Quote:
Originally Posted by Wormius
It was definitely a couple of fuzzy white dots.
I might hang it up after smoking next time, but don’t have a good cool place except the fridge.
I would like to get it to the point where I could leave it out on the counter and hack of pieces as needed - or is that hoping for too much?
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Fat will typically prevent growth of many dangerous bacterias and lard is a traditional preservative. The big issue with something like bacon is more mold and rancidity. Exposed bits of meat may grow dangerous bacteria too.
It sounds like you might be better off making a speck than a bacon. If you want something similar to bacon, but lasts longer. I wouldn't leave it outside the fridge though. Also when you dry out pork, it won't fry up as nicely.
A true German speck is pretty close to bacon, but slightly dried out and they eat it raw....I had a plate of that and similar items, last time I was at Oktoberfest. I'm pretty good with raw and exotic meats, and I found that pretty hard to stomach. I've made my own north American style versions, with less fat content, but never quite got the smoking and salt content right to make it worth just not buying them from a Serbian deli preferable. Serbian smoked/salted meat is top notch imo. You can definitely use your own fridge to hang small meats.
Anytime you're using raw meats I'd strongly recommend buying a higher end piece of meat from a reputable butcher. Do not use grocery store meat, which is often almost rotten to start and has been exposed to all sorts of pathogens.