Hello all.
I just got a whole pork belly. After trimming and cutting I have 5, 5 pound slabs. I plan on smoking 2 of them after curing.
Wondering if the other 3 would be okay to freeze after they have been cured & before smoking? Or should I just freeze them plain?
This is the cure I plan on using,
5 pounds pork belly, skin on
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 teaspoons pink curing salt
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup honey (preferably chestnut honey)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Either way would be fine, or you could freeze them fresh. If you freeze them fresh you would have the option to try fresh pork recipes. Grilled fresh pork can be a treat. On the other hand if you cure them prior to freezing, and you want to make more smoked bacon - you will only need to defrost them and you are ready to go either smoke them. If they have been smoked already prior to freezing; you only need to defrost, slice and fry.
Quote from: rnmac on May 29, 2017, 01:40:59 PM
Hello all.
I just got a whole pork belly. After trimming and cutting I have 5, 5 pound slabs. I plan on smoking 2 of them after curing.
Wondering if the other 3 would be okay to freeze after they have been cured & before smoking? Or should I just freeze them plain?
This is the cure I plan on using,
5 pounds pork belly, skin on
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 teaspoons pink curing salt
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup honey (preferably chestnut honey)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Recipe looks ok but not 100% sure on the amount of #1 cure, rule of thumb is 1/4 tsp per lb. perhaps bacon is different, I have been using 1 tablespoon of MTQ per lb on my bacon and the salt content is just right. Hopefully someone will chime in on the cure in this recipe. Best of luck !
The amount of pink salt is correct for a 5 pound slab of bacon.
Quote from: KyNola on May 30, 2017, 07:48:21 AM
The amount of pink salt is correct for a 5 pound slab of bacon.
Just for my own understanding.. why is more used on bacon?