Bacon Help?

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Bacon Help?

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moggins

Joined: 24 Feb 2005
Posts: 942
Location: Gloucester

Posted: Sun Feb 27, 05 10:08 pm Post subject: Bacon Help?
The bacon is made and is browner than I expected, is that right? I thought the saltpetre kept it pink? Or have I just wrecked 8lb's of meat? Also it says it can be airdried, can anyone point me in the direction of an article that will explain how to do this? I was going to split it into 4 and see which way kept best, fridge, airdrying or freezing? Can't smoke it as I don't have a smoker.

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sun Feb 27, 05 10:35 pm Post subject:
Mine is not pink, looking like it has been dyed pink, but it is not greyish, which it looks like if salt pr=etre is not used. For drying hang some up from a hhok in a clean pillow case in a cool slightly draughty place like a garage or shed, as long as cars are not revving up in there.

moggins

Joined: 24 Feb 2005
Posts: 942
Location: Gloucester

Posted: Mon Feb 28, 05 11:29 am Post subject:
Thanks alison, mine is not greyish, it's just gone a slight brown colour, perhaps I used the wrong sugar? Thanks for the advice on air drying. It is very salty though and I only used the same amount in the 3 day cure recipe, perhaps I'll have to soak it to try and leach some of the salt out.

alison
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Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Mon Feb 28, 05 8:18 pm Post subject:

I think salty taste can be a contatious issue.

We are used to a very bland type of bacon now from shop bought, but to make your own you do have to do the preserving part, otherwise it is not bacon and will not last.

You can either soak the joint, before slicing, but it does go a bit flacid, so I think it is better, if you are going to soak, to do it after slicing, for about 15 hour before cooking, in cold water, and then pat dry.

jema
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28239
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Mon Feb 28, 05 9:00 pm Post subject:
I think on free day cure stuff you can be OK on salt content if you are careful in hiw much you apply. But I am still very much on the learning curve.

moggins

Joined: 24 Feb 2005
Posts: 942
Location: Gloucester

Posted: Mon Feb 28, 05 9:26 pm Post subject:
Thanks for the help, I really want the other half to taste it as he says he hates bacon, but there is no way he is going to be converted when it tastes as salty as this, even I grimaced a bit.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28239
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Mon Feb 28, 05 9:34 pm Post subject:
If you want the easy answer, get a cure from Deeno or Franko, that makes very bacony bacon.

Mark A

Joined: 13 Mar 2005
Posts: 9
Location: Bala North Wales

Posted: Fri Mar 25, 05 7:31 am Post subject:
We have a curer near us who does our bacon and when I spoke to him about the sort of bacon that was made years ago that just hung up in the kitchen he said that it was generally very salty but people used to soak it overnight like you might with a ham to reduce the saltiness. Although I suppose this might reduce the benefits of the dry curing process.

Paddington Bear

Joined: 31 Jan 2005
Posts: 170
Location: Shropshire

Posted: Fri Mar 25, 05 7:16 pm Post subject:
We opened ours tonight, its been inside a muslin bag in the larder to find two mouldy lumps! With the mould cut off it looks ok, redish-pinky. Do we need to hang it somewhere with a better flow of air or should we have used more cure?

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