Hello can anyone please tell me of a bacon/jambon which is not salty. My grandson and I like bacon but I find it far too salty and I am left gagging sometimes. Any help would be gratefully appreciated. Thank you.
I think the answer is in the cooking. Remember the French cook lightly and if you are making it that salty then I know you are over cooking it. I made that mistake once and it was ghastly.
The salt content in food is to act as an extra preservative.
The bacon is often....like eating a bowl of textured salt.
The problem seems to be mainly relating to the bacon at the deli
counter....which tends to be cheaper than the pre packed.
I havent tried Porc Noir du Bigorre but a friend in Vaison said its the absolute best type of bacon you can get here.
I buy the bacon roll from the deli counter and ask for it to be cut plus epaisse. I then very lightly grill it, just until the colour becomes pink and it is not translucent. Usually less than one minute is sufficient. I find it tasty, not too salty, lean and meaty and not full of fat and water.
But take care. Removing the salt and then blowing airborne bacteria over your food could be risky if you aren't going to cook it right away..........
If you re-dry the bacon after soaking it, much like John suggests, hanging it and using a fan to dry it, it will crisp up when you grill or fry it.
Salt is a curing agent in hams and bacon. Just as with salt cod it draws out the water in the meat and prevents bacterial growth. My friends have begun acquiring whole sides of acorn fed Pyrenees pork and putting the bacon in a smoke house that they built last year. Since there are anywhere from 12 to 20 people residing at the chateau at any one time this proved the most economical solution, and they maintain full quality control. I buy my poitrine fume from the local boucherie, who acquires the meat from local ranchers. I have never noticed any saltiness, but then I love salt, preferably Himalayan, and the taste might not have stood out. I'll pay more attention tomorrow morning, but I think that smoke cured bacon might not need salt. My dear departed mom used to sometimes prepare fried salt pork for breakfast when I was growing up. Now THAT is some salty meat. Most grocery store bacon, fume ou non, will likely have salt added to speed up the curing process. Get fresh from the local butcher. I highly recommend Porc Noir du Bigorre if you can find it.
Edit : Oops, I didn't see Brian's explanation above. He detailed the process well.
Thank you - have looked for a long time for such a concise recipe - can't wait to try it out.
Thank you all for your responses. You are very kind and helpful.
Soak it in water foe 24 hours before use. We do the same thing with anchovies.
I get ours from an English butcher so it’s not salty, is there one near you?
Its not just bacon. Some cheeses have salt as the second ingredient, though strangely, the producers do not have to declare the percentage.
We had a bacon and sausage (salami type that is) maker in the village where I lived in England. I learned there that curing salt, that is to say salt with 5% to 7% sodium nitrite added, which is dyed pink for safety, is used as a conserve and preservation measure. It kills bacteria, spores and other organisms. Bacon curing salt also, usually, contains some sugar as well it seems. So it simply cannot be left out or the bacon would have a short storage life like other meat. The smoking process keeps the pork near a 'danger zone' rather than actually cooking it. That is done for several hours but melts the small amount of sugar and thus the nitrites are carried in by the melting sugar to prevent botulism and other things from growing or living in or on the meat. Unsmoked bacon has extra salt on it because it is either encased or immersed in salt to push the nitrites into it. Most of the other pork products such as prosciutto go through a similar process but far less of a different kind of salt is used and storage life much shorter. Ditto with some beef things and salami type sausages.
Using saltpetre (potassium nitrate) works well but the taste is still 'salty' and storage life much shorter. It does not smoke well though for a reason I could not understand at all other than that saltpetre burns.
Personally, I have the same with bacon finding it far too salty and stings my lips and tongue. At the same time I love the taste. Soaking is the only thing that works but the down side is losing the crunchiness. I suppose it is the good old 'what we gain on the swings we lose on the roundabout' thing.
If it is just the bacon it is easy enough to make your own. You will need to order some special ingredients from a supplier of exotic goods. http://meszepices.com/index.html
You will need salpetre order the smallest quantity. They are the best and they provide an excellent service.
Here is the recipe that I use http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/feb/08/make-your-own-bacon-recipe. but I add smoked paprika to the rub. The easiest way to dry cure it after it has been in the fridge for a week is to hang it in a dark cool place ie a cave and if you have a small electric fan run the fan on it for 2 to 3 days. You can also use this method for drying Peking duck. If you need any more info please post me I will be happy to help. I have been giving cookery lessons for a long time here in 06 area manly to French who have lost all contact re cooking and I do this in Escoffier home town.
Try soaking it as you would a joint of ham to remove some of the salt.
We tend to buy Lomo which is more like gammon and not so salty. If you buy it from the charcuterie counter you can get it more thinly sliced. It then cooks to a lovely crispy consistency, just the way we like it.