Making your own bacon at home is extremely rewarding. Not only can you control the quality of the pork and ingredients, but you also get to customize the flavor exactly how you like it. However, one of the most important steps is using the right amount of cure per pound of meat. This ensures the bacon is safe and tastes great.
In this detailed guide we’ll cover everything you need to know about cure ratios when making bacon including
- What cure is and why it’s used
- Recommended ratios for cure
- Measuring and calculating the cure
- Wet brine vs dry cure methods
- Effect of cure on flavor
- Other ingredients like sugar and spices
- Ensuring food safety
What is Cure and Why is it Used?
Cure is used in bacon making for two main purposes
-
Food Safety – Cure contains sodium nitrite which prevents the growth of harmful bacteria like botulism and listeria. This is especially important for cured meats like bacon which aren’t cooked to high temperatures.
-
Flavor and Color – Cure helps give bacon it’s characteristic pink color and smoked ham-like flavor. The sodium nitrite reacts with the meat proteins to form these characteristics.
The curing agent used is often called pink salt or Prague powder #1. It contains 6.25% sodium nitrite mixed with table salt.
Recommended Ratios for Cure
The USDA recommends using:
- 1 ounce of cure per 25 lbs of meat
- OR 1 level teaspoon of cure per 5 lbs of meat
This works out to about 1 teaspoon per 5 pounds of pork belly.
For metric measurements, it’s 1.45 grams of cure per 1 kg of meat.
So for a standard pork belly size of around 2 lbs, you would use about 1/3 teaspoon of cure.
These ratios give about 156 parts per million (ppm) of sodium nitrite in the meat, well within the safe limits.
Measuring and Calculating Cure
To accurately measure cure, it’s best to use a digital kitchen scale.
Here is the process:
-
Weigh meat in grams. For example, a 2 lb pork belly would be about 900 grams.
-
Multiply weight by 0.0025 to calculate cure.
- For 900 g of pork, 900 x 0.0025 = 2.25 grams of cure
-
Use scale to measure out cure in grams.
Doing the math each time ensures you use the right amount of cure proportional to the meat weight.
Tip: Instead of math, you can also just multiply meat weight by 0.25% to get the cure amount.
Wet Brine vs Dry Cure
There are two main ways to cure bacon – wet brine and dry cure.
Wet Brine
- Dissolve cure in water to make brine
- Submerge meat in brine for 7-10 days
- Brine distributes cure evenly
Wet brine ratio:
- 1 level teaspoon (6 grams) cure per 1 Quart/Liter of water
Dry Cure
- Rub cure mix directly onto meat
- Cure absorbs into meat over 5-7 days
- Flip and massage meat daily
- Works well for equilibrium curing
For both methods, the total cure ratio per pound is the same. The main difference is that the dry cure requires mixing it into a rub, while wet brine requires dissolving it in water first.
Effect of Cure on Flavor
In addition to food safety, cure contributes to the characteristic bacon flavor:
- Gives a hint of smoky, ham-like taste
- Provides a lingering savory umami flavor
- Helps accentuate smoked flavors
Too much cure can cause bitterness and overpowering saltiness. This is why using accurate ratios is important.
Proper amounts contribute positively to flavor without being directly detectable.
Other Ingredients like Sugar and Spices
In addition to cure, sugar and spices are also commonly added to bacon rubs or brines.
Sugar counterbalances saltiness and promotes browning. Brown sugar, maple syrup or honey can be used. About 1 tbsp per pound of pork belly is a good starting ratio.
Spices like black pepper, garlic, coriander, juniper berries add complementary flavors. Season lightly at first, adjusting to taste preferences.
Make sure to keep track of any extra salt in rubs or brines from flavorings. The total sodium should stay below 200 ppm.
Ensuring Food Safety
To keep homemade bacon safe:
- Use precise cure ratios based on meat weight
- Keep all surfaces in contact with cure
- Cure for full duration (5-10 days)
- Cook before eating to 145°F internal temperature
- Refrigerate cured meats below 40°F
As long as these guidelines are followed properly, bacon made at home is just as safe as commercial products.
Proper cure usage, sanitation and handling prevents any risks of foodborne illness.
Key Takeaways
- Use 1 tsp of cure per 5 lbs of pork belly
- Calculate exact amount based on meat weight
- Weigh cure accurately using a digital scale
- Cure contributes flavor and food safety
- Follow safe handling and cooking procedures
With the right techniques, you can safely achieve delicious cured bacon with your ideal flavor at home. Understanding proper cure ratios per pound of meat is the first step to bacon making success.
There are few single ingredients that are so universally adored as bacon. And the only thing better than bacon is homemade bacon.
Curing your own bacon, at least once, is a great experience for any meat enthusiast. It takes a while (compared to running to the store and buying some), but the end result is well worth it because you feel like you’ve accomplished something and got something tasty in return. Furthermore, it lets you decide what goes into the bacon, how good the pork is, and of course, the flavoring and smoke level. Not only that, but you can make the slices as thick or thin as you want.
There are a few things you’ll need to make your own bacon. Firstly, curing salt (aka Prague powder) which can be bought at better grocery and specialty food stores or ordered online. Second, you’ll need a smoker of some kind (because obviously that’s how you get the smoke flavor!). A pellet grill is perfect for this task because it’s fabulously easy to use, and will only take a couple of hours. I prefer fruit woods like Apple or Cherry to pair with pork, but of course you can go for something stronger like Hickory. Finally, you may want to consider investing in a great quality thermometer. I use and recommend the Thermapen, and also used a Dot to monitor the temp of the smoker.
This recipe serves as the core foundation for a bunch of different types and flavors you can try. All you need to do is adjust some of the ingredients and experiment with additions. You can make your own signature bacon with brown sugar, molasses, garlic, bourbon, different types of wood, and a lot of other things. Let’s be honest: it’s going to be a really tasty process of trial and error.
It goes without saying that once you have all that bacon, you can use it to make magical meals like these:
Anthony’s Pink Curing Salt No 1
FAQ
How much curing salt for bacon per pound?
How do you calculate the cure for bacon?
How much curing salt for 5 lb of pork belly?
How do you know if your bacon is cured enough?
How do you calculate cured bacon?
Wet Brine Bacon Curing = % of Sea Salt + 0.25% Pink Curing Salt to the Total Weight of the Meat in addition 1L=1Kg weight, so 40% water is calculated for the total meat weight If you want a full post on making bacon – check out this post here. If you are new to cold smoking, this is also a guide to that!
How much salt do you put in a dry cured bacon?
So this calculator for curing bacon can work out whether you want a dry or wet brining curing result! If you use nitrates, it works out based on the 0.25% pink curing salt guide for curing salt No. 1 Dry Cured Bacon = % of Sea Salt + 0.25% Pink Curing Salt to the Total Weight of the Meat
Can Bacon be cured dry or wet?
Specifically for bacon curing using an equilibrium method, here is a bacon equilibrium curing calculator. So this calculator for curing bacon can work out whether you want a dry or wet brining curing result! If you use nitrates, it works out based on the 0.25% pink curing salt guide for curing salt No. 1
What are the different methods of curing bacon?
There are three methods of curing bacon: pumping, dry curing, and immersion curing. Commercial bacon producers use pumping as it’s the cheapest and the fastest method. Bacon is injected with a curing liquid and is rested for 6 to 24 hours before being heated and/or smoked.