Bacon Cure time?

[CRaiche]

Hey all, I am a new member. Over the past two days I dispatched and processed my first home raised pig. I have only raised pigs twice now. The first time I sent it off to be processed, this time I did it myself. Talk about a ton of work… especially when it is your first time and you are all alone.

Anyway. I purchased some of the blue ribbon maple bacon cure. I watched the bacon video like 10 times now. My question is just how long is overnight? They say it just needs to sit in the fridge overnight before going to the smoker… is that 8 hrs, 12, 24? Also could it go longer or is that bad news bears? Thanks!

[CRaiche]

CRaiche

[processhead]

Cure times for meat are not nearly as critical as some other parts of the bacon making process. The important thing is just to keep the meat refrigerated while curing and make sure all the meat gets even contact with the cure. A little more curing time is better than too little.

If you used the injection method of curing your bacon, the process is pretty quick compared to some of the other traditional dry rub cures or soaking in a wet cure with no injection.

For curing to take place, the cure has to make contact with all of the meat, inside and out. By injecting, you really speed up the contact with the inside of the meat.

Your hog looks great. I have always wanted to try to butcher a whole hog, but I agree, it would be a big undertaking to do by yourself.

[CRaiche]

processhead i guess the question is, I injected the bacon and put it in a 50% brine like the video says. By the time that was done, it was 11:15pm last night. What time can it go in the smoker?

I wanted to get it done since today I am off work and have more processing of the pig to do. My next day off isnt for 10 days. I didn’t want to have to freeze the meat

[processhead]

Conservatively, if you wait till noon today to put them in the smoker, I think you will be fine.

[processhead]

Another thought. You could visually check the curing progress by cutting one of the bellies in half and then cutting a slice off of one of those ends cut out of the middle . Cured pork will definitely have a nice pink color. Fry the slice and taste it. It won’t have any smoke flavor like bacon, but it should taste very different than the flavor of an uncured piece of cooked pork.

[YooperDog]

processhead Been there, done that