Drying home cured bacon in the oven

[Kenny202]

I cure my own bacon at home and results are delicious. I use a rub cure method, 7 days in a bag in the fridge turning every day etc then wash and sit the bacon exposed on a rack in the fridge for a further 2 days to firm it up. It slices reasonably well (have a professional slicer) after firming it up in the freezer for a while but even after drying in the fridge for a couple of days the bacon is still a little moist and some liquid will come out initially when cooking. I don't want to smoke the bacon as such, but I was wondering if it would be ok to dry out the bacon in the oven at a low temperature, the same as if you would have smoked it. I'm having a test today at around 120 degrees c for an hour or so. After it is dry and semi cooked I will re chill it in the fridge and slice / pack it.

 

Is this an acceptable thing to do and will it have any effect on the curing or shelf life of the bacon?

[grollies]

Instead of leaving in a bag and turning daily to cure put it in a plastic box with a lid. Make sure you have a plastic tray rack underneath the meat so it doesn't lie in the juice that drains out.

 

You'll get a lot of water draining the first couple of days then gradually less and less.

 

Drain the water off daily, re-rub the meat with salt (plus whatever else you use for curing, pepper, sugar, etc) and turn over on the rack.

 

After seven days wash well, leave to soak in water in the fridge for 12 hours, remove, drain water and leave on wire rack in the fridge for a day or two.

 

I wouldn't dry it off in the oven as this may only seal the outer meat and not allow the meat to dry on the inside.

 

Your gotta get the moisture out during the 7-day cure.

[KittenKong]

You might like to look at this recipe:

 

https://www.rivercottage.net/recipes/dry-cured-streaky-bacon

 

[Kenny202]

4 hours ago, grollies said:

Instead of leaving in a bag and turning daily to cure put it in a plastic box with a lid. Make sure you have a plastic tray rack underneath the meat so it doesn't lie in the juice that drains out.

 

You'll get a lot of water draining the first couple of days then gradually less and less.

 

Drain the water off daily, re-rub the meat with salt (plus whatever else you use for curing, pepper, sugar, etc) and turn over on the rack.

 

After seven days wash well, leave to soak in water in the fridge for 12 hours, remove, drain water and leave on wire rack in the fridge for a day or two.

 

I wouldn't dry it off in the oven as this may only seal the outer meat and not allow the meat to dry on the inside.

 

Your gotta get the moisture out during the 7-day cure.

So you rub a new layer of cure on everyday using this method? Mine does shrink and stiffen up in the cure but not enough. What starts out as a pretty thick rub ends up like a brine fluid in the sealed bag as the fluid is sucked out of the pork. I thought the drying in the oven method would be ok as they smoke meat commercially the same way ie semi cooking it. I'm essentially doing the same thing without the smoke. I did it this morning at about 120 degrees for 1 and half hours. It hasn't roasted the meat but it is definitely firm and looks good. I'm chilling it down and will slice it tomorrow. The result I was after was firm and dry the way pastrami would be. Proof will be in the slicing and eating I guess.

[Barty]

I cure a fair amount of bacon. My method is similar to yours. I select pork bellies that have a reasonable amount of meat. Without removing the skin, I weigh each belly and then add sugar at 16 grams per kg, salt at 22 grams per kg and Prague powder No 1 at 1 teaspoon per 2 kg. Apply to the meat side as evenly as possible. Vacuum seal each belly and refrigerate for 5 – 7 days. I try to turn them every day but occasionally forget to do it. I then smoke the bacon on a Weber kettle grill using apple wood. I try to maintain a grill temperature of 110°C until the bacon has an internal temperature of 65°C. As soon as I take the bacon off the grill, I remove the skin. It just pulls off easily while the bacon is hot. I let it cool and then refrigerate it for a day and then slice it with a meat slicer.

 

When cooking the above bacon there is no liquids produced, other than the fat.

 

So, to answer your question, I would think that cooking the freshly cured bacon in a regular oven would work fine to solve your problem. I would look at have an oven temperature of around 100 – 120°C (200-250°F) and using a digital thermometer (if you have one), cook until you have an internal temperature of about 65°C (150°F).

I don't believe that it would have any effect on the shelf life at all. In fact, without any evidence, I would say that it would help increase the self life.

[Kenny202]

Thanks all. I don't put a lot in my bacon as the flavour of the pork speaks for itself. Mustard, honey, salt and #1 curing salt. I don't put sugar in anymore as I don't like sweet bacon and tends to burn and leave a residue in the pan. I essentially make it for my Mrs to sell in her burger restaurant and as her customers are mainly Thai I shy away from strong flavours or smoking.

I also use loin as I find the belly here generally very fatty and shrivels up to nothing. Not what you want to be selling when a kilo turns into 100 grams cooked and 900 grams of liquid lard.

 

When I do smoke my bacon I use Mango wood, very good flavour. Tamarind is also excellent and readily available here. I also do mine in the weber, few coals and a bit of branch. I laugh at some of the expensive smokers around, just not necessary. Always reminds me of how much money I used to waste back home on ridiculous luxuries. 

 

Anyhow, the end result was exceptional. Exactly what I wanted. I did it slowly in the oven about 120 degrees for an hour and a half. Left it in the fridge overnight and sliced beautifully. Actually more like ham.

 

Pork strip loin also cures up lovely, more like ham. I sometimes roast pork loins. Stud them with garlic, season and light coating of sweet soy. Brown and sear in the pan then about 45 mins wrapped in alfoil at 160 degrees C. Results are exactly the same flavour and texture as roast beef. Really amazing flavour.