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Nonnymus[_5_] Nonnymus[_5_] is offline
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Default Reducing the salt in bacon

JeffH wrote:

> Surprisingly, the smoke didn't all "wash away" - while the meat has
> lightened a bit, the taste was still there and the water really isn't
> picking up a ton of smoke from the meat.
>
> Is my assumption that the meat being smoked is causing it to resist
> releasing the salt correct?
>


Jeff. those of us who enjoy country ham are familiar with the salt
problem. The very definition of country ham involves feeding a slice to
your dog to see how he reacts. If he goes and drinks the whole toilet
bowl of water, it's just right.

While country ham isn't nearly fat as the bacon you describe, the
standard approach for a breakfast slab is to put it in a pan of water
overnight- skip the chilling. In fact, at a recent funeral, the meal
served included country ham (this is in MO, where country ham is
definitely appreciiated). The good ladies at the church had soaked the
slices all night, then drained the water and cooked the slices in
another pan of water- ie: boiled the ham slices. While you might not
want to do that with your home made bacon, you get the picture about how
heat is needed to leech out some of the salt.

My far simpler solution to good bacon is to buy bulk sliced bacon at
Albertson's. I dip the slices in a watery maple syrup solution (25% to
50%, and cold smoke it for about 15-20 minutes. The slices have a
tremendous surface-to-volume area, so moderation is the key. Try
sneaking up on your first attempt rather than having to tone it down later.
--
Nonny

Nonnymus
A penny saved is obviously a
government oversight.