Making Bacon

chilidog · Feb 23, 2018

My wife says not blood red, bright pink....

thirdeye · Feb 23, 2018

chilidog said:
My latest batch I took out of cure today. Bellie 1-1/2 inch thick cured with tender quick for 8 days, 1 tablespoon per pound. When I cut into it, it is blood red all of the meat part of the bacon. The other bellies I have cured are more of a dull red.
Is it ok? Do some bellies end up different colours?
The only difference this time I substituted powdered maple for brown sugar.

chilidog said:
My wife says not blood red, bright pink....

It was my understanding that color of cured meats was related to the interaction of the curing agent to the myoglobin, and that oxygen would have an influence. I'll see a change in the color between the different muscles you see in a slice of bacon, (or on the rib end of a buckboard loin), or the outer surface takes a different color. See how the upper stripe is darker than the lower stripes in this bacon.

thirdeye · Feb 23, 2018

Here is what I was talking about on the muscle groups on Buckboarded loin. This is the same loin, but the darker meat is from the rib end and the lighter slices are center cuts. There is even two shades of red in the rib end slices. I mention that on the labels of the packages to give away because at some point when slicing, a piece might just have a red arc across one end.

brdbbq · Feb 23, 2018

My first butt out of cure Sunday my first loin out Sunday after. it been interesting and tasty.

chilidog · Feb 23, 2018

I cured two pork bellies. One is dark pink and the other is a dull red like I am used to. If I miscounted and put too much tender quick on one would it make it a lot brighter red?
It is not the outside that’s bright pink but the inside. It looks normal until it is sliced. The inside is really red.

thirdeye · Feb 23, 2018

chilidog said:
I cured two pork bellies. One is dark pink and the other is a dull red like I am used to. If I miscounted and put too much tender quick on one would it make it a lot brighter red?
It is not the outside that’s bright pink but the inside. It looks normal until it is sliced. The inside is really red.

I don't think so, Tender Quick is pretty forgiving especially when compared to pink salt. I'm still thinking it's a characteristic of the interaction of the cure and the meat. I'm guessing every thing was overhauled (turned) during the cure, and you did NOT drain off any of the accumulated juices in the bag or container? And of course, you have no weird smells right?

chilidog · Feb 23, 2018

I turned twice a day and it smells fine. Wife looked on tender quick web site and some of the pics were as red as mine so I guess we fry a piece and try it.
They weighed 6 pounds each so I put 3 tablespoons on each side. Hope I didn’t mess up and put 6 on one side!

Making Bacon

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