First Time Bacon Cure - Questions

[cgslmc]

Ok, so I've followed the Maple Bacon Recipe to a tee. Had to reduce ingredients because my pork belly was only 1.625 lbs and at its widest place 1.25 inches. Using the calculator it shows me a cure time of 2 days. At the 48 hour mark I'll be dancing with my two youngest daughters at a Father-Daughter dance. Calculator says you can extend cure period by 25% at most. Couple of questions. First, the recipe indicates a cure time of 3 to 5 days, but I'm assuming that does not apply here? if I take out the bacon when I get home after a 50-52 hour cure, do I HAVE to smoke it immediately, or can I refrigerate until the morning, then smoke it? It's going to be around -15 degrees with wind chill when I get home Friday night, so I'm hoping I can wait. Thanks in advance for your help. Love the site, and so does my waistline...

[EdF]

You can cure over the schedule, and you can refrigerate before smoking it. No issue.

[Oakgrovebacon]

Welcome to the pit from Southern Illinois! My bacon cures for 7-9 days. You will be good.

[ComfortablyNumb]

I thought it was a week, I wonder if it was changed to three days or if I was hallucinating when I first read it. Anyway, mine sits for a week or more.

I notice this is your first post, welcome to the Pit from NE Washington state. Along with tips, techniques, and recipes about BBQ we have a lot of fun. If you like music, go to this thread to hear what others are listening to and share what you like. For jokes, go to this thread. Happy to have you along and looking forward to your participation.

[cgslmc]

Thank you everyone. I'll be sure to share the results.

[RonB]

Welcome to The Pit.

[Mr. Bones]

Howdy from Kansas Territory, Welcome to Th' Pit!

[kmhfive]

Nice to meet you! Rinse the belly when you get a chance and refrigerate it until you can smoke it. It should be fine.

[Brisket Syndicate]

I rinse mine off then air dry in the fridge for 24 hours before I smoke it.

[Troutman]

Welcome from the Republic of Texas

[HorseDoctor]

Welcome to the pit! Don't overthink the bacon too much. Curing times are more like a "minimum". Once it's cured, it's cured. Some extra time (or even a lot) won't hurt a thing. If you go days or weeks over the recommended time you may want to soak in fresh water for an hour or more to de-salt some but it won't "un-cure" the meat. AsBrisket Syndicate stated, some air dry time in the fridge is a good thing. Relax and enjoy! Once you start makin bacon you'll get lots of practice, because you'll never be happy with the store bought stuff again!

[kamadoRob]

Welcome from Colorado! As HorseDoctor says, you won't want to go back to store bought after you've made your own so be ready to make more soon. Enjoy!

[cgslmc]

Ok, so mission accomplished. Definitely the best bacon the family ever ate. Here's a picture of the slab right after it was taken out of the smoker. Maple Bacon... Yum. Have to get a bigger belly. This only started out as a 2 pounder

[Eugene A]

Did you leave the skin on? Or is that just a thick layer of fat? And how did it fry up? I cured mine for just about two days. The flavor is definitely there; but, it doesn't get crispy like store-bought. Meathead pointed that out in the recipe.

[HorseDoctor]

Eugene A Store bought bacon is usually much thinner and has been cured but not cooked. If you want crispier homemade bacon, slice it very thin and fry it very slowly so the sugars don't burn. Better yet, cook it in the oven until desired doneness. Enjoy!

[BigCountryQ]

Try replacing the Maple Syrup with Molasses instead. It's incredible.
When i make it with Maple Syrup, I use B Grade syrup. It gives it a more robust flavor