There is no secret recipe for the best home-cured bacon. Its all about the meat. Get the best and freshest pork belly, season it with salt and pepper, vacuum seal it, and put it in the fridge. Two-three weeks later, you will have the best bacon youve ever had.
Commercial bacon producers use pumping as its the cheapest and the fastest method. Bacon is injected with a liquid that cures it and left to rest for 6 to 24 hours before it is smoked or heated. The injected liquid also adds weight to bacon, but it impacts the texture and taste.
It’s a lot like pumping, but the bacon is left to cure in liquid for two to three days and then hung to dry. This method is much slower than pumping, so rarely anyone uses it nowadays.
Dry curing is the method where salt, Cure #1, and spices are applied to pork belly pieces. The meat is then left to cure. This method, while the most time-consuming, produces the tastiest bacon which has a deeper, more robust flavor profile. This is the best method for curing bacon at home.
As a bacon enthusiast who loves experimenting with homemade recipes curing salt ratios are an important factor I’ve learned a lot about. If you’re venturing into DIY bacon-making, using the right amount of curing salt is key to getting the perfect flavor, texture and food safety.
Through trial and error with various methods over the years, I’ve discovered ideal curing salt quantities to use for different bacon recipes. In this complete guide, I’ll share my best tips on measuring curing salt, understanding safe ratios, and customizing it to your taste. Let’s dive in!
An Overview of Curing Salt’s Role in Bacon
First, what exactly is curing salt and why is it so crucial for homemade bacon?
Curing salt is a special blend of table salt and sodium nitrite. The nitrite acts as a preservative to prevent bacteria growth that can lead to botulism and spoilage. The curing process chemically changes the meat giving bacon its signature pink color tangy flavor and firm, sliceable texture.
While some opt out of nitrites due to health concerns, small regulated amounts are generally considered safe for curing. I choose to use curing salt for the delicious, long-lasting results.
There are two main types of curing salt for different bacon preparations:
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Cure #1 (aka Pink Curing Salt or Prague Powder #1): Used for bacon that requires cooking, smoking, or canning.
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Cure #2: Used for dry-cured bacon like pancetta.
The specific curing salt type and amount depends on your recipe. Now let’s look at ideal ratios.
Recommended Curing Salt Ratios for Homemade Bacon
For most bacon recipes, here are the general curing salt guidelines I follow:
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Cure #1 ratio: Use 0.25% of the total meat weight.
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Cure #2 ratio: Use 0.35% of the total meat weight.
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For dry curing, use 2.5% total salt content with 0.25% curing salt.
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For wet brining, use a 40% water to meat ratio (about 1 liter water per 1 kg meat).
These ratios provide enough curing salt to prevent bacterial growth while delivering excellent flavor. The small 0.25% proportion ensures the bacon won’t end up overly salty.
Accurate digital scales are a must for precisely measuring curing salt. Online calculators can also help determine the exact amounts.
Curing Salt Ratio Adjustments Based on Personal Taste
While the above ratios are commonly recommended, you can tweak amounts based on personal taste. Here are some adjustments you can try:
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For a milder flavor, decrease the curing salt to 0.2% of the total weight.
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For a saltier taste, increase to 0.3-0.35% curing salt.
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If using a wet brine, you can reduce the water to 30-35% of the meat weight for a stronger cure.
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With dry curing, increase the total salt to 3% with 0.25% curing salt for a more intense salty flavor.
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For super salty bacon, use a 4% total salt ratio with 0.35% curing salt.
Make small incremental adjustments and take notes on your preferences. This helps dial in the ideal curing salt level.
Storing Curing Salt Safely
A few quick tips for safely storing curing salt:
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Keep it in an airtight container away from moisture and sunlight.
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Clearly label the container to avoid confusing it with regular salt.
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Store it out of reach of children and pets.
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Make sure to use clean, dry utensils to scoop it out.
Following these storage guidelines prevents contamination or accidentally using the wrong amount.
Weighing Curing Salt Precisely
Carefully measuring curing salt is no small detail. Too much can make your bacon inedibly salty. Too little can lead to dangerous bacterial growth.
For the most accuracy, always weigh curing salt on a digital scale instead of measuring by volume. Volume measurements like teaspoons can vary greatly in weight.
I highly recommend getting a small digital pocket scale that measures increments of 0.1 gram or less. They are inexpensive yet indispensable for consistent, safe bacon making.
Incorporating Other Ingredients into Your Cure
Once you’ve mastered the basic curing salt ratios, there’s plenty of room for customization. Try adding other flavoring ingredients like:
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Spices and herbs like black pepper, paprika, garlic, onion, red pepper flakes
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Sweeteners like brown sugar or maple syrup
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Savory flavor-boosters like soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce
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Spirits like bourbon, beer or wine
Mix up your own signature cure blend to make your homemade bacon truly unique. Just maintain the proper curing salt ratio as the constant.
Common Curing Salt Mistakes to Avoid
While using curing salt for bacon is quite simple, here are some mistakes to steer clear of:
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Using too much curing salt in an attempt to speed up curing times
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Failing to properly measure the curing salt and other ingredients
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Confusing Cure #1 and Cure #2 and improperly substituting one for the other
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Not allowing enough curing time for full penetration and flavor development
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Letting the bacon contact metal surfaces, which can interfere with the curing action
With careful measurement and patience through the full curing and cooking process, your homemade bacon will turn out picture-perfect every time.
The Takeaway
Whether you’re a total bacon newbie or seasoned pro, properly using curing salt is the key to sensational homemade results. Follow the recommended guidelines, adjust to your taste preferences, and avoid common mistakes.
Equipped with these curing salt tips, you’ll gain bacon-making confidence and drool-worthy flavor. Now get ready to fry up the best DIY bacon you’ve ever tasted!
Use of nitrites to cure bacon
I had to do a lot of research on this subject because there is so much confusing and wrong information on the Internet about how to use nitrites and nitrates.
Basic dry curing mix
The biggest challenge that I experienced when attempting my first cured bacon was deciding on the amount of salt to use. You want enough salt for bacon to cure properly and be safe to eat. But you also dont want it to be overly salty. After trying a dozen of recipes from trusted sources I settled on Hector Kents formula from his Dry-Curing Pork: Make Your Own Salami, Pancetta, Coppa, Prosciutto, and More book. It uses 2.5% salt, which is a very reasonable amount. On top, it adds 2% maple syrup which adds the sweetness that makes the bacon taste even less salty. Overall, I found these proportions very good for my taste, except that I bumped the maple syrup to 2.5%. I think many will find the combination of salt and maple syrup very tasty. Actually, after some additional testing, I found that doubling the amount of maple syrup makes even tastier bacon.
If you measure salt as a percentage of the pork belly’s weight instead of liberally covering the bacon with salt and sugar as some recipes suggest, you will never salt your bacon too much and won’t have to rinse off the curing mix when it’s done.
Rinsing bacon after curing is not a good idea for two reasons: first, you will add water back when you should be getting rid of it, and second, any seasonings you added to the curing mix will be washed away. If you don’t like too many seasonings, just use a knife to scrape off some. Don’t wash it.
Even though salt is enough to cure bacon on its own, you can sweeten it with sugar or something like maple syrup to make the salt less harsh. You may also add black pepper, powdered garlic, onion, cayenne pepper, or red pepper flakes. Some recipes Ive seen add bay leaf, thyme, crushed juniper berries, black pepper, nutmeg, and other spices. The variations here are limitless.
How To Cure Bacon the Traditional Way: Just Salt; No Artificial Preservatives
FAQ
How much curing salt for bacon per pound?
How do you calculate the cure for bacon?
How to use curing salt for bacon?
How much curing salt for 5 lb of pork belly?
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
How do you calculate dry cured bacon?
Dry Cured Bacon = % of Sea Salt + 0.25% Pink Curing Salt to the Total Weight of the Meat 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.
Can you add salt to cured bacon?
Additional ingredients – Along with the salt, you can add ingredients that will impart flavor to your cured meat. For bacon, Brandon does a 50/50 mixture of salt and sugar. Alternatively, you could add in herbs, seasonings, etc. The basics of learning how to cure bacon are simple.
What kind of salt do you use for Bacon?
Bacon is done many ways, so hopefully, this demystifies the basics (the assumption is you may be trying bacon for the first time). Using pink curing salt no. 1, otherwise known as instant cure no. 1, Prague powder No.1 it has many other names. It helps the curing process in many ways, but I prefer always to use it for bacon.