To Salt Bacon
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the pork
Cut off the ham and head of the pig.
If large, cut out the chine but leave the spare ribs.
Cure
Salt with common salt and a little saltpetre.
Let it lie for ten days on a table to drain brine.
Salt again for ten to twelve days, turning daily after the second salting.
Finish and hang
Scrape clean.
Rub with a little dry salt.
Hang up.
Scrape off any white froth caused by salt.
Rub with dry salt to prevent rusting.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Common salt
- Draws out moisture and brine, firming the meat and preserving it against spoilage.
- Saltpetre
- Helps preserve the meat and gives it a characteristic pink colour during curing.
The step that matters
Salting again and turning daily. Salt must penetrate evenly through the thick cuts over the ten to twelve days. Turning daily ensures even contact with the salt and brine, so no area is left under-cured and at risk of spoiling.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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