Bacon Curing Methods

The Denhay Cure
Our Dry Curing technique involves a unique mixture of dry sea salt, nitrite and ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) massaged into the pork loins and bellies which are then cured for between two and three weeks.

The ingredients are pork, preservative – sodium nitrite and antioxidant – ascorbic acid.

Natural Cure Bacon – no artificial preservatives (new to Denhay launched October 2008 in selected Waitrose stores)
Natural Cure Bacon is made without the use of artificial preservatives. Sea salt is mixed with apple juice, cane sugar and vegetable juice powder (celery and carrot). The other crucial ingredient is time, and we allow the bacon to cure and mature over a period of ten days to a fortnight.

Once ready, the bacon is fresh sliced (not frozen, as many other commercial bacons are) and this produces a distinctive bacon with a subtle flavour. It has a softer texture than Denhay Dry Cured bacon.

The ingredients are pork, water, sea salt, apple juice, cane sugar, vegetable juice powder (celery and carrot). Because of this we warn of allergen, celery

Wiltshire Cure (new from Denhay, launched in November 2008 in Costco)
The original and most famous West Country bacon cure, Traditional Wiltshire Cure Bacon, dates back to the 1840s. Pork being immersed in a special live brine or ‘pickle’ for up to three days which contains curing salts, and salt loving bacteria. The unique flavour developed in Wiltshire cure bacon depends upon the action of these bacteria.

In accordance with the traditional Wiltshire method, the bacon is given a fortnight to mature, and time – after salt – is the most important ingredient.

Wiltshire Cure has a subtle, slightly salty flavour and a distinctively meaty texture. It works well as a recipe component as its slight saltiness helps to draw out the
flavours of the other ingredients without dominating them

The ingredients are pork, water, sea salt, preservatives - potassium nitrate, sodium nitrite.