To Cure Bacon for Larding
Ingredients
Directions
Cure
Rub the bacon well with the coarse sea salt.
If in one piece, place it on a board and cover it with another board.
If in multiple pieces, place each piece on a board with a weight on top.
Keep it in a cool place for 4 to 5 weeks.
Dry
Hang it to dry, but do not smoke it.
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
- Bacon
- Provides the fat that gives larding strips their moisture and richness during cooking.
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws out moisture and seasons the meat as it cures, firming its texture and preserving it.
The step that matters
Rubbing the salt in thoroughly. Salt must reach all surfaces evenly; uneven coverage lets some areas stay wet and spoil or cure unevenly. Pressing the pieces under boards or weights helps the cure penetrate and keeps the meat flat during curing.
“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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