Question about homemade bacon curing times

[Smoking77]

I was going to use the AR recipe, and it says for a three pound pork belly, cure for 3-5 days. Is there a big difference in taste between the 3-day and the 5-day?

[Ahumadora]

The thickness of the belly dictates this.. salt penetrates slowly.

[Smoking77]

Just quoting the recipe page: "put the bag in a pan to catch leaks and place in the fridge at 34 to 38°F for 3 to 5 days. If the belly is thicker than 1.5 check the calculator here."

Mine is 1.5 inches, so the calculator says 3 days. Maybe I was reading the recipe page incorrectly. Does it mean that 1.5 inches is 3 days, and then thicker is up to 5 days?

[Jerod Broussard]

Use the calculator, it is more exact.

[mountainsmoker]

Jerod Broussard I find it very inaccurate. I have tried it on many of my recipes and it came no where close to what I had been using for 20+ years. It should work but it doesn't and I don't know why. He is missing some variable in the calculation. See below..

[mountainsmoker]

I hate to be a nay sayer, but I have tried to compare that calculator to the one I have used for 20 years and the two are no where close. I always do a 5lb. belly,1.5-1.75 inches thick and the brine time is 6 days. It is a combination of salt, pink salt, maple sugar and maple syrup. I then smoke it at 180 degrees with maple chunks to an internal temp of 160 degrees and immediately cool. I have an electric slicer so place the bacon in the freezer for an hour and slice it fairly thick to our liking.

For a ham 10-15 days depending on size. I also inject a ham along the bones to prevent spoilage.

[Jerod Broussard]

Use what you prefer.

[mountainsmoker]

No Jerod Broussard this is a very serious problem. To much pink salt or over brining can cause serious problems. I would love to have Dr. Blonder explain his formula. It just doesn't make sense.

[Jerod Broussard]

Over brining is not a problem, it just means you have too much sodium chloride. As far as the cure, you have something 20+ years old for WET cures?

[barelfly]

I follow Michael Ruhlman’s recipe, and it’s a basic salt box method of a 1/4 cup cure mix and it goes for 5-7 days. I have not used the calculator on this site for bacon at this point. But Ruhlman’s recipe always turns out great bacon.