Home made bacon vs Commercial bacon and cooking

[Randie N]

processhead that’s one of the reasons I completely left out sugar on some of the last batch I made

[marzig20]

mrobisr said in Home made bacon vs Commercial bacon and cooking:

In the oven, but instead of foil try parchment paper you will never do it any other way.

I started cooking my bacon in the oven on parchment paper in the oven years ago. I set the oven at 350 and thick cut only takes 45 mins the way I like it. I’ll never go back to a skillet unless camping.

[mrobisr]

Finished the bacon up and baked it at 400f on parchment paper and absolutely no sugar burn. I hadn’t really payed any attention, but did this time because of this post. Rate of sugar was my normal 1.5% and it was dry cured, so give it a try you might be pleasantly surprised.

[Dave in AZ]

processhead
I believe your issue is indeed the dry rub method vs injection.
The sugar molecule is huge compared to the salt ions released on contact with the bacon, and the NaNO2 . Therefore, the diffusion rate is well more than 10x faster for the salts. The sugar molecule can’t pass freely through most of the Aw interstices that the smaller salts and NaNO2 can. By the time the salt has cured your bacon throughout the center, the sugars are still concentrated in the outer 1-2 mm.

So your bacon has a band of high concentrate sugar right at the edge, as if you rolled it in sugar prior to the pan, tapering from 100% at surface where pure sugar was rubbed to 0% some mm in. The commercial injected and tumbled bacon has a much more diffuse sugar, which is just 1% or so from the brine concentration at it’s highest points, and is also aggressively diffused via the mechanical tumbling.

My guess is these radically different local concentrations of sugar result in much slower sugar burning in injected/tumbled product vs dry rub or even submersed wet cure. Meat temps probably produce meat maillard reaction before enough sugar is concentraded and heated to burn, in the tumbled.

The oven resulting in no sugar burn is probably due to meat maillard browning starting at 300f, while sugar begins to burn at 350f. So the lower more gentle no-contact air heat in oven seems to have a chance to brown the bacon before it can burn the sugars, though they do begin to caramelize at same temps as meat. But the sugars don’t see the intense 700f or more type heats present at a pan surface.

I mentioned the diffusion studies done by Dr. Greg Blonder, see his salt vs msg vs sugar one at genuineideas dot com slash ArticlesIndex slash diffusion dot html, for some graphs and reagent paper tests on the diffusion rates.

Don’t really see a solution besides injecting your sugar brine cure, sticking it in a can and giving it to some kid to shake for a bit But hope it is still helpful or interesting;)

[processhead]

Dave in AZ

That explanation seems plausible. Could be the reason for mechanical massaging/tumbling of whole cuts of meat to speed up the process and equalize the cure agents throughout the meat, in commercial operations.

[bleathery]

processhead I don’t have any issues while cooking my dry cure bacon in the oven, but definitely have to watch when I cook the Apple or Honey/Sriracha, with all the extra sugars.

[processhead]

bleathery said in Home made bacon vs Commercial bacon and cooking:

processhead I don’t have any issues while cooking my dry cure bacon in the oven, but definitely have to watch when I cook the Apple or Honey/Sriracha, with all the extra sugars.

No issues for me in the oven either, only when frying in a skillet.
It’s more of aesthetics issue than anything else. Flavor is great.

[Dave in AZ]

bleathery processhead I have to admit, I’m a pan-fry guy all the way. I actually like a bit of almost burn, while still having lots of fat. The oven method reminds me of all the blaaaand bacon I had over the years in the military, where they cook att the bacon in oven on sheets. Probably bland due to their chosen brand, but still I got it in my head early that I didn’t like oven bacon. Now military S.O.S, that’s different!

[bleathery]

Dave in AZ I definitely notice you don’t get as much splatter when pan frying the home cure compared to store bought. I can’t remember if it was a YouTube video or I read it, but they chalked it up to the injecting of the cure/flavoring.

[processhead]

bleathery said in Home made bacon vs Commercial bacon and cooking:

Dave in AZ I definitely notice you don’t get as much splatter when pan frying the home cure compared to store bought. I can’t remember if it was a YouTube video or I read it, but they chalked it up to the injecting of the cure/flavoring.

I think the commercial-pumped bacon has a higher percentage of water in it just like most other commodity type cured meats. If it has more water, it is going to splatter more.

[243savage]

Do it exactly like danny o, brine is the way to go, except for the IT of 140, I question that. Brown sugar will not burn as quickly as white fwiw. I also agree you have a higher concentration of sugar on the outside. Ppm= sodium nitrate x .0625x 1,000,000/ (water+meat+salt+sugar weight). Fsis requires no more than 120 for immersion bacon.

[mrobisr]

processhead said in Home made bacon vs Commercial bacon and cooking:

higher percentage of water

Absolutely true, I think they are allowed up 10% if memory serves me correct, but anyway for the profit margin sure $5.00/lb for pickle pump that at the end of the shift will be discarded it is a no brainer as profit goes. For the consumer not so much, but that is the choice made when buying and not making the product yourself.