Hi I would like to here if any of you good folk have tried curing your own bacon, the non smoked type Ive been looking at a few u tube but would like to here if someone on A4A first hand and the do's and don'ts I be very grateful claybasket :toothy10:
Thanks for posting this claybasket. Its one of those things I have been meaning to have a go at for some time. I will get on and do it now as it appears quite easy and straightforward.
Cant help you with personal experience. But there are plenty of methods on the web. Like you say hopefully there is a fellow A4A member who can give some personal guidance.
I dry cure bacon and ham joints (leg and shoulder) and pork chops sometimes too, they really do taste good and you can add sugar, herbs and spices to suit your taste if you like. It's lovely having bacon that doesn't shrink and best of all it doesn't leak that white gunk. Mostly I use a ready made dry cure from here http://www.sausagemaking.org/acatalog/bacon_cures.html but it's easy enough to make your own. These are the basic instructions I follow http://www.sausagemaking.org/acatalog/dryCure.pdf
For bacon I like both loin joints and belly joints, although belly is a bit fatty for some people, it's really quite simple and easy to do, just takes up a little time and fridge space. I'd just take the plunge, I'm sure you will love the results :toothy10:
Hi Steve & Jayb the info was very help full regarding the curing process .I won't be doing this for a couple of weeks theres a holiday getting in the way :toothy10: but will give it a go when I get back. by this time I hope Steve has done it and can let us know how he got on ? thanks for the help Claybasket
You don't have to vacuum pack, although it does give good results. I've got a piece of dry-cured bacon in the fridge at the moment. I just rubbed on the curing salts to a piece of belly pork (1 part cure, 3 parts sea salt as per instructions), added a few cloves and a little maple syrup, and put it in a well-fitting Pyrex dish covered with clingfilm. Turn it and pour the accumulated liquid off from time to time. After a week, it's done.
One thing that can be frustrating is the slicing of home-cured bacon. It's a shame to spoil your lovely bacon by hacking it into lumps! Proper bacon slicers are expensive and bulky, but you can get domestic-sized ones. I can recommend the Buffalo one, which is a semi-pro light duty machine. Otherwise make sure that you have a really beautifully sharp good-quality knife.
I'd agree with the slicing being a bit frustrating, but find cutting it quite therapeutic!
I love this thread. I do so hate wet bacon. You put it in the pan and instead of frying it is boiled. It is so annoying when half the weight of the bacon seems to be added water. And it is normally in such thick slices, I used to love it sliced to order in the shop. No electric just turning the handle and it shaved off the thin slices of bacon. Which then made lovely thin crispy bacon. I do hate boiled bacon door steps.
Not sure I want to pay £9.50 for a pack of cure without trying it out first. Not clear if that includes the p&p.
Having expensive dry cured bacon for the price of the pork really appeals. Lidl have an offer for loin of bacon
Why not try just using salt, here's a recipe you could perhaps adapt http://foodpreservation.about.com/od/Salting/a/How-To-Make-Bacon-At-Home.htm
I think the p&p is extra.
I've not used Surfy's before, so can't comment on them, http://www.homecuring.co.uk/index.php but they have curing salt which might be cheaper?
I've not used this company either but looks interesting and I think the postage is free https://www.tongmaster.co.uk/index.php
I have fancied doing this for ages and I think you have given me the confidence to give it a go. There always are dire warnings associated with it and it seems like a bit of a dark art - but maybe not by the sounds of it.
Cheers all!
Came across this
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/10173951/Home-cured-bacon-recipe.html
I think that you really do need some curing salts (sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate). Weschenfelder sell a "quickcure" which uses 1 part curing salts to 3 parts common salt, which is very economical. You can use the same quickcure for wet curing, too. http://www.weschenfelder.co.uk/catalog/799/bacon_curing_salt_beef (http://www.weschenfelder.co.uk/catalog/799/bacon_curing_salt_beef)
I've used Tongmaster, too, as linked by JayB. They're fine, although their website is a bit slow. They are the only people that I know who supply genuine vegetarian sausage casings if you have a fancy to make veggie sausages.
This post has certainly generated some interest. Clay I am getting half a pig next month. I intend to cure the belly as my first attempt at this so I don't know if you will be beat me to it.
After Jayb initial reply I thought it best to go for a premade cure mix to keep it as simple as possible. I have saved these sites to my favourites now just need to choose from one.
I notice you add to your mix Melbourne. Do you have to be very accurate when adding sugar cloves etc. My mouth is watering as I write thinking about the lovely fried bacon I am going to get.
Quote from: steve1967 on October 19, 2013, 05:43:18
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I notice you add to your mix Melbourne. Do you have to be very accurate when adding sugar cloves etc. My mouth is watering as I write thinking about the lovely fried bacon I am going to get.
The typical advice for a sweetcure is to use 1 part curing salts, 3 parts sea salt, 1 part sugar. Personally I guesstimate it, and in any case I only add about half the recommend quantity of sugar or syrup, but that's personal taste.