Questions about curing and stuff

[Rancherstriker]

Hi! I just did my first batch of homemade bacon... Delicious! Even though I was still nervous as hell over the botulism risk.

Got some questions during the process... At some point in my life, I was a medical student and I saw people with Botulism... That's something I DON'T want me or my family to experience.

This is for wet cures, not dry cures!

How do you detect if what you are curing is going bad?
I've read Meatheads article on curing and so far:
a) The meat should smell fresh, a little briny, not funny
b) No molds on the curing liquid
c) No bubbles (Total absence of bubbles? Some bubbles?)

Any other markers that would make you guys think that maybe this batch is not such a good idea?

Thanks
Fer

[ComfortablyNumb]

I'll say trust your instincts, if you suspect something wrong don't eat it. That said, if you follow the recipe I sincerely doubt you'll have any problems.

[Rancherstriker]

I would like to understand the bubbles thing. There were some bubbles on my ziploc tools, but I wasn't sure they were there because I wasn't able to completely vacuum seal the bags or if I got something alive in there. I checked the meat and smell when it came out, and there wasn't anything off

[ComfortablyNumb]

Bubbles would be a sign of fermentation, a by product of bacteria eating sugars, and would not appear in a sealed bag. The bag would swell up like a balloon since the CO2 created would not have anywhere to go. If you cure in a container, like the ham pictured after 'Wet Cures' you would see bubbles on the surface.

[Rancherstriker]

So basically some small bubbles over 3 days of curing would not be a problem?

[ComfortablyNumb]

I think not. There are bacteria and yeast in the air we breathe, they are going to get in your cure. We use them to make alcohol and bread. Most need temperature to grow, so keep the meat cool during the cure (1C-3C) and it shouldn't be an issue.

[Troutman]

My first question would be did you use distilled water? If so you shouldn't have introduced any pathogens other than what occurred within the meat itself. Next question did you keep it in a refrigerator at or around 35* F? If all that was done I think you should be fine, there would be no reason for anything much to grow at that temperature and in that amount of salt.

[Rancherstriker]

My first question would be did you use distilled water? If so you shouldn't have introduced any pathogens other than what occurred within the meat itself. Next question did you keep it in a refrigerator at or around 35* F? If all that was done I think you should be fine, there would be no reason for anything much to grow at that temperature and in that amount of salt.

Yep, I use distilled water for the cures. I do not know my refrigerator's temp, but it should be around that temp. I'll check it later.

On storage, Meathead recommends wrapping it up tightly on plastic wrap and then on aluminum foil... I've read somewhere that putting on a vacuum-sealed bag actually promotes botulism.. that true? Bacon goes into the freezer for me.

[scottranda]

I follow the recipe to a tee. And I’ve vacuumed sealed and put in freezer without problems. I’ve never heard of that botulism risk.

[Polarbear777]

I don’t believe vacuum sealing promotes botulism except that because it fights other spoilage issues so people may think it’s still safe well after it isn’t. If you keep it cool and don’t keep it too long and you use pink salt in the right concentration you should be good to go.

I would be more interested in tests for saftey other than smell. That’s not easy to quantify.

[Donw]

The C botulinum germ is anaerobic, so it can’t tolerate oxygen very well. It does thrive in an environment lacking oxygen. Vacuum sealing could speed its growth. However, following Meathead’s directions, using distilled water, and the proper ratio of the cure should eliminate any worries if proper hygiene was followed. Let it cure for the recommended time and then smell. If it smells throw it out.

[ComfortablyNumb]

Yep, I use distilled water for the cures. I do not know my refrigerator's temp, but it should be around that temp. I'll check it later.

On storage, Meathead recommends wrapping it up tightly on plastic wrap and then on aluminum foil... I've read somewhere that putting on a vacuum-sealed bag actually promotes botulism.. that true? Bacon goes into the freezer for me.

I have never used foil for food storage. I either wrap in plastic wrap and then freezer paper or vacuum seal.

[Troutman]

When I brine or cure I use distilled water and put the meat and the cure in a large plastic container with a snap on lid. That then goes into a garage refrigerator that stays shut most of the time and maintains about a 35-36* temperature. I don't worry too much about pathogens; however, I am not a pathogen expert by any means. Remember too, if you are using Cure #1 (or Pink Curing Salt), that too fights the promotion of those little beasties. I've done bacon, brisket corning, tons of poultry and have not killed anyone in my family or myself in over 40 years. Relax, be smart, and you'll be ok.

[HorseDoctor]

OK, not to downplay the severity of botulism as it is NASTY, but rare. I too have seen botulism in animals and every time it came from eating REALLY BAD ROTTEN STUFF that nobody would mistake for good food. The risk of botulism as long as you follow a respected/tested recipe is almost infinitesimal. Follow a published recipe and don't worry!

On the other hand, distilled water has the minerals removed and won't impart off flavors that some well water might, but it is NOT "sterile" and may well contain bacteria. Not that it is unsafe, but it is NOT sterile. I have yet to buy distilled water (or any other bottled water) for curing or cooking. If I can drink tap water, I can cure food with it.

[Rancherstriker]

OK, not to downplay the severity of botulism as it is NASTY, but rare. I too have seen botulism in animals and every time it came from eating REALLY BAD ROTTEN STUFF that nobody would mistake for good food. The risk of botulism as long as you follow a respected/tested recipe is almost infinitesimal. Follow a published recipe and don't worry!

On the other hand, distilled water has the minerals removed and won't impart off flavors that some well water might, but it is NOT "sterile" and may well contain bacteria. Not that it is unsafe, but it is NOT sterile. I have yet to buy distilled water (or any other bottled water) for curing or cooking. If I can drink tap water, I can cure food with it.

Yep, that's something to consider. I used sterile, injectable water for the cures.

Now my doubts are that in a thicker slab (2") part of the meat is white, (As in not pink like the rest). I'm pretty much assuming that the 5 days cure did not penetrate enough, is there an issue with this? Should I use this first?

All of the bacon was vacuum-packed and went into the freezer

Thanks

[HorseDoctor]

Even in the unlikely event that the cure did not penetrate in 5 days, it would still be safe. The uncured portion will just taste like side pork instead of bacon. More likely is it's just a variation in the meat itself and not a cure failure. Some belly muscles have more fat in the meat than others and just look paler.