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The Manner of Curing Mtltsihre Bacon

A method of curing flitches of bacon with a dry mixture of sugar, salt and saltpetre, then smoking them.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 4 ingredients
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The Manner of Curing Mtltsihre Bacon

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Sprinkle each flitch of bacon with salt.

  2. Let the blood drain off for 24 hours.

Cure

  1. Mix the sugar, coarse sea salt, saltpetre and coarse salt together.

  2. Rub the mixture well on the bacon.

  3. Turn and wet the bacon daily for a month.

Dry and smoke

  1. Hang the bacon to dry.

  2. Smoke the bacon for 10 days.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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

Coarse sugar
Adds mild sweetness that balances the harsh saltiness of the cure.
Coarse sea salt
Draws out moisture and firms the meat, slowing spoilage during the long cure.
Coarse salt
Draws out moisture and preserves the bacon as the cure penetrates the meat.
Saltpetre
Helps preserve the bacon, inhibits harmful bacteria, and keeps the meat pink.

The step that matters

Rub the mixture well on the bacon. Salt cures by drawing out moisture and penetrating the meat. Thin or uneven coverage lets some areas stay wet and open to spoilage, so every surface needs an even, thorough coating.

“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.