I made bacon...

[RonB]

When the salts in the meat and the solution reach equilibrium, there will be no more exchange of salts and no reason to leave it in any longer. It will be too salty and a soak in plain water will be needed to reduce the salt content. But it will be cured and can take the reduction in salt. Leaving it in a day or two longer should not hurt, but won't help either.

[ecowper]

NukeGuy I make bacon all the time. I prep my smoker on the day I’m going to cook the bacon. When the smoker is ready, I pull the pork belly out of the cure, rinse, and go straight to the smoker. It’s still got an internal temp around 40F and is wet, which is very helpful for smoking.

[NukeGuy]

So after the cure time I should take it out and rinse it off then back in the fridge?

[Psinderson]

Everyone so far has raved about the bacon. I used the cure calculator as my slab of pork belly was pretty thin. It worked perfectly. The cure time in the recipe was geared towards the pork belly size described there.

[kmhfive]

I'm just starting my second batch now. I think that the longer it stays in the cure, the "saltier" it gets. Since you are going for bacon and not salt pork, getting the timing right prevents having to soak the salt out later.

[ecowper]

Just wait until cook that first piece of bacon that you slice off.

[NukeGuy]

Started my first bacon cure today. meathead suggest a max cure time of 1.25 over the value produced by the calculator. That seems odd, a max? How big a deal to go over?

[Psinderson]

I have to agree. I just had a few slices, and they were wonderful!

[HorseDoctor]

Now you done spoiled yourself! Store bought bacon will never be the same! Enjoy!

[Psinderson]

Thanks, all! I will soon taste the fruits of my labor.

[richinlbrg]

Looks great! I too need to do this again!

[Steve B]

Sweeeeeet

[kmhfive]

Wonderful!

[ComfortablyNumb]

Welcome to the club of people who can't eat store bought bacon again.

[DWCowles]

Beautiful! I need to do this again