The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Food & crafts => Food processing => Topic started by: tangman on September 21, 2009, 03:52:12 pm

Title: freezing bacon
Post by: tangman on September 21, 2009, 03:52:12 pm
Hello,

Just new to this forum and indeed site.

I got 2 weaners in April and this morning they went to the abattoir. All went very smoothly!

My children will be somewhat sad as they will leave a bit of a hole in our lives as they of course have been part of daily life around the house for the last 6 months.

 In my case the abattoir and butcher are the same person. I am getting them both back as half pork and half bacon. May try the curing myself next year after the next few weaners that I will get next Spring.

My question is: Are there any issues with freezing hams and bacon?  I recall as a child my parents buying sides of bacon and freezing them but stopping this practice as they said that the fat didn't taste as well after freezing.

Is there anything that I need to do or be aware of when freezing hams and bacon?

I would appreciate any useful advice that you might have.

Regards,
Tangman

Title: Re: freezing bacon
Post by: Rosemary on September 21, 2009, 05:00:56 pm
We freeze ours and it seems to have no averse effects. It's not frozen for long though because it's so fab.
Title: Re: freezing bacon
Post by: chickenfeed on September 21, 2009, 09:16:55 pm
we freeze ours and as above its not there long enough for any adverse reactions from freezing :pig:
Title: Re: freezing bacon
Post by: carl on September 22, 2009, 09:38:04 am
Ditto.
 :pig: :yum:
I now realise I need to keep more pigs.(shame) to keep my friends and family in pork and bacon, as they all love it. They all rave on about the bacon, which most has been in their freezer before they eat it.
i always freeze my bacon in meal size packs, which is handy, but allows my wife to keep giving it away far too easily.
Title: Re: freezing bacon
Post by: Norfolk Newby on September 22, 2009, 10:55:26 am
My experience of freezing any fresh pork is that it tends to develop a sour taste due to the fat oxidising after about a month.

You can reduce this by packing it to exclude the air but it still tends to develop an 'off' taste after a couple of months so long term storage isn't a good idea.

However, the original idea of ham and bacon was to provide long term storage using an airy cool place. So cured pork is more resistant than fresh pork.

I cure a sort of air dried ham keeping the processed meat in wood ash to dry it - usually in a sealed plastic box in the fridge. The ash must be changed before it becomes damp or the meat goes off - roughly every month. This way I keep belly or sometimes boned leg of pork for a year. The pork is salted first (like making ham or bacon) and then dried in the ash. The pork fat goes a sort of creamy flavour and the overall result is like Italian air dried ham (Parma ham or similar).

I use ash because I can't get the saltpetre (potassium nitrate) which the trade uses as a preservative. Wood ash contains potash (ash/potash/potassium - can you see how the names developed?) and this acts in a similar way to the saltpetre. The ham goes a dark red colour rather than the original pink and the meat shrinks by about half.

The ash comes from my wood burning stove or my barbecue/smoker. I avoid burning any treated or painted timber to prevent chemical contamination of the meat.

I hope this gives you some ideas. I can't guarantee the results of using these methods and you have to be careful eating anything doubtful but the ham is very nice if it works right. I also make a sort of salami the same way.


NN
Title: Re: freezing bacon
Post by: tangman on September 23, 2009, 04:35:33 pm
Thanks to all for your prompt answers.

The posted replies indicate no problems with freezing for people tha do not have the bacon in the freezer for that long.

However, Norfolk Newby suggest that fresh pork goes "sour" after about a month due to oxidising fat and suggests curing.

Anyone else aything to add?
Title: Re: freezing bacon
Post by: MiriMaran on September 23, 2009, 07:46:43 pm
I have no advice, but am reading this with curiosity as I currently have a fridge full of curing bacon and gammon that we hope would last us for a year.  I can't bear the idea of it going sour!
Title: Re: freezing bacon
Post by: gavo on September 23, 2009, 08:11:43 pm
personally  have never had any problems with pork or cured meats going sour even after a prolonged period in the freezer
Title: Re: freezing bacon
Post by: MiriMaran on September 23, 2009, 08:32:18 pm
Gavo, for my own piece of mind I'm going to believe you and forget I read this thread!!!!! ;)
Title: Re: freezing bacon
Post by: Norfolk Newby on September 24, 2009, 08:20:06 am
Good luck with your meat. I just want to offer a warning about keeping the air out of the meat packed in the freezer. If you feel like trying to cure some - and there are different techniques to try - you might/should avoid the problem of the fat going off.

If you have a couple of animals to deal with, making sausages out of some of the less appreciated cuts is a good way to use them. Making ham and salami sausages means that the meat (IMHO) has a better chance of keeping for a long (6+ months) time. Also, this adds to the range of foods you can make from the carcass.

A lot of what we do is learning to cope with gluts of food. This can be meat or fruit or vegetables. You learn to make apple juice in the Autumn, jam in the Summer, pickles in the late Autumn (the last green tomatoes, beans and onions) and so on. It's best to start with a note book and try several recipes until you see what works for you (both preparing and consuming). Then - next year - you have a couple of recipes that you have tried and you go from there.

Sorry if this is sounding like a saga.

NN
Title: Re: freezing bacon
Post by: tangman on September 24, 2009, 04:31:26 pm
Once again thanks to all.

I am now also going to believe Gavo as I am due a large consignment from the butcher on Monday, one side of the pig will be pork and then a week later the other side will arrive as bacon, and 95% of it will have to go to the freezer.

The only issue that I have ever heard is that freezing can adversely change the taste of the fat of bacon and I do like my bacon with a little fat.

I for one will be able to confirm Gavo's statement within 6 months.

I hope that I have not alarmed anyone.


Title: Re: freezing bacon
Post by: MiriMaran on September 25, 2009, 07:43:49 pm
yes! Me! ;D
Title: Re: freezing bacon
Post by: Hilarysmum on December 06, 2009, 10:54:37 am
We freeze large quantities of fresh and cured meats.  To this day have never had a problem.  Would think the longest we ever left a piece of uncured pork in freezer was 3 months, which was a boned out leg.  It was fine.  N.N you may have just been very unlucky?
Title: Re: freezing bacon
Post by: chickenfeed on December 06, 2009, 11:27:20 am
 :pig:as hilarysmum we also freeze large ammounts of pork and bacon and being rare breeds they always have a good layer of fat on and to this day have never had a problem with the frozen meat. i always turn the freezers to fast freeze the morning of collection and put the meat to be frozen between frozen items to ensure a quick freeze. a friend of ours had his pigs killed in may and is still eating his pork with no problems ours never lasts that long ;)
Title: Re: freezing bacon
Post by: oaklandspigs on December 06, 2009, 09:57:46 pm
Have to say we also have not had problems in freezing pork (all cuts), sausages, bacon and hams, indeed I have two freezers packed with this at the moment.

I have eaten pork has been in the freezer for a year without even thinking. :)

NN, think you must have had a problem somewhere??

Title: Re: freezing bacon
Post by: alfiepork on February 15, 2010, 05:53:32 am
So if I dry cure a side of bacon in my normal way - how long and in what conditions can I store it, without putting it in the freezer, so that it is still bacon and not a dried ham
Title: Re: freezing bacon
Post by: Hilarysmum on February 18, 2010, 07:03:36 am
Not that long.  I would say about 4 weeks if vac packed, less if not.  Thats only my experience. 
Slice it; pack it; freeze it.   :D
Title: Re: freezing bacon
Post by: sagehen on February 18, 2010, 11:24:16 am
Norfolk Newby, they sell saltpetre at Scobies  ;)
Title: Re: freezing bacon
Post by: Wizard on February 18, 2010, 11:48:30 am
Am I thick ? If one dry cures bacon surely after you have brushed the salt off put it in a bacon bag and hung it up its good for a couple of YEARS at least.After that it may go a bit reasty on the edges but thinly cut the reasty bit off.Do read my story about killing the pig 60 yrs ago.Then if you have time look in recipes.Both hams were salted and a little saltpetre forced down the big vein hole and on the knuckle ball and hock end I have never heard of using saltpetre on bacon ever Why does one need to freeze it?Ham and bacon was about century's before deep freezers were even thought of Ive used all the village family's used the method If you want me to post some alternative methods ask but none use a deep freeze and all are good for a 12 month and longer :farmer:
Title: Re: freezing bacon
Post by: alfiepork on February 18, 2010, 01:29:28 pm
I can remember stories of my mum going to the grocer shop and asking for bacon and the grocer, cutting off the green bits of the slab hanging in the shop. 

I do not have access to shop bought cures, saltpetre, flavour enhancers, or preservatives so any old fashioned method is the only way I can go.  I have one small boned joint that was dry cured in salt for 8 days, washed in white vinegar and has been hanging outside since November, wrapped in a muslin cloth with a mesh hanging around it to stop the birds and cats getting at it.  Up to now all well and good. 

Any help and advice, and methods you can send my way would be greatly appreciated Wizard. 

Title: Re: freezing bacon
Post by: sagehen on February 18, 2010, 03:13:00 pm
I agree, George. The whole idea of curing meat is so that you preserve it without the aid of freezing. And no, saltpetre should not be used for bacon - I think NN was saying he wanted it for ham.
Title: Re: freezing bacon
Post by: Wizard on February 18, 2010, 03:55:27 pm
Why when you spent days getting the liquid out of the meat with salt did you wet it to let a fresh lot in?The idea is remove the moisture with the salt brush it off and hang it up to dry (Cure) Hence Dry Cured Bacon and ham tastes nothing like supermarket stuff at all.Yes reasty the funny Yellow green bits Doesn't affect the bacon but it hasn't a very nice taste ;D :farmer:
Title: Re: freezing bacon
Post by: alfiepork on February 18, 2010, 04:08:54 pm
Why when you spent days getting the liquid out of the meat with salt did you wet it to let a fresh lot in?The idea is remove the moisture with the salt brush it off and hang it up to dry (Cure) Hence Dry Cured Bacon and ham tastes nothing like supermarket stuff at all.Yes reasty the funny Yellow green bits Doesn't affect the bacon but it hasn't a very nice taste ;D :farmer:

I take it you mean the vinegar- I was just following what the recipe said to do.......you can willingly teach me the error of my ways and tell me how I should do it the proper way please, including how long in salt and how much per kg.    I am a very good student but just lacking a good teacher.  I left a 3 bed semi, with completely landscaped garden and full time job to move to Bulgaria and run a small holding with 1000 square metres of land and loads of animals, 15 months ago.  This year I have learnt how to bottle just about anything, make ketchup, salsa and numerous preserves, making all my own bread and sour dough, wine etc etc but preserving meat is scary so I would appreciate any advice you can give. Thank you in advance,

Kathy
Title: Re: freezing bacon
Post by: Wizard on February 18, 2010, 06:49:11 pm
Hello Kathy If you look up my post about killing pig 60 years ago its 5 down in Food Processing at the moment and it is the way it is done by cottagers in Lincolnshire even today.In recipes I have posted several recipes to do with the offal.Have a read and lets know what you think.It doesn't work on a lb or a kilo  it works on covering the meat totally with salt have a read See what you think.Don't forget though you have to soak the meat before you use it over night in cold water to get rid of the salty taste.This recipe definitely lasts 2 years plus George