Do You Need Nitrates in Bacon? | How to Wet Cure Bacon
Today on the Grill Top Experience we are goingto wet cure bacon and answer two questions
people had about my last bacon video.
#1 Do you really need all that salt and #2Is pink curing salt necessary?
This pork belly has already been skinned andis about 9 lbs.
I’m going to cut it in half, which fitsperfectly in a gallon zipper bag.
I’m going to make one with pink curing saltand the other without to see what the differences
are because some of you are concerned aboutthe health effects of the curing salt.
In a gallon zipper bag, add one half cup ofwater and then 1/4 cup of salt.
Don’t forget 2Tbs of brown sugar like Idid.
You can add up to 1/4 cup if you like a sweeterbacon.
Mix it all up to create the brine, fold overthe edges of the zipper bag and slide one
of the pork bellies in.
Get as much air out of the bag as you canbefore sealing it.
Then repeat the process for the other bellyby adding the water, salt, sugar, and this
one has curing salt.
I’m going to mark each one so I can rememberwhich is which and we can see the difference.
Then don’t turn it over or you’ll havepermanent marker all over your counter top.
Don’t worry, a little rubbing alcohol andshe’ll never know.
Put the zipper bags in another container tocatch leaks and put it in the fridge for six
days to cure.
It’s well worth the wait because it is homemade.
Once each day take the bacon and flip themso the one on top is on the bottom and upside
down.
This ensures that the bacon cures evenly.
You’ll notice that the bags will have moreliquid in them as the bacon cures.
That means it is working.
After the six days are up take the belliesout of the bag and give them a good rinse
to remove the brine and keep them from gettingtoo salty.
I’ve placed a toothpick in the pink saltbelly so I can keep them straight.
You’ll notice that the belly with the curingsalt is pink and the one without is a little
gray.
It’s a good idea to cut off a piece andfry it up to see if it is as salty as you
like.
Many recipes recommend soaking the belliesin clean water for 30 minutes to remove as
much of the brine as possible.
Take them out of the water and give them anenhanced pat down with a paper towel.
Make sure you get both sides.
Next I’ll grab my big plastic bin and placea cooling rack at the bottom.
This will provide good airflow around thebellies and help them form a pellicle which
will help them absorb the smoke.
I like peppered bacon and I’m adding aboutone tablespoon of pepper to each one.
Feel free to pile it on since you’ll beeating a thin slice.
After that, throw it in the fridge withouta lid for one day to dry out.
I got up early the next morning to fire upthe Ugly Drum Smoker.
I’ve learned from experience that it’seasier to get the lower temperatures required
for smoking bacon by starting before the suncomes up.
I’ve got a chimney with about 15 briquettesgoing, which should make it easy to keep the
temperature around 200 degrees F or 95 C.200 degrees farenheit might be difficult to
maintain for some smokers.
It might be a good idea to give it a testrun if you aren’t sure.
Once the charcoal is ashed over I’ll tossit in the fuel bin and let the smoker preheat
for about an hour so all of the bitter smokeburns off.
Then the only thing to do is to toss the bellieson the smoker for 2 - 4 hours until they reach
an internal temperature of 145 degrees.
To my surprise, these were done in exactlytwo hours and I took them inside to admire.
The bellies came out fantastic each of themwith a mahogany color.
There was no visible difference between thetwo.
After they’ve cooled she it’s time towrap them in plastic wrap and throw them in
fridge to firm up for slicing.
After four hours or more get out your fancycordless slicer and cut the slices as thick
or as thin as you’d like.
These were a bit soft and I should have waitedlonger to slice them.
Now to see what the curing salt did.
You’ll notice the bacon on the left is alittle grey near the bottom of the fat cap
and the bacon on the right is pink throughout.
That’s the only difference we could find.
I might skip the curing salt next time sincebotulism can’t grow in the fridge.
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This is my second make your own bacon video. This time I tried a wet brine and reduced the salt. I've been wondering for a while what would happen if I made nitrate and nitrite free bacon without curing salts and I set up an experiment to see if there was any difference between the two pork bellies. Are you curious if you need curing salt or just want to see how to make bacon? Tune in! Curing salt might be hard to find. Here is the amazon link: http://amzn.to/2i3TpUH Fancy Cordless Slicer: http://amzn.to/2nk0aY0