Curing Newbie Part 2

[DaveT261]

Ok
I got my prague powder #1 and I bought a 6 lb boston butt along with pickling salt and maple syrup for hillbilly bacon, but it is not boneless.  Do I remove the bone and split it in half?  If I don't split it will it take longer to cure?  I kind of like the idea of having wider pieces, the but is probably 2 1/2" max thick.  If I do split it should I make 2 batches of cure for estimate of 2 3/4# slabs?  I have so many questions I dont know where to begin.  Any suggestions or help will be greatly appreciated.

[tskeeter]

Dave, this link might help.

http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?27-HILLBILLY-BACON-From-Phone-Guy

I see that Phone Guy says cut the butt in half horizontally.  In order to do that, you'd probably find it easiest to remove the bone from the butt.  The reason Phone Guy says to cut the butt in half is to reduce the curing time.  It takes less time for the cure to penetrate thinner pieces of meat.  That's why commercial operations inject the brine and cure into larger cuts of meat.  It reduces the curing time.

I think that you'll probably end up with about 5 pounds of boneless butt.  So your butt should cure in less time than the 6 -7 days that Phone Guy talks about for his 8 pound shoulder.  Just how much less, I don't have the experience to tell you.  But, I'm told you can't over cure meat.  So you could cure for the full 6 - 7 days.  However, it is possible that the butt might absorb more salt than you like.  So, you might want to test a slice before you smoke.  If it's too salty, just soak the butt in fresh water to reduce the salt content.  With Habanero Smoker's Canadian Bacon recipe, I freshen the loin for for three fresh water soaks of 30 minutes each.  If you like things a bit saltier than I do, you can reduce the number of cycles or shorten the time.

[KyNola]

If you cut the butt in half, yes you should make up two distinct batches of cure for the specific weight of each half.  Or if you make the Basic Cure Mix then just be sure to use the correct amount of it for the weight of each half of the butt.

[Habanero Smoker]

Where did you take the measurement from. The 2.5" thick seems too small for a butt. You need the measure at the thickest point. When I cure anything that is thicker than 4" I will either wet cure, or do a combination cure which includes both a dry cure, and a wet cure injection. It reduces the chance of anything going wrong.

If it is only 2.5" thick at the thickest point then you don't have to divide it. Just remove the bone, apply the cure, making sure you get the cure in all surfaces, even the crevices of the area where you removed the bone.

[DaveT261]

It was bigger than 2 1/2" probably close to 3 1/2 to 4" I went ahead and de-boned it and split it.  One thing I did notice when i split it some of the muscles pulled away leaving some loose meat, not just solid pieces of meat.  I have not weighed the pieces yet but I'm guessing I have lost about 1 1/4" after removing the bone and some of the excess fat.   As I get going on this I am sure I will still have some questions.  Please bear with me.  I always seem a bit nervous trying something new.  It's kind of like the way I felt when I lost my virginity oh so many years ago.

Thanks a lot you guys!!!

[DaveT261]

I was over thinking the curing process.  I made the basic cure and just followed the directions on the hillbilly bacon recipe.

One thing I did learn is you have to turn the freezer bags inside out and grab the meat and pull othe bag over, my first attempt the freezer bag at the top had the cure in it and it would not zip. 

If I can find my camera I will take some pictures as it progresses, that is if I can figure out how to post pictures.

[tailfeathers]

I had the same problem with cure in the seal of the bag. I dont turn them inside out, but if you roll the top down like a pants cuff a couple inches it works to keep the cure in the bag instead of the seal. There is a post somewhere that explains the picture posting instructions, but if you have a smart phone you can download the free Tapatalk app and then you can select the pics you want to post right out of your photo album on your phone. If you look you will see that any of my posts that have pics were sent from my phone instead of my computer and that is the reason. Good luck on your bacon, and welcome to the dark side!!!

[Habanero Smoker]

Turning down the top of the bag does work very well. If you can find them; two gallon bags makes the job it much easier. After sealing the bag, place it on a rimmed baking sheet, just incase it leaks.

I haven't read Phone Guy's recipe for awhile. I happened to take another look at it today, and here are my suggestions. I would not pour off any liquid that accumulates during the curing period. Every 24 hours, pick the bag up; without opening the bag, rock it several times to help redistribute the liquid in the bag, and turn in over and place it back on the baking sheet. If you are using the Basic Dry Cure at 1 tablespoon/lb., do not shake off any excess, and use all the cure mix.

If you are using a camera you will need to upload your images to a photo hosting site such as Photobucket.

How To Post Photos

[DaveT261]

I will follow your advice and not pour anything off.  Now I just got to be patient and let the cure do its work.  One thing I do have to find is a good meat market here in Columbus.