Results of today's bacon smoke. Two flavors, Maple and Apple Cider. I've done Maple before using Meathead's recipe, and it's always a winner. A local restaurant introduced me to Apple Cider Bacon...best bacon I've ever had. The staff informed me that that product is not available to the general public...only to restauranteers, so I said, "No problem, I'll just make my own." The first attempt at the Apple Cider turned out only so-so. The cider was procured at a large German variety store, Val-Mart, and came from somewhere in NY state. That result led me to seek out some locally made Apple Cider, which I found at an orchard a short drive away. Their cider received an award from the American Farmers Market Assn for its sweet taste. In a side by side taste test, the local variety had more body than the "imported" version. The result was much closer to which I'm trying to achieve. These bellies were in the brine for 5 days, so my question is would it be safe and would it possibly further enhance the flavor to brine for a longer period?
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Yes, it would be safe. You just have to make sure you add the liquid amounts into the calculator correctly.
As Meathead mentions in his article The Science of Curing Meats Safely, "You can swap fruit juice for water if you want. But remember the ratios of nitrite and water are crucial, so don't increase the liquid content without increasing the other proportionally as per the conversion tables."
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Well, I might have erred. I only used the cider and no distilled water. Is it unsafe? The bellies were a tad over 3 lbs. 3/4 cup cider and 1/2 tsp Prague. -
No. But it is less safe. Meathead recommends distilled water because we know it to be free of bugs. And because we are curing, sanitation is paramount. If you don't smell any off odors, you are fine. smokinsteve
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I recently tasted some jalapeno bacon that was outstanding. Each piece tasted as if it were infused with jalapeno goodness. I doubt they got that flavor from brining a whole chunk, and assume they marinated it in slices after the initial cure. I'm going to experiment a little with the next round of bacon. Looking forward to your results.Comment
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