Bacon brining, with or with out skin

[Kenjamin]

I completed my first slab of bacon last week. It tastes great, just a tad salty. When I brined it, I removed the skin. Any thoughts out there on whether or not the skin should left on or off, and the reasoning behind the thought?

[devo]

Cure and salt will penetrate the skin and fat, though at a slower rate then through muscle tissue. I remove the skin prior to curing all the time. I find it pains taking, but for smoking purposes I feel you get better smoke flavor all around. YouTube has several videos on how to make skinning the belly easier.

[Richtee]

I completed my first slab of bacon last week. It tastes great, just a tad salty. When I brined it, I removed the skin. Any thoughts out there on whether or not the skin should left on or off, and the reasoning behind the thought?

Brined? You meant cured, I hope. Skin on bacon is out there, but it's rare. 99% of the time the rind (skin) is removed before the curing process.

What was your recipe, and what was the amount of meat?

[curious aardvark]

remove the rind.

why ?

Well, while it will cure, it's super chewy.

You can buy rind on bacon in england - but why would you want to

[devo]

Brined? You meant cured, I hope. Skin on bacon is out there, but it's rare. 99% of the time the rind (skin) is removed before the curing process.

What was your recipe, and what was the amount of meat?

I understand what your saying Richtee but it is also referred to brining when your doing a wet cure.



Wet Curing
The wet curing method, sometimes called brine (salt and water), sweet pickle (sugar added), or immersion curing has been traditionally used for larger cuts of meat like butts or hams that were smoked. It is accomplished by placing meats in a wet curing solution (water, salt, nitrites, sometimes sugar). Sugar is added only when curing at refrigerator temperatures, otherwise it may begin fermentation and start to spoil the meat. The wet curing is a traditional, time consuming method, going out of fashion as the large hams had to be submerged for up to 6 weeks and turned over on a regular basis. With such a long curing time there is a danger of meat spoiling from within the center where the bone is located. During that time we have to scoop up the foam and any slime that might gather on the surface, as that might be a source of contamination. Most smaller meat cuts require about 3-14 days of curing time at 40° F (4° C). It is still a fine curing method for smaller cuts of meat that will have a shorter curing time. The meats have to be turned over on a daily basis and prevented from swimming up to the surface. *After curing is complete, the meat pieces must be rinsed in fresh water and placed on wire mesh for draining. We do achieve certain weight gain when curing meats, even without chemicals, but this is not the reason why a home sausage maker cures meats. Meats are cured to produce a top quality product. The weight gain is as follows:
Canadian bacon 3-4%
Bacon 3%
Ham 4%

[devo]

remove the rind.

why ?

Well, while it will cure, it's super chewy.

You can buy rind on bacon in england - but why would you want to

I guess you never had Cracklins? Thems is good stuff when i was a kid

[Bearcarver]

In a Nutshell:

Leave the skin (rind) on only if you plan on consuming the skin, such as Pork rinds or cracklins.
You will get better curing without it, and much, much better smoke penetration.

I buy my slabs from a small local butcher shop, and I buy it without the skin.


Bear

[Kenjamin]

Brined? You meant cured, I hope. Skin on bacon is out there, but it's rare. 99% of the time the rind (skin) is removed before the curing process.

What was your recipe, and what was the amount of meat?

I meant cured, not brined. I put together 2 1/2 cps kosher salt, 1 cp sugar (white), 1 tbsp cracked peppercorns, 4 tsp pink curing salt. Used about 1/4-1/3 cup rubbed into slab. Set in fridge for 5 days. Rinsed and placed back in fridge for 24 hrs. Light hickory smoke for 3 hrs. I did remove the skin on this one.

[curious aardvark]

I guess you never had Cracklins? Thems is good stuff when i was a kid

Yep and cracklins are what you get when you REMOVE the skin, boil it, scrape the fat off, dry it out and the fry it. Squirrel posted up a thread where she made some a while back.

Leaving it on the bacon doesn't make cracklins :-) IT just gives you super chewy bacon rind.

Anytime you soak meat in a salt solution it's a brine.

All wet cures are brines, but not all brines are cures

[devo]

You asked

You can buy rind on bacon in england - but why would you want to

The answer is if ya want cracklins ya have to buy it the skin on

The information i posted about wet cures was taken from the book put out by Stanley Marianski (2013-02-01). Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages, so if you feel there is something wrong with the information you might want to contact him.

[Denis]

Hey Kenjamin,
You don`t have to remove the skin if it doesn't bother you. I leave mine on and I have never had a complaint yet. As far as the saltyness of your bacon, did you wash and soak your slab in cold water for 4 hours before cooking (smoking) it? Also for brine, try 100 gr. of salt, 1 teaspoon of sodium nitrite, one tablespoon of sugar, 1/8th of a teaspoon ascorbic acid, plus your own spices for every litre of water in the brine. You can inject your slab with 10% of its weight with your fresh brine and never leave your meat immersed in the brine for more than 5 days if you inject it. After you have soaked your slab in cold water after you have removed it from the brine, pat dry and let hang over night before coking it.

Hope this helps,

Denis

[Kenjamin]

Hey Kenjamin,
You don`t have to remove the skin if it doesn't bother you. I leave mine on and I have never had a complaint yet. As far as the saltyness of your bacon, did you wash and soak your slab in cold water for 4 hours before cooking (smoking) it? Also for brine, try 100 gr. of salt, 1 teaspoon of sodium nitrite, one tablespoon of sugar, 1/8th of a teaspoon ascorbic acid, plus your own spices for every litre of water in the brine. You can inject your slab with 10% of its weight with your fresh brine and never leave your meat immersed in the brine for more than 5 days if you inject it. After you have soaked your slab in cold water after you have removed it from the brine, pat dry and let hang over night before coking it.

Hope this helps,

Denis

I think I will leave the skin off. I will follow your instructions and give it a try. I do want to cold smoke it using some apple wood I just priced up, then finish off in the oven. Thanks.

[ExhaustedSpark]

Any time one does a wet cure he is brining. However one can Brine without curing.
Isnt life great. Playing with words is always fun.

[Mark R]

I have accidentally bought sliced bacon with the skin on. Didn't like that much, like bacon with rubber casing on it.
The only bellies I can find are skin on. I remove it and???? toss it.

[Richtee]

Any time one does a wet cure he is brining. However one can Brine without curing.
Isnt life great. Playing with words is always fun.

Yes, but playing with something like a cure Vs brine is NOT fun. It's serious biz...and one needs to be correct in their nomenclature. Just saying.