Roughly seven days.
Bacon needs to marinate in seasonings for about seven days. After all the flavors in the seasoning have penetrated the bacon, it can be exposed to the sun to dry out, making it in dry bacon form. Most flavorful. If it is not cured long enough, then the bacon is not particularly tasty and it spoils easily. If bacon is cured for too long, the meat will become dry and the flavor will be too salty, which will also affect the taste. So, it takes about 7 days to cure the bacon to the optimal level, or continue to dry it out to become more flavorful.
How the flavor of bacon comes aboutTraditional bacon is a meat product made from fresh meat with salt, currant, spices and other auxiliary ingredients, baked, sun-dried and smoked. Bacon has a unique flavor, strong aroma and long shelf life. When making bacon, curing, smoking and baking can give bacon an attractive flavor and appearance.
Baking (or sunning) and adding a lot of salt reduces the moisture activity of bacon. Most bacteria and yeasts cannot grow at this level of moisture activity, and they are not harmed if left outside. In addition, baking and heating causes the amino acids in the meat to undergo a Meladic reaction with reducing sugars and fat degradation, producing large amounts of aromatic volatiles. That's what makes bacon taste so delicious.
Smoking is also an important component. When smoked, the wood separates phenols, acids, alcohols, aldehydes and other aromatic substances, acids can reduce the pH value of the meat, increase the inhibition of salt to microorganisms, accelerate the nitrite reaction and enhance the curing effect. In addition, the odor of wood volatilized by contact with meat can also increase the aroma of bacon. The phenolics in the smoke also have a strong antioxidant capacity, which can prevent fat oxidation and inhibit the growth of microorganisms, making bacon easier to store.
How long is the shelf life of baconThe shelf life of bacon is usually 3-6 months. It is usually in the winter, when temperatures are low and humidity is not high. If you intend to eat it within two weeks and the room temperature is below 20 degrees Celsius and the humidity is below 60%, you don't need to put it in the refrigerator, just put it in a ventilated and cool place. If you need to store it for a long time, you can bake and dry the preserved meat further, put it in a plastic bag according to the serving size and put it in the freezer. It can usually be kept for six months.
As a meat product, bacon does not have a long shelf life. After the winter solstice, bacon made before the big cold keeps the longest and is not easy to change flavor. After the third month of the lunar calendar, bacon cannot be stored at room temperature. The best way to preserve it is to wash the bacon, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the freezer of the refrigerator. This can be kept for a long time, even three to five years.