Makin' Bacon w/Pink Salt Rub
 

I got me a slab of pork bellie and I have pink salt in the cupboard but all of my research shows using Morton's Tenderquick, which I do not have. Can pink salt be used to cure bacon? If so, what is the ratio of salt to a pound of bellie? Additionally, does anyone wet cure their slabs? Feel free to share any recipes you might know of. Thanks Brethren.:bow:

I have only used pink salt in a brine. TQ for rubs.

I use the Ruhlman recipe.

http://ruhlman.com/2010/10/home-cured-bacon-2/

You can use pink salt. The Ruhlman recipe is too salty for me personally. I dry cure my bacon, don't want any extra water going into my bacon, unnecessary.

From Charcuterie:

Basic ratio for a dry cure is 2 parts salt to 1 part sugar plus 10% of the combined salt/sugar weight of pink salt.

I use this basic dry cure all the time for bacon (Ruhlman's):

1 lb. kosher salt
8 oz. table sugar or brown sugar
2 oz. (10 teaspoons) pink salt

I like mine with a heavy dose of black pepper, so to this I will add a 2-3 tbsp. of fresh coarse grind black pepper.

I've made this before and it was WAY too salty for my liking. I wouldn't cut back on the pink salt, but perhaps the kosher next time.

I do the same but I omit the pink salt. And I'm sure I'll start the battle of you need the pink salt to properly cure, no disagreement. If I were going to cold smoke I would, if I were going to hang to dry, yup like a dry sausage I would want the proper cures for that as well.

I do the salt and sugar only (no different than when we used to make salt pork as a kid except dry). Then I smoke until it's fully cooked at 165°. I know there is risk of contamination in the smoker as conditions are right.....

I then do not eat it cold, I fry it to cook it again, so I feel I've minimized the risk sufficiently. I do not tell others that it is without risk, but with it being fully cooked and salted, the risk is pretty low.

Also I always add a lot of pepper as was mentioned, and other herbs to part of the batch.

If you find it too salty, soak in water longer after curing, before smoking.

I do not suggest simply following my ideas but doing ones own research and deciding what is best for you.

For unsmoked salt pork, we used to simmer it in milk to get rid of some of salt before frying.

8oz kosher salt
4oz brown sugar
4oz white sugar
1tbls pink salt

That'll do about 15 lbs. you really don't need much pink salt to cure.

I go with 1/2 ounce TQ per pound and 1 TBS Brown sugar per pound then throw in a generous amount of butcher cut black pepper

Here is a short video on did on curing bacon at home.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6Ilb...ePrJqi99UX2NSQ)

If too salty, did you try blanching it before cooking like he stated in the article?

Also, he just rinsed it off, where as other recipes csll for an 8 hr soak with multiple rinses. That seems prudent to me.

Here is the basic cure I use on bacon (and just about everything else I cure for that matter)...

1 pound/450 grams of pickling salt
8 ouces/225 grams of granulated sugar
2.4 ounces/68 grams of pink salt (Prague Powder #1)


Mix those ingredients together, use in a ratio of 1 tablespoon per pound of meat and store the rest in a mason jar. I've never had it come out too salty and I don't do a fresh water soak. I've done 100's of pounds of bacon this way.

Make sure you are using pink curing salt as there is some pink salt out that is not really for curing. I wouldnt be cutting down on the salt as thats whats keeping the bacteria at bay during the curing process . After you cure and rinse let the meat soak and hr or two in a bowl of cold water ..pat dry then let sit in fridge uncovered for a night before oyu smoke it. The soak really helps get some the salt out.

No I just rinsed it off as directed, patted it dry, and cold smoked it. No big loss though, I just ended up using it for soups, veg, beans, pasta, etc. instead of eating it for breakfast. Was still good as an ingredient, just too salty by itself.

Now I have my own recipes that I use as a matter of salt-level preference. However, I have seen folks post that they use his recipe exactly and they love it. Maybe I just have less tolerance for salt than they do.

This is a little off topic, but for anyone who is making bacon at home for the first time or is just getting into it (or any curing for that matter) buy a cheap jewelry scale and a postal scale (they are way cheaper than food scales), and measure by weight. You will have more consistent results IMO.

I like country ham, so I'm probably not the best person to ask about what's too salty.

That said, the Ruhlman recipe is a good one for a pink salt cure IMO. I've had good success with it in the past. Throwing on some crushed bay leaves, garlic cloves, some cracked black pepper etc. certainly wouldn't hurt.

Fair warning - you probably won't go back to store bought after you do this. The stuff from the butcher case is good, but I definitely prefer home made bacon to any other that I've tried, esp. packaged bacon. Homemade just has better and deeper flavor IMO.

My current favorite recipe is cowgirl's (check out her blog if you haven't already - it's a treasure trove), but it uses Tenderquick. BTW I do soak out things I cure in TQ, and I don't soak out things I cure in Instacure. I have no idea if that's "right" or not, but it's been working for me. I do rinse the stuff I cure in Instacure and always let ham, bacon, etc. sit uncovered in the fridge at least overnight to form a pellicle.