YoungTom

18 hours ago, YoungTom said:

Hi all.  I’ve been curing and smoking for my own use for a few years, mostly bacon, with good success.

I usually use  curing salts from a supplier (Surfeys) as I find the natural methods of River Cottage a little salty for my taste.

Recently I have been air drying my bacon outside in a converted steel cabinet with flyproof mesh panels added.

But ..... for the first time since I started doing this I went to get the bacon prior to cold smoking it (it had been there about 20 days) and I noticed mold!
I’ve never had this before, so would appreciate some advice.

There were small white specs on the meat and in one place a small patch of something a little more furry (white in colour).

I wiped it with all down with white vinegar and am smoking as I type.

the other piece, kept in the fridge, was fine.

So, should I be worried?

any advice gratefully received.

Thanks for replying Wade.

So, I used their standard bacon cure mix (sodium nitrite) left it vac-packed for the requisite amount of time, rinsed it off after it’s cured and then, I like to leave it to dry for a while in the fridge, and sometimes, if the weather is cold, outside in a meat safe.  I think it makes the meat a little dryer and firmer.  After this, I either slice and pack or smoke (and agin leave for a period to let the flavour equalise).

my main concern if whether the meat is spoilt with this mold or not..

1 minute ago, YoungTom said:

Hi all.  I’ve been curing and smoking for my own use for a few years, mostly bacon, with good success.

I usually use  curing salts from a supplier (Surfeys) as I find the natural methods of River Cottage a little salty for my taste.

Recently I have been air drying my bacon outside in a converted steel cabinet with flyproof mesh panels added.

But ..... for the first time since I started doing this I went to get the bacon prior to cold smoking it (it had been there about 20 days) and I noticed mold!
I’ve never had this before, so would appreciate some advice.

There were small white specs on the meat and in one place a small patch of something a little more furry (white in colour).

I wiped it with all down with white vinegar and am smoking as I type.

the other piece, kept in the fridge, was fine.

So, should I be worried?

any advice gratefully received.

Hi all.  I’ve been curing and smoking for my own use for a few years, mostly bacon, with good success.

I usually use  curing salts from a supplier (Surfeys) as I find the natural methods of River Cottage a little salty for my taste.

Recently I have been air drying my bacon outside in a converted steel cabinet with flyproof mesh panels added.

But ..... for the first time since I started doing this I went to get the bacon prior to cold smoking it (it had been there about 20 days) and I noticed mold!
I’ve never had this before, so would appreciate some advice.

There were small white specs on the meat and in one place a small patch of something a little more furry (white in colour).

I wiped it with all down with white vinegar and am smoking as I type.

the other piece, kept in the fridge, was fine.

So, should I be worried?

any advice gratefully received.