What's BBB

Mr Walleye · December 07, 2008, 10:35:08 AM

JDNC

It just doesn't look cured??? Not that it looks bad, in fact it looks great! Just doesn't have the appearance of being cured. How was the taste? Could you taste the hammy/bacon flavor which is the signature cure taste?

Mike

JDNC · December 07, 2008, 11:34:20 AM

It taste great, just as it looks! Now...as for having a ham or bacon taste, if it does it's not very much. As a matter of fact it taste a lot like roast beef with a smoke taste. I wouldn't care if they all could taste as good, but was looking for a firm texture with a rose color throughout and was wondering if I got something wrong. I really didn't know what to expect with venison anyway. I will say it's not salty..it's just right as salt goes, but doesn't it supposed to more firm and red? I think I'll try a pork loin next as I have two in the freezer.

Mr Walleye · December 07, 2008, 11:55:01 AM

JDNC

You right regarding the firmness... I usually give them a flip every day or two in the fridge and this is when you will notice them getting firmer. If not firm I just wait another day or two and check again. It's a puzzle for sure.

Still looks great though! ;)

Mike

whitetailfan · December 07, 2008, 02:06:16 PM

If you've been reading different curing threads, BBB likely stands for buckboard bacon.

If used in the phrase "I used BBB to cure my belly" then it refers to the commercial spice/cure Buckboard Bacon manufactured by Hi-Mtn Jerky.
Buckboard bacon as a meat - "man I can't believe how good buckboard bacon tastes" then its the meat itself and refers to a boston butt cured into lean bacon.

BBB and Canadian bacon are not the same thing, as was mention on about page 1.

The directions on BBB say to use butt. It is what they used in the pioneer days. They did not waste the fat on the belly/side by making modern bacon, it was need for lye soap.

It was kind of funny I found this thread today, because I am minutes away from using BBB to cure some sides. I prefer the Butcher and Packer maple cure, but I ran out and don't think I can get it up here. Mallardwacker sent me some up the U.S.

Habanero Smoker · December 07, 2008, 02:30:01 PM

JDNC;

It doesn't matter if you use TQ or the Basic Cure Mix, it cures from the outside in. If the meat did not cure at all, the only thing I can think of is you may have made an error when you made the Basic Cure. When you made the Basic Cure, did it have a slightly pink color to it?

I've never seen anything like this, on any solid muscle I've used a dry cure on. You are right that at 153°F, the meat should have been grey. The pictures are kind of small, is there any way you can post one of them larger. The meat appears to be rare, because it looks so moist (or it could be the reflection of the flash).

JDNC · December 07, 2008, 04:06:42 PM

Habs,

I used 1 lb of salt, 8 oz sugar, and 2 oz of Pink salt (6.22% sodium nitrite). I weighed every ingredient, did not measure anything. When I used the cure I measured 1 Tbls per pound. As for the color, no it really doesn't have a pink color, after mixing. My pink salt is not as pink as it was (couple yrs old) but I don't think that's the problem, but could have made a mistake when weighing everything out.

If I question anything it would be the salt. I had what I thought was pickling salt in a big bag, not a box. I looked tonight to make sure, and can't find any thing on the bag that says it's iodized but who knows. I have salt on hand that I've had around for a long time that came in bags that I thought was pickling salt, but can't remember. I made this assumption due to the fact it didn't say iodized salt. Could this be the problem? Anyway, before I try to cure again I'm going to mix up another batch of your "Basic Cure" using pickling salt I just purchased this week-end. If I had to bet money, I would bet I weighed out something wrong when mixing the basic cure (my life story).

JD

Habanero Smoker · December 08, 2008, 02:17:09 AM

JDNC;

This one is a mystery to me. Do you live in the states. If you do, the pink salt should have been pink. Manufacturers (at least most) having been adding the pink dye for many years, to prevent chefs from accidentally mistaking it for salt. Do your recall it ever being pink? Also most manufacturers use a 6.25%, but I don't believe the .03% makes a difference. Though sodium nitrite has a long shelf life, heat can effect it's usefulness, as well as moisture.

I've never used iodize salt for curing, but besides giving the food an off-taste, it could have caused the discoloration. Also if the salt is not purified (a method of manufacturing use in most mined salt), it could contain other metals. So you may be on to something; as to the type of salt that was used. But I do still have some concerns about the sodium nitrite you are using. :)

JDNC · December 08, 2008, 03:20:27 AM

Habs,

I live in US, NC as a matter of fact. As for the color of the pink salt I purchased it from Eldon's Jerky and Sausage Supply, in ID. I have a 16oz plastic container which the label states (in reference to ingredients),

Ingredients: Salt, Sodium Nitrite (6.22%), Dextrose, FD & C Red #3 (0.00084%), less than 1.0% Glycerine to prevent caking.

The color is a light pink, lighter than it had been when I first purchased it. My guess is, it has lost 1/4-1/2 the color it once had. This container has been stored inside in a cool dark location in a box away from sunlight. When you asked about the color of my basic cure, a flag came up in my mind, as I know that my mixture was white. I may have screwed up, but believe me I don't think the mixture could have much pink color due to the now light pink color of my pink salt. I also don't think the pink salt can go bad during storage, but I don't think it has the color it once had (but it is pink).

Again, I think I probably made a mistake in weighing ingredients for the Basic Cure.

JD