Curing Newbie

[DaveT261]

I am going to try my hand at curing some pork.  I have been checking on different cuts of meat and I read where a butt can be used in place of pork belly to make bacon.  I am at a dilemma on what type of wood to use, currently I only have hickory left  but I am afraid it will overpower it.  And if I do use hickory will I need to apply smoke the whole time?  Also if I buy 2 butts (one plain and one maple flavored) would that affect the bradley's performance? 

[beefmann]

a  lil information .. traditionally pork bellies are for the  traditional bacon...  pork loin is for Canadian bacon.. ham  shank ( back leg) traditionally is for  ham. i use the pork shoulder ( boston  shoulder or buston  butt ) for my  ham i think it tastes better.

i cure all my  meats for 7 to 8 days and go from there, i have  used hickory to  smoke the  hams and bacon though only smoke for no more then 4 hours this  time  frame depends on the cut of meat and  the amount of meat  , 1 lb  vs 20 makes a big  difference. also take the  bacon to 148 - 152 and your good to go. box temp 200 - 225

hope this helps

[Habanero Smoker]

I generally will use pecan, but hickory will work fine. I generally will apply 1:40 - 2:00 hours. When you cure pork shoulders and you are using a dry cure method, you want to cut them into about 2" slabs, or at least in half, before applying the cure. If you are looking for recipes, this type of cured meat is generally called, Buckboard Bacon, Hillbilly Bacon, or Cottage Bacon.

Here is one from the recipe site:
HILLBILLY BACON

[DaveT261]

I bought Prague Powder will that work in place of Mortons Tender Quick on a butt??

[KyNola]

Prague Powder is measured drastically different than Morton's Tender Quick. Prague measures at 1 tsp per 5 lbs of meat while MTQ measure at 1 TBSP per pound of meat.

Please don't confuse the two.

[DaveT261]

Prague Powder is measured drastically different than Morton's Tender Quick. Prague measures at 1 tsp per 5 lbs of meat while MTQ measure at 1 TBSP per pound of meat.

Please don't confuse the two.

Not a problem.  I always follow directions listed.  A good piece of meat is a terrible thing to waste.

[pondee]

My first "bacon" was a 2.25# pork loin cured with a a High Mountain cure.  got the cure from Amazon, Prime member, can't help myself.  Cured it for two weeks, rinsed it off, not enough, was  a little too salty (but not overly so), smoked it in my pellet smoker for about 4 hours (hickory) to an IT of 145* at a temp of 180*

Tasty, needs more fat to be bacon, was more like ham.  Made great ham and eggs, and great ham (bacon) and cheese sandwiches.  Worth it,  waiting for a boneless butt to try another way

Have fun.

[Habanero Smoker]

You can blend you own cure mix with Prague Powder #1 that will be a substitute for TQ. I included a link to the recipe below. To get the best result, do not substitute the type of salt used. If you don't have pickling salt, it would be better to use non-iodized table salt, and use white sugar not powdered dextrose.

Basic Cure

Or if you are curing the meat to make bacon that you will fry latter on, you can use Prague Powder #1 at a rate of 1 teaspoon per 5 pounds, and add enough salt to equal 2% - 3% of the green weight of the meat, and sugar that equals 1/2 the weight of the salt (the sugar is optionally, but highly recommended, and the sweeter you make it, the closer it taste to bacon).

Had to make a correction in the amount of cure per 5 pounds.

[DaveT261]

My prague powder#1 should be here this wewek.  When I get it i will then buy a butt and get back with you so you can actually walk me thru this if you will.  Without ever doing this the directions for the tender quick is confusing.

To do this right I will need your help.

[Habanero Smoker]

My prague powder#1 should be here this wewek.  When I get it i will then buy a butt and get back with you so you can actually walk me thru this if you will.  Without ever doing this the directions for the tender quick is confusing.

To do this right I will need your help.

Sure. There will be a few evenings I will not be logging in, but there are others that can help. For the first time the easiest way would be to make the Basic Cure and use that at a rate of 1 tablespoon per pound, then add the additional sweeteners and seasonings if you like.

[DaveT261]

Tomorrow I take my shoulder out of the bags and rinse.  I probably never got a tablespoon of liquid in either of my freezer bags.  How do I know if it is cured?  When I set the meat in the fridge on the racks should a pellicle form on it, and if it doesnt does that mean the meat never cured?  I don't want to make anyone sick.

[Habanero Smoker]

If you started with the right amount of cure mix, it should be cured. If it feels firm, that is a good indication that it is cured. Clench your hand into a tight fist, and fell the thumb pad; your meat should feel that firm or firmer. Another way to make positively sure is to cut through the thickest part of the meat, then cut a thin slice of meat and pan fry over low temperature. While cooking, if it remains "red" in all areas if it is fully cured. If you notice a grey or brownish area in the middle of the slice, that means the meat did not fully cure. If you follow the cooking instructions in Phone Guy's recipe, you are cooking at a safe temperature, so if it is not fully cured treat it as fresh cooked pork. It just may not look "aesthetically appetizing". It is possible that meat can spoil during the curing process; on one occasion that has happened to me, but during the curing process I could tell by the smell, and the meat felt slimy.

Curing and the formation of pellicle, although often associated with each other, the pellicle can form on foods that have not been cure, but also on foods that have been flavored brined. It has more to do with salt that has broken down the proteins on the surface of the meat. A pellicle should form on the surface, but with pork shoulders I don't find it as distinct as I would on salmon or poultry.

[DaveT261]

I followed the basic cure recipe right down to the gram.  Its just the no liquid  worries me because I did leave a marginal amount of fat on top. 

I will check it as you suggested.  I will let you know.

Thanks.

[KyNola]

The evidence of liquid or the lack thereof is not a good indicator of curing.  I have had pork bellies throw off tons of liquid and I have had bellies throw off almost no liquid.  All were equally cured.

[DaveT261]

It's cured.  I cut a piece off the end and fried it and it stayed red.  I am putting it on the smoker today, thanks everyone for bearing with me with all my questions.  I will let you know how it turns out.