Picked up a beautiful 10 pound pork belly at Costco today. $2.85/lb. The skin had already been removed (either expertly or mechanically I might add), leaving a lovely, even fat cap (I've seen some real hack jobs removing the skin).
I decided to do a little experiment. I’ve noticed several posts on this forum about using Prague Powder #1 (Pink Curing Salt) vs. Morton Tender Quick. And how this might change flavor, texture, etc.
Morton Tender Quick is pretty much available at any basic supermarket. For most people though, Prague Powder #1 must be ordered. So people seem to ask "what is the difference"?
I happen to have both Prague Powder #1 and Tender Quick. So I’m going to cut my belly into two 5 pound pieces, and cure each piece in a different cure. Each cure has been designed to have the same flavor profile as the other (brown sugar, maple syrup), just altering the pink salt vs Tender Quick.
My thinking behind the intricate differences in the cures: Tender Quick has about 20% sugar, but I did not adjust for that difference in the Prague Powder version, since both cures have plenty of brown sugar and maple syrup. If anything, you might notice a little less sweetness in the Prague Powder version, but probably not much. Likewise, Prague Powder is mostly salt, but I stayed with 1 T Kosher salt for that cure (rather than slightly lowering the salt). I don't feel reducing the Kosher salt measurement by 1/2 teaspoon per pound is a level of precision that is necessary. Especially since many dry cure recipes apply the cure by "whatever doesn't fall off".
CURES:
Prague Powder #1 Cure (per pound of belly)
1 Tablespoon Kosher salt (Morton’s)
1/2 teaspoon Prague Powder #1 (Pink Curing Salt)
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
Morton Tender Quick Cure (per pound of belly)
1 Tablespoon Morton Tender Quick
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
Both pieces will be cured at the same time, in separate bags. They will be smoked together in the same smoking session, so there are no conflicting variables with curing time, fridge temp, meat from different animals, smoking time, temp, wood, etc. (Just the cure.)
PROCESS:
Prepare a batch of cure using the ratios above per 1 pound of meat. Rub the belly with the cure making sure to evenly distribute it over the entire surface of the belly and place in a zip lock bag (I will be using 3 gallon bags). Remove as much air as possible and seal. Place in the fridge and allow to cure for 7 days per inch thickness of belly. Flip the bags once every day and massage the meat to ensure even distribution of the cure. When fully cured, remove meat from bags and rinse in cold water, washing off all the excess salt and cure. Soak in plain water for 30 minutes to further remove excess surface salt. Dry with paper towels and place on a rack, set over a sheet pan. Place in fridge, uncovered, and allow to dry for 24 hours to form a pellicle.
Cold smoke, using the cold smoke plate and a pan of ice for 3 hours (15-20 minutes full blast, 40-45 minutes off) keeping the ambient temperature below 100 degrees. After 3 hours, remove the cold smoke plate and pan of ice, set temp to 200, and continue to smoke until an internal temperature of 150.
I will be using 5 ounces of wood. 1/2 hickory, and the other 1/2 either apple or cherry. I will be using some chips and some chunks.
Wrap in plastic wrap (or wax paper?) and chill for 24 hours then slice to desired thickness. Crisp over medium heat in a pan, or crisp in the oven.
Expert bacon community out there... let me know if anything seems off about my cures, or smoking technique. I plan on applying the cures tomorrow (Sunday). I believe I have the right ratios of salt to nitrites using the different products.
Any predictions? I think they are going to be pretty much the same. But it certainly will be fun to find out. After all, that will involve much eating of bacon!
