Making lunch meats and Bacon ????

[alpinebeers]

I have a few questions about Cures and Brines. I have had a Bradley for a while now and LOVE it.

First - I am thinking of starting to make some lunch meats and things like that since I just bought a meat slicer. I am a little confused on what and when I should cure/brine. If I am just making a normal beef roast in the smoker (IT of 155 smoking at 225) and planning to slice, vacuum seal and freeze do I have to cure? Same goes for things like a ham???

Second- With Bacon would I have to cure if I planned to smoke/cook to IT of 150 then slice and freeze? I plan to Brine it for 5-6 days but just wondering if the salt is enough to keep it safe.

I guess what I'm wondering is when to Cure/Brine and when not to i'd like to avoid using cures when I don't have to but want to make sure its safe for my kids. Any help would be appreciated

[KyNola]

Check some of the recipes posted in the "Curing" section where you posted your question.  Also check here: www.susanminor.org  Has a lot of great recipes for Bradley Smokers by Bradley Owners.

Some of the folks like Habs will be along to help you with your curing questions.  I can give you one quick answer to one of your questions.  No need to use cure for the beef.  I'll yield to the more learned members of the forum about the ham and bacon questions.  I use a dry rub for bacon and it does contain cure.  I don't brine much of anything for curing purposes which is why you need to hear from guys like Habs.

[alpinebeers]

Thanks KyNola I've read through a tone of recipes and info on the net but am still a little confused and want to make sure I have it all straight. Thanks for the input though any most definitely helps

[viper125]

You use a cure when you hot smoke for a long period such as bacon,ham and some sausages. It provides a safety to prevent spoilage while cooking. Also cure is used for flavor in hams and bacon.

When cold smoking  no cure needed but Bacon will still need it for flavor.

Brine is for flavor and adding moisture and spices. Some times cure.

When curing salt is not enough usually.

Best thing is figure what you want to make. Find the recipe by asking here or going to Susan minor site or others. Then follow directions. These guys here have a recipe for things you'd never think of. And most are eager to share and help so just ask. But first what type you want. And yes cure for brining bacon your smoking up to temps. Hope that helps.

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi alpinebeers;

Welcome to the forum.

Your question would take hours to answer, so it is best to ask particular questions as you come across these issues. As a general rule for whole muscle meat (including pork bellies), it depends on the way you want to smoke it. If you are going to maintain cooking temperatures below 200°F for long periods of time then you should use Cure #1 in you dry or wet brines. There are also times when you cook smoke/cook at 200°F or higher, and want to cure the meat for the particular flavor that sodium nitrite brings to meat. Examples of this is when I make pastrami, and Canadian bacon; some cook pork belly at these temperatures. If you cook fresh ham, at 200°F, without curing it will taste more like pork roast, than the traditional ham flavor most of us are use to.

[Salmonsmoker]

Alpinebeers,  although you can find all the info you need here with some searching, it might be helpful to have some books on hand that you can go to when questions pop up. If you want to start building a little library, here are two that I uses extensively. Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing by Rytek Kutas and Charcuterie by Micheal Ruhlman and Brian Polsyn. There are a lot of other books too.

[SiFumar]

Welcome!  They all got you covered, but I agree with Habs.  If you want to do something specific ask then.  The link KyNola gave you is our recipe site, and the recipes are all tried by members here before being posted there.  You can't go wrong with starting there.