Bacon Salty
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This is a tough one - At $50 or so for the belly and the rub, this is a costly mistake. There is clearly more to this than the video or instructions let on. Some can get it, some can not it appears. PapaSop got his first try, I was hoping for the same. Into the trash it goes - Wife calls it inedible. Darn. I will watch posts more carefully and try and learn more before I make this mistake again.
lkrfletcher after curing and soaking you can slice of a piece and fry it up to test for saltiness. If too salty change water and soak it more.
I think you used the pre-made rub. Try playing with the eq method and just plug weight into the calculator and it gives you your ingredient weight. You can adjust the salt percent and sugar percent to your liking. Most people I have seen seem to prefer 1.8% to 2.0% for salt. There is no need to rinse after the eq method.
DO NOT GIVE UP!!! You can do this! -
johnsbrewhouse i I could not get the bellies into the large ziplocks, would’nt fit.
lkrfletcher I cut mine in half or thirds. I seal mine in my chamber vac and the largest bag I can use is 10x13. Also that way I can experiment with different ratios and flavors all from one belly. Just weigh each piece and then measure rub for each piece individually or rub the whole belly with measured cure and then cut to size.
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This is a tough one - At $50 or so for the belly and the rub, this is a costly mistake. There is clearly more to this than the video or instructions let on. Some can get it, some can not it appears. PapaSop got his first try, I was hoping for the same. Into the trash it goes - Wife calls it inedible. Darn. I will watch posts more carefully and try and learn more before I make this mistake again.
lkrfletcher It is still usable and salvageable. Baked beans for sure, chowders, etc… But you can still get the salt out by soaking and rinsing. It is a PIA, but you have a product you just need to do some corrections to bring it to where you want it.
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lkrfletcher said in Bacon Salty:
This is a tough one - At $50 or so for the belly and the rub, this is a costly mistake. There is clearly more to this than the video or instructions let on. Some can get it, some can not it appears. PapaSop got his first try, I was hoping for the same. Into the trash it goes - Wife calls it inedible. Darn. I will watch posts more carefully and try and learn more before I make this mistake again.
Well that sucks. I followed the same procedure. That first five pounds I did I just guessed at how much rub to use. The second one, which I actually just did, I measured out 4oz. This was according to the conversion chart. Thought this looked like way to much. Will see what happens in a few days.
That first one I pulled after six days. Thought it was a to salty for my taste. After a few days in the freezer it seemed better…Weird. This one I just did I’m going to pull after five days and give it a couple extra rinses. I didn’t vacuum seal the first one and not going to on this one either.
Don’t give up. Keep an eye out for a sale on bellies. Sounds like you paid a lot for that one. $2.04lb at the store the other day. Kicking myself for not getting a couple more. After giving out samples to the family they seem to think their bacon buying days are over. LOL
PapaSop $ 2.04/lb ??? Holy cow. The cheapest I have seen is $3.99 /lb at Costco. That’s pretty much the o ly.place I can find it around me and that is over 1 hour away. There is one butcher shop I had found it in but I am thinking he wanted somewhere around $6.00 /lb. That’s part of the problem I guess where I am. I have lots of butcher places but everyone sells bacon so I am sure they would rather make bacon to sell themselves than sell the belly and possibly loose some profit?
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Dice it up and fry it with potatoes. Potatoes absorb salt and will help balance it out. Add eggs and it’s breakfast! I have thrown a raw potato into a pot of chili that was inadvertently over salted. The potato pulled enough salt from the pot that the meal was saved. I agree with others that mention not vacuum sealing. I made bacon commercially for awhile. We wet brined and vacuum tumbled them in order to smoke them that same day. If you do vacuum, dramatically reduce the time you are brining. Don’t give up! The homemade stuff will be so worth it.
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Don’t throw it out! The very first bacon I made a few years ago, I had no idea what I was doing. I covered the entire pork belly with tender quick for a week. Needless to say, it was so salty it was inedible. I soaked it in a tub of cold water in the fridge changing out the water every 8 hours. Every day after work I would cut a small piece off and test fry it. It took 4 days before it was edible and 5 days it was good to eat. Try that before throwing it out.
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Dice it up and fry it with potatoes. Potatoes absorb salt and will help balance it out. Add eggs and it’s breakfast! I have thrown a raw potato into a pot of chili that was inadvertently over salted. The potato pulled enough salt from the pot that the meal was saved. I agree with others that mention not vacuum sealing. I made bacon commercially for awhile. We wet brined and vacuum tumbled them in order to smoke them that same day. If you do vacuum, dramatically reduce the time you are brining. Don’t give up! The homemade stuff will be so worth it.
Deepwoodsbutcher - Thanks. BTW - I can’t eat potato
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Dice it up and fry it with potatoes. Potatoes absorb salt and will help balance it out. Add eggs and it’s breakfast! I have thrown a raw potato into a pot of chili that was inadvertently over salted. The potato pulled enough salt from the pot that the meal was saved. I agree with others that mention not vacuum sealing. I made bacon commercially for awhile. We wet brined and vacuum tumbled them in order to smoke them that same day. If you do vacuum, dramatically reduce the time you are brining. Don’t give up! The homemade stuff will be so worth it.
Deepwoodsbutcher I would think since lkrfletcher dont eat taters, he could just throw the tater away after it draws some of the salt out. Taters are alot cheaper then pork bellies
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Deepwoodsbutcher - Thanks. BTW - I can’t eat potato
lkrfletcher said in Bacon Salty:
Deepwoodsbutcher - Thanks. BTW - I can’t eat potato
But you can eat this: Cauliflower Soup
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lkrfletcher said in Bacon Salty:
processhead - Just used waltons dry rub bacon mix. 8 oz, for 10 pounds if I remember correctly. Was barley enough to cover all sides.
Its too bad that the salt amount is not listed in the ingredients.
I saw where Jonathon said once that Excalibur doesn’t even tell Walton’s what the salt amount is in their dry rub bacon cure.Just for comparison, I looked up how much dry rub I use for a 10 lb belly using the diggin dog farms EQ calculator.
The total weight of cure which is just salt, sugar, and cure #1 is just under 5 ounces for a 10 lb pork belly. That is based on 2% salt, 1% sugar and .02% cure #1 by weight of the uncured pork belly.
It also assumes using EQ curing methods, and just a quick fresh water rinse before smoking. No extended soaking.The Excalibur dry cure at 8 ounces for a 10 lb belly is significantly more curing product. What is not known is if they use additional ingredients besides sugar, salt and nitrite or if they use more of the dry cure to be on the safe side?
My guess, and it is nothing more than that, is that the Excalibur dry rub cure has significantly more salt and they are counting on removing a portion of that with one or more fresh water soaks after curing.
The problem may be with variations in how much excess salt is being removed with the fresh water soak step and subsequent differences in the salt left behind in the finished belly prior to smoking.
processhead
Since being new to this I just did some reading on this EQ method. Seems like the way to go. Found that calculator you speak of. Will see how this next one I just started turns out. I like the idea of having control over the salt input.I’m guessing now that the 4 ounces I used is going to be quite salty. Excalibur dry rub that is. Will know in a few days.
lkrfletcher keep the faith my man, gonna figure this out!
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processhead
Since being new to this I just did some reading on this EQ method. Seems like the way to go. Found that calculator you speak of. Will see how this next one I just started turns out. I like the idea of having control over the salt input.I’m guessing now that the 4 ounces I used is going to be quite salty. Excalibur dry rub that is. Will know in a few days.
lkrfletcher keep the faith my man, gonna figure this out!
PapaSop said in Bacon Salty:
processhead
Since being new to this I just did some reading on this EQ method. Seems like the way to go. Found that calculator you speak of. Will see how this next one I just started turns out. I like the idea of having control over the salt input.I’m guessing now that the 4 ounces I used is going to be quite salty. Excalibur dry rub that is. Will know in a few days.
lkrfletcher keep the faith my man, gonna figure this out!
I have been very pleased with this method. I like knowing that I can expect consistent results, and I don’t have to do any soaking to compensate for the extra salt.
I still cut a slice and fry a sample before smoking but so far no surprises.Paul
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PapaSop said in Bacon Salty:
processhead
Since being new to this I just did some reading on this EQ method. Seems like the way to go. Found that calculator you speak of. Will see how this next one I just started turns out. I like the idea of having control over the salt input.I’m guessing now that the 4 ounces I used is going to be quite salty. Excalibur dry rub that is. Will know in a few days.
lkrfletcher keep the faith my man, gonna figure this out!
I have been very pleased with this method. I like knowing that I can expect consistent results, and I don’t have to do any soaking to compensate for the extra salt.
I still cut a slice and fry a sample before smoking but so far no surprises.processhead said in Bacon Salty:
PapaSop said in Bacon Salty:
processhead
Since being new to this I just did some reading on this EQ method. Seems like the way to go. Found that calculator you speak of. Will see how this next one I just started turns out. I like the idea of having control over the salt input.I’m guessing now that the 4 ounces I used is going to be quite salty. Excalibur dry rub that is. Will know in a few days.
lkrfletcher keep the faith my man, gonna figure this out!
I have been very pleased with this method. I like knowing that I can expect consistent results, and I don’t have to do any soaking to compensate for the extra salt.
I still cut a slice and fry a sample before smoking but so far no surprises.Any particular salt needed? Course, fine, iodized, kosher etc.
Thanks -
processhead said in Bacon Salty:
PapaSop said in Bacon Salty:
processhead
Since being new to this I just did some reading on this EQ method. Seems like the way to go. Found that calculator you speak of. Will see how this next one I just started turns out. I like the idea of having control over the salt input.I’m guessing now that the 4 ounces I used is going to be quite salty. Excalibur dry rub that is. Will know in a few days.
lkrfletcher keep the faith my man, gonna figure this out!
I have been very pleased with this method. I like knowing that I can expect consistent results, and I don’t have to do any soaking to compensate for the extra salt.
I still cut a slice and fry a sample before smoking but so far no surprises.Any particular salt needed? Course, fine, iodized, kosher etc.
ThanksPapaSop said in Bacon Salty:
processhead said in Bacon Salty:
PapaSop said in Bacon Salty:
processhead
Since being new to this I just did some reading on this EQ method. Seems like the way to go. Found that calculator you speak of. Will see how this next one I just started turns out. I like the idea of having control over the salt input.I’m guessing now that the 4 ounces I used is going to be quite salty. Excalibur dry rub that is. Will know in a few days.
lkrfletcher keep the faith my man, gonna figure this out!
I have been very pleased with this method. I like knowing that I can expect consistent results, and I don’t have to do any soaking to compensate for the extra salt.
I still cut a slice and fry a sample before smoking but so far no surprises.Any particular salt needed? Course, fine, iodized, kosher etc.
ThanksStay away from any iodized salt with meat processing. As long as you are weighing the salt, you can use any form.
What gets people in trouble when using different forms of salt is when they measure the salt by volume.
Since the salt density varies depending on the form, equal volumes can give you different weights.
Paul
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PapaSop said in Bacon Salty:
processhead said in Bacon Salty:
PapaSop said in Bacon Salty:
processhead
Since being new to this I just did some reading on this EQ method. Seems like the way to go. Found that calculator you speak of. Will see how this next one I just started turns out. I like the idea of having control over the salt input.I’m guessing now that the 4 ounces I used is going to be quite salty. Excalibur dry rub that is. Will know in a few days.
lkrfletcher keep the faith my man, gonna figure this out!
I have been very pleased with this method. I like knowing that I can expect consistent results, and I don’t have to do any soaking to compensate for the extra salt.
I still cut a slice and fry a sample before smoking but so far no surprises.Any particular salt needed? Course, fine, iodized, kosher etc.
ThanksStay away from any iodized salt with meat processing. As long as you are weighing the salt, you can use any form.
What gets people in trouble when using different forms of salt is when they measure the salt by volume.
Since the salt density varies depending on the form, equal volumes can give you different weights.
processhead
Thank you. -
processhead said in Bacon Salty:
PapaSop said in Bacon Salty:
processhead
Since being new to this I just did some reading on this EQ method. Seems like the way to go. Found that calculator you speak of. Will see how this next one I just started turns out. I like the idea of having control over the salt input.I’m guessing now that the 4 ounces I used is going to be quite salty. Excalibur dry rub that is. Will know in a few days.
lkrfletcher keep the faith my man, gonna figure this out!
I have been very pleased with this method. I like knowing that I can expect consistent results, and I don’t have to do any soaking to compensate for the extra salt.
I still cut a slice and fry a sample before smoking but so far no surprises.Any particular salt needed? Course, fine, iodized, kosher etc.
ThanksPapaSop canning and pickling salt has never failed me from canning to meat nothing added, very consistent, and economical.
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Deepwoodsbutcher I would think since lkrfletcher dont eat taters, he could just throw the tater away after it draws some of the salt out. Taters are alot cheaper then pork bellies
kyle Good point. It could work
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processhead
Since being new to this I just did some reading on this EQ method. Seems like the way to go. Found that calculator you speak of. Will see how this next one I just started turns out. I like the idea of having control over the salt input.I’m guessing now that the 4 ounces I used is going to be quite salty. Excalibur dry rub that is. Will know in a few days.
lkrfletcher keep the faith my man, gonna figure this out!
PapaSop This EQ Method used sugar. I am trying to avoid all sugar. I suppose it is a necessity.
Life is a Garden - Dig it.
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PapaSop This EQ Method used sugar. I am trying to avoid all sugar. I suppose it is a necessity.
lkrfletcher said in Bacon Salty:
PapaSop This EQ Method used sugar. I am trying to avoid all sugar. I suppose it is a necessity.
For the purposes of bacon I think the sugar serves as a counter flavor for the salt, but that’s my understanding. I cannot see why it would be needed for bacterial action on such a short cure. If I was trying to avoid sugar as you are I would go for it, but lower the salt to makeup for the lack of sugar.
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lkrfletcher said in Bacon Salty:
PapaSop This EQ Method used sugar. I am trying to avoid all sugar. I suppose it is a necessity.
For the purposes of bacon I think the sugar serves as a counter flavor for the salt, but that’s my understanding. I cannot see why it would be needed for bacterial action on such a short cure. If I was trying to avoid sugar as you are I would go for it, but lower the salt to makeup for the lack of sugar.
mrobisr said in Bacon Salty:
lkrfletcher said in Bacon Salty:
PapaSop This EQ Method used sugar. I am trying to avoid all sugar. I suppose it is a necessity.
For the purposes of bacon I think the sugar serves as a counter flavor for the salt, but that’s my understanding. I cannot see why it would be needed for bacterial action on such a short cure. If I was trying to avoid sugar as you are I would go for it, but lower the salt to makeup for the lack of sugar.
Agree with mrobisr . The sugar is a flavoring, and not a curing agent like the salt or cure #1. It takes the edge off the saltiness just like it does in most meat cures.
You could omit it. -
PapaSop This EQ Method used sugar. I am trying to avoid all sugar. I suppose it is a necessity.
lkrfletcher you can use stevia as well rather than sugar or sucralose. Another option would be to use Agave nectar which doesn’t affect blood sugars and metabolizes in the body better.
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