Brining Time for Bacon?

[ssorllih]

Ray get some of those horrid little clear plastic cocktail cups for weighing the wet and sticky.

[el Ducko]

I'm hesitant to enter anything onto the spreadsheet, don't want to screw anything up. It seems weighing all the ingredients is critical to this format even after they are measured. I don't know about getting maple syrup and honey on my digital gun-powder scale, I use that for measuring gold, along with dry ingredients. RAY

...gold? Yikes! I been hangin' out with thuh wrong bunch. Ray, ol' buddy ol' pal, how's about... uh...

Good advice, Ross, on using cheap plastic cocktail cups, instead of Ray's cut crystal, gold-rimmed ones.

Ray raises a valid point, though- - most people use volumetric measurements for brine, so I'll include some volume/weight conversion guidance on the next release, "Real Soon Now."

Just asking but, is that spreadsheet freely available on the site or is it proprietary info?

Thanks for asking, "ped." It's under development, and has only limited circulation at present. We don't have a good way of delivering the thing via the forum. However, I'll contact you, and if you have some gold lying around, stuck to your scale... kidding.

Duk

[sawhorseray]

OK, I can do some little cups I reckon.

I've picked up 18K gold chains at garage sales for $10-$20 that have turned out to be worth over $150-$200. It's like getting free money! RAY

[el Ducko]

Holy Whole Hog, Ray! That'll buy a lot of cheap plastic cups.

You can weigh a chain in a cup, then fill it to a pre-measured volume with water, then weigh cup+water+chain, and EUREKA!

(...or PHOOEY! as the case may be.)

[ped]

How about syringes? (you can get ones that are quite big at feed stores here in the UK), they have volume indicators on them so you can put quite accurate amounts in with them, there's no mess and any excess can be put back into the original containers so no waste, just need to wash in between uses?

[el Ducko]

...there's no mess and any excess can be put back into the original containers so no waste, just need to wash in between uses?

No, discard the contents. I used to be a phlebotomist for the Red Cross. The moment a syringe needle touches a surface, any surface, it's contaminated.

You will discard only a minor amount, certainly not worth the risk of contaminating the whole container.

[sawhorseray]

Darned, I was thinking the syringe was a great idea for a minute there. Between the spreadsheet, how much water to add to my brining bellys, and how long they should sit in the fridge overall this almost feels like work. I think I'll go water the maters and wait for UPS to bring me a new toy from Cabelas. Had enough on my Cabelas visa club to get a hippie knife sharpener for free, even the shipping. RAY

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Camping/ ... t104560380

[el Ducko]

...not to worry about syringes, Ray. They're still a great idea. A syringe is contaminated by what it goes into, when you pull it out. The first stick is fine. Later ones aren't quite as fine, so be sure to start with a clean syringe and clean meat.

The real hazard is getting meat particles, broth, etc. from your first piece of meat into the brine, where it can grow. Pull off however much brine you will inject, and inject it all or else discard it. Use the rest of the brine to soak the meat in. When finished brining, discard. Never save any that's been in contact with the meat.

...but you knew that already. I'm just preaching to the new members of the choir.

[ssorllih]

My son has worked with the IV drug users and an ounce of bleach in a bucket of water is adequate to sterilize a syringe for IV drug users. Changing needles is a good plan.

[el Ducko]

You're right, Ross. I hope we aren't scaring anyone off from the practice of stitch pumping.

Like I said, the first puncture is clean. The 2nd and later are not as clean, which is why you always run a low-grade fever after a tattoo. I can't imagine using a fresh syringe for each dot in a tattoo, so I hope those who get tattoos get them done in a clean, reputable tattoo shop. (I don't care for tattoos myself.) You wouldn't use the same tattoo equipment on a second patron without thoroughly sterilizing the equipment and prepping the customer. Same way with pumping- - separate batch, separate brine and (clean) syringe.

Bleach works. Alcohol works. Heat works. Cleanliness is what we're after. Particularly with thick or bone-in pieces, pumping should be important. ...plus massaging, or tumbling (if available and appropriate). Anything that helps distribute the brine.

[ped]

Guys, I wasn't suggesting it be used for pumping, it was just a suggestion as to how to weigh the sticky syrupy stuff, I don't suggest using a needle but just the syringe itself, just weigh it empty then suck up some syrup weigh it again to check you have either the correct volume or weight of syrup squeeze the syrup out weigh it again to ensure you that you have the requisite amount in the recipe.

[sawhorseray]

I figured five and a half days in the fridge was enough, time to smoke. I set up the fan in the kitchen to assist in forming a proper pellicile on the brined bellys, after two hours I was good to go



I placed the bellys in the Pro 100, 110°, right at 6pm. Put in a fresh pan of applewood at 11pm, raised the temp to 130°, and went to bed. Woke up in somewhat of a stupor at 4:30am, removed the chip pan and closed the dampers, raised the smoker temp to 165. I wanted to remove the bacon when it hit 135° IT but I fell back to sleep. I woke up and rushed outside, both meat probes were at 138°, so that'll have to do.



I'll slice and package tomorrow, maybe a little taste test for lunch today. Sure smells good! RAY

[el Ducko]

Man, that's beautiful stuff. I gotta try it.

[sawhorseray]

I don't know Excel for beans Duck, I'm afraid to enter anything for fear of screwing up your beautiful project. I made exactly a half batch of CW's Son of Bees recipe for the rub, I started with 9.4 lbs of pork belly, then cut them in half. After two days in the fridge in 2-gallon ziplocs I added a quart of water to each bag, and flipped them around a couple of times every day. My total weight right now is 8lbs 2oz. for the finished bacon. RAY

[ssorllih]

No way to improve on that.