HELP!!! I'm brining/curing bacon and have an urgent question

GarthFader · Post by **GarthFader** » Fri Aug 21, 2015 3:51 pm

Hi oh wise forum members!

I've got 2 x 2.5kg rolled pork loins curing... 1 packed in salt and the other in a brine. They both went in on Sunday night with the expectation that I would rinse them tonight, hang them overnight and smoke them tomorrow... Sounds like a good plan, right?

Well, due to an urgent family matter that I have to deal with interstate over the weekend, I can't smoke them until next weekend (taking a day off work next week to do it isn't an option either)... So the way I see it, i've got four options;

1: Leave them in the brine/salt until next Friday, so I can smoke them on Saturday
2: Take them out of the brine/salt and hang them in my fridge for a week then smoke them on Saturday (this is what i'm leaning towards)
3: Let my little brother smoke them for me tomorrow, but he has no experience with a stick burner, especially not an offset (Hark Tri-fire)
4: Chuck them in the bin.

My fears are as follows;

Option 1: This will result in a very, very salty bacon
Option 2: Will they start to spoil in this time?
Option 3: I end up with a really really crappy product
Option 4: Well, it's obvious... This really isn't an option

What would you do, and why?

Thanks!

titch · Post by **titch** » Fri Aug 21, 2015 3:56 pm

I often leave mine in the cure/brine for a week or more longer.
maybe rinse out Thursday night and fridge Friday to dry.
Just makes a firmer Bacon wich actually tastes better.

GarthFader · Post by **GarthFader** » Fri Aug 21, 2015 4:01 pm

That's what I was hoping to hear!

So I'll leave it in the cure til Thursday night... That's 11 days in, then rinse and hang til smoking time Saturday morning.

hoddo · Post by **hoddo** » Fri Aug 21, 2015 4:05 pm

option 1 depends on the salt % in the brine.
option 2 what titch said
option 3 teach him for the future
option 4 There should be no option 4

Stevem109r · Post by **Stevem109r** » Fri Aug 21, 2015 4:16 pm

Could you take from the brine/salt vac seal them then when you come back rinse, dry, smoke ???

GarthFader · Post by **GarthFader** » Fri Aug 21, 2015 5:14 pm

Thanks guys, i'll go with titch's suggestion and split the additional time between leaving it in the cure, and hanging in the fridge before smoking a week later than my initial plan.

skuzy · Post by **skuzy** » Fri Aug 21, 2015 10:40 pm

Looking forward to seeing your final product mate! I'm about to chuck pork belly into a cure this weekend

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

wedwards · Post by **wedwards** » Sat Aug 22, 2015 1:17 am

Before you smoke it, you could slice a small piece off and cook it up to check if its too salty as a result of more time in brine. If it is, just dump it in some water for 12 - 24 hours to suck some of the salt out of it then back in fridge to let the outside set up for accepting smoke then have at it.

GarthFader · Post by **GarthFader** » Sun Aug 30, 2015 2:11 pm

The the brined bacon was awesome, but the dry-cured one was really, really salty... Could only use it in other dishes, not for breakfast.

I was surprised by how much the dry-cured bacon reduced in volume, the fibres all tightened up and the fat broke right down, so it was a much drier bacon too.

titch · Post by **titch** » Sun Aug 30, 2015 2:53 pm

Did you soak it for a few hours?

GarthFader · Post by **GarthFader** » Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:39 pm

Yep, soaked both for 24hrs in fresh water, then hung them to dry for 12hrs overnight before smoking.

skuzy · Post by **skuzy** » Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:54 pm

What was your cure mix for the dry rub bacon?

GarthFader · Post by **GarthFader** » Sat Sep 05, 2015 8:53 am

per kg of meat;

15% salt
1.5% sugar
0.5 grams cure #2

wedwards · Post by **wedwards** » Sat Sep 05, 2015 9:55 am

15% salt (from memory) is way too much, probably ok for an overnight brine but not for any length of time along with curing salt

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Aussie BBQ Forum