days or the bottom one soaking in the brine will get overcured or "cure burn".

So you see...this recipe actually adds too much cure and it's up to timing, and perhaps God's good graces and meat thickness... to give the correct amount to the meat.

This would be applicable to a commercial/professional operation moreso than a homebody.

This is why I am a proponent of adding exact amounts of the cures, and not worrying about the time...matter of fact, adding a day or two sometimes just for insurance sake.

[curious aardvark]

yep what rich says - weigh the meat, weigh the cure so you have the right amount for the mass of meat.
Everything else is pretty much optional.

Dry curing meat is quite possibly the simplest and one of the most effective things you can do food wise.
It really is as simple as weighing out some seasonings, rubbing it on meat and then leaving the meat in the fridge for about a week - job done !
:-)