I have got myself a boneless pork shoulder and want onmake dry cure bacon with it. I have got as far as the weight being 2 kg and working out I need 50g of salt and 5g of cure #1. I think I found info saying to put between 50-100ml of maple in it. But now I’m stuck as I don’t know on what ratio to add other ingredients. I have some freshly dried chillies and lots of spices to choose from but really don’t know the quantities and being an equilibrium cure I’m guessing they should be quite accurate.
I also have a cold smoker I plan on using after the cure before I start drying I believe.
If anyone can give me any tips/info as to how to carry this to cookable raw bacon (UK style). Id be very grateful. It’s hard to find any recipes for dry cure that don’t mention it on pork belly not other joints
Thank you very much
by SloeWolf
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Check out a recipe for tasso ham and just make sure that include the proper amount of salt and nitrite, then do whatever the heck you like for spices.
This is not the right cut for UK bacon.
There are two cuts used in the UK.
Back bacon is made from the loin, streaky bacon is made from the belly.
Unsmoked is just cured (dry or wet), smoked bacon is cured then cold smoked at lower than 80F. Unlike US bacon which is cooked as part of the smoking process.
The cure is generally just salt and curing salt – sometimes treacle. Chilli and other spices are definitely not traditional.
You have a shoulder – you could make a gammon joint, but that’s a cured ham and is boiled or roasted (or both) before eating.
I’ve never made it before but what you’re trying to do is called “buckboard bacon” [recipe](https://jesspryles.com/pork-butt-bacon/) the aromatics don’t really matter all that much for the cure, just make sure your salt and cure #1 ratios are correct. Hope this helps you out.
For those saying it’s not a bacon cut: in NZ “Shoulder bacon” is very common and usually the cheapest type. Used to be the standard choice, but Middle Bacon (I think the equivalent of loin/back bacon?) and Streaky bacon are becoming more popular.