🥩 Dry Brine Bacon Calculator
Calculate precise salt, sugar & cure ratios by meat weight for perfect homemade bacon
| Belly Weight | Kosher Salt (2.25%) | Sugar (2.0%) | Pink Salt #1 (0.25%) | Cure Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 lb / 227g | 5.1g (~1 tsp) | 4.5g (~1 tsp) | 0.57g | 5–7 days |
| 1 lb / 454g | 10.2g (~2 tsp) | 9.1g (~2 tsp) | 1.1g | 7 days |
| 2 lb / 907g | 20.4g (~4 tsp) | 18.1g (~4 tsp) | 2.3g | 7–10 days |
| 3 lb / 1.36kg | 30.6g (~2 Tbsp) | 27.2g (~2 Tbsp) | 3.4g | 10–12 days |
| 5 lb / 2.27kg | 51.0g | 45.4g | 5.7g | 12–14 days |
| 10 lb / 4.54kg | 102.1g | 90.7g | 11.4g | 14–18 days |
| Ingredient | Standard % of Meat Wt | Function | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kosher Salt | 2.0–2.5% | Preservation & flavor | Use non-iodized |
| White Sugar | 1.5–2.5% | Flavor balance | Brown sugar also works |
| Pink Salt #1 | 0.25% | Nitrite cure, color | Never exceed dose |
| Black Pepper | 0.25–0.5% | Flavor | Coarsely ground preferred |
| Garlic Powder | 0.2–0.4% | Flavor | Not fresh garlic |
| Smoked Paprika | 0.3–0.5% | Color & flavor | Optional |
| Maple Syrup | 1.0–2.0% | Sweetness & glaze | Replaces part of sugar |
| Grams | Kosher Salt (coarse) | Table Salt (fine) | Granulated Sugar |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5g | ~1 tsp | ~0.75 tsp | ~1.25 tsp |
| 10g | ~2 tsp | ~1.5 tsp | ~2.5 tsp |
| 15g | ~1 Tbsp | ~2.25 tsp | ~1.25 Tbsp |
| 30g | ~2 Tbsp | ~1.5 Tbsp | ~2.5 Tbsp |
| 50g | ~3.5 Tbsp | ~2.5 Tbsp | ~4 Tbsp |
| 100g | ~7 Tbsp | ~5 Tbsp | ~8 Tbsp |
Bacon is made from salted pork, prepared from different parts, commonly from the belly or from the less greasy back part. In United States one prepares it from the pork belly one salts it and later mostly smokes it before selling in stores. The word “bacon” comes from the old German “bacho“, that pointed to buttock, room or part of bacon.
It links also to the old French word “bacun“.
Bacon: What It Is and How to Cook It
Bacon works well as a side, especially during breakfast. It forms a key part in foods like the famous BLT sandwich. Moreover, one uses bacon to add taste or depth in various recipes.
For instance, one or two bits give deep pork smell to a jar of dry beans. One uses it for wrapping and larding during preparaiton of meats.
One can prepare bacon according to several ways. A common technique is lay the strips in a cold pan and cook them slowly on weak flame, turning every occasionally for equal browning. Too strong heat during cooking is a typical mess.
More well uses low position on the stove for reach ideal result. Other then that, oven use is another favourite method. Lay bacon in a cold oven and heat it until 425 degrees help to easily reach crisp strips.
Some cooks do it at 400 degrees for around 20 minutes, turning halfway and laying on a metal gate with baking paper below. Use a sheet to cover bacon in the pan reduce the mess, but it requires a bit more time to end.
Bacon appears in various types. There is wet brined, dry brine bacon, unsalted and nitrate free types. Slim slices, thick bits, hickory smoked, apple wood smoked, cherry wood smoked, maple flavored and black pepper up cast is everything available.
Great bacon comes from good pig, that grows slowly and have proper deposit of back fat. Industrial farming with poor care give creatures, that deliver meat of bad taste.
Three bits of bacon store 161 calories, 12 grams of fat, 579 milligrams of sodium, 0.6 grams of carbs and 12 grams of protein. Strictly, one serving matches around 15 grams or a bit more than one cooked slice. One alone bit of bacon has roughly 50 calories.
Eating two bits daily with breakfast stays reasonable in measure.
Nitrates and nitrites in processed meat can react with proteins to create compounds, that one knows to be harmful in creatures. Bacon with celery salt or other nitrate elements face alike risk. Add black pepper to bacon is simple to push it more attractive.
Brown sugar, molasses, maple, bourbon and different wood types one can use toform own taste.
The fat staying after bacon have several uses. It works surprisingly for frying potatoes or making dressing for spinach salad. Even in bread dough bacon fat adds rich, tasty note for rolls.
