What does cure and uncured bacon mean?
If you’re wondering whether bacon is cured or not, cure is the process of treating either pork belly or back fat with salt, sugar and sometimes smoke, all in an effort to preserve the meat. The curing agents help to protect the bacon from bacteria, as well as give it a distinct salty flavor.
What do cured and uncured bacon mean?
There are two different types of bacon cured and uncured. Uncured bacon is simply bacon that hasn’t been cured. It doesn’t have any added ingredients or seasonings, and it should be moist and tender. Cured bacon, on the other hand, is bacon that has been cured with a mixture of salt and sugar. It will usually be quite salty and dry, and it will also have a distinct smokey flavor.
What do cure bacon mean?
Bacon cured with a curing salt and smoke (or without smoke) is known as cured bacon. All bacon is cured to some degree. The curing process involves submerging the meat in a brine made of water, salt and sugar. Adding the salt helps the salt cure the meat and allows it to retain more moisture. Curing bacon without smoke adds a mild salty flavor. Curing bacon with smoke adds a smoky flavor and helps to preserve the bacon.
What does uncured bacon mean?
Uncured bacon is bacon that hasn’t been cured using chemical curing salts. These salts are sodium nitrites and sodium chloride. Sodium nitrite is a color-fixing agent and sodium chloride is an anti-clumping agent. Both ingredients are known to prevent the growth of dangerous bacteria and increase shelf life. The level of curing is often indicated as a percentage on the bacon packaging. The higher the percentage, the higher the amount of curing ingredients.
What is cure and uncured bacon?
Cured bacon is bacon that has been cured with salt, smoke, and sometimes sugar. The curing process involves removing the fat from the meat and then adding salt and either sugar or herbs to preserve the meat. Curing bacon makes it taste saltier and richer, but it also makes the bacon more dense and less tender. Bacon cured with sugar and herbs, called “heritage-raised” or “wild” pork, is also becoming more popular, because it has a distinct