Bacon

I have a piece of belly pork that is sitting in brine in my fridge, how long do I need to leave before I can use it please.
Pol

How big is the belly pork in terms of weight and thickness?
What strength is the brine?
What do you want the end result to be - ie cooking bacon or breakfast bacon and how to you intend keeping it thereafter?

Only small as it is a trial
About 2ins thick
10oz salt to a pint of water & pork is covered by the brine.
breakfast bacon
Slice and then keep in fridge as it is a small amount & we like bacon or if I do a bigger bit then in freezer.

Suggestions always welcome Billy

Hope all is well with Mrs R & the newest member of the family I am sure Leo & Bea are thrilled to bits.
Pol

I use 1 oz salt to a pint of water, 5 - 6 days in fridge; take out, wrap in clean tea towel for 24 hours, then ready to slice and use/freeze

I use about 7 oz salt per pint for a basic brine, plus 5g of saltpetre.

A small piece of belly - say less than 2kg - I would probably cure for only 48 hours if it was for immediate consumption/freezing.

I have reduced my curing times as I find the bacon unpalatably salty if it is in the brine for too long, and as I feed children I prefer a milder bacon - although we do smoke it for up to 2 weeks which adds a lot of flavour.

The easiest thing to do is cut off a small slice, rinse it and fry it up to taste - if it is not 'baconey' enough to your taste then pop the rest back in for another 24 hrs or however long you feel.

If it has been in too long and dessicating your mouth on tasting, you can soak it in clean water for a day or so, changing the water every 8 hours and it will desalt it a bit, although I find it is easier to work form the other end of the scale.

Good luck. I want bacon and eggs for breakfast now.

Thanks both will give it a go.
Pol

WOW. Have just cooked off a small slice of the bacon, & was I impressed. A tad too salty, but will soak it a bit. So just a bit of belly pork & some salt & water & I have BACON.

What does the salt petre do Billy?

The saltpetre fixes the colour - so it stays nice and pink rather than fading to a slightly greyish brown, although this is a purely cosmetic thing obviously.
There is much debate as to whether it contributes to the preserving of the meat. The modern wisdom is that it does not, but I am sceptical about this and continue to use it.

Today I had a proper breakfast with my own BACON. I was really happy with it & will certainly make some more. I can`t believe it was so easy.

Thanks for the help.
Pol