What's BBB

JDNC · November 30, 2008, 09:27:45 AM

Habs,

The color is darker (brown) and firmness more firm. I've been turning daily. I think I'll wait the full 6 days but would like to wait until the week-end took smoke. Can I keep in the cure longer, say 10 days and be ok..or do I need to remove and rinse and store in the fridge until the weekend?

JD

FLBentRider · November 30, 2008, 10:19:39 AM

I would take it out of the cure, do the soak and put the time extention in the drying phase. I have done this more than once and it turned out great.

Leaving it the cure longer may make the meat too salty.

Habanero Smoker · November 30, 2008, 02:24:08 PM

I do it slightly different. If I can't smoke right away, I rinse the cure off, soak it, and pat dry with paper towels. I will give the bag a good rinsing, place it back in a sealable bag and into the refrigerator. The day before I know I can smoke it, I will let it air dry uncovered in the refrigerator, or air dry it on the counter with a fan blowing on it for a couple of hours prior to smoking.

JDNC · November 30, 2008, 06:23:56 PM

Ok, I think you're in agreement that I need to get it out of the cure and rinse. I'll rinse and store for the weekend for smoking.

Thanks, JD

JDNC · December 06, 2008, 06:34:48 PM

Ok,
I took it out on the 4th day soaked and placed bag in a clean bag and back in the fridge. Today I soaked for about 30 minutes, patted down with paper towels and placed in the OBS at about 150* for two hrs. I then smoked at this temp for two hrs and increased the temp to about 180 and held to an IT of 153*. Tented for an hour and placed in zip-loc and back in the fridge. Later this evening I sliced a portion (as I can't wait two days) to sample. The outside 3/4 inch appeared to be cooked and the center was a blush red color. Is this normal, or was it not cured enough? I would post pic's but don't know how as of yet. I sliced it on a slicer and it looked like roast beef or slices of prime rib! Man was it good! As this was venison, I don't know what the color should look like after curing. I saw a post somewhere that showed a small grey spot in the center of a cured venison backstrap with the surrounding area a red color (mine is bassackwards). I'm going to wait for two days before slicing the rest if I can. I don't think I have ever tasted better venison. I wonder, has anyone ever tried brine curing a venison ham?

JD

Habanero Smoker · December 07, 2008, 02:07:08 AM

If you can post a picture that would help. From your description it sound like it wasn't cured at all. Meat cures from the outside in, and as you stated your is just the opposite. If you have the "eye" in the middle it is not fully cured. Have you tasted it? Does it have a bacon or ham like taste?

Also can you post a link to recipe you used or list the ingredients you used. If you used a commercial cure mix, I've read that some commercial mixes don't add the cure to their mix, but rather put the cure in a packet and you have to add it to the mix yourself.

How to post photos

Tenpoint5 · December 07, 2008, 04:25:36 AM

Definitely gonna need to see a pic on this one.

Habs, If I understand what hes saying its cured on the inside center (Blush) but the outside is uncured and grey. But I did see where he says it was the best Bambi ever. I'm picturing the VCB I did but reversed red "eye" in the middle grey outer ring. Confused here but its early in the morning.

JDNC · December 07, 2008, 04:55:42 AM

This was a small backstrap which I used Hab's basic CB cure instead of TQ. I weighed all ingredients and meat (digital scale). Placed in zip-loc and turned everyday in fridge at 40*. I posted questions ref time due to the size of straps and decided to take out and rinse on the 5th day giving me 4 days of cure time. Man it looks like prime rib sliced and is the best I've ever tasted! Just confused about the color after seeing yours. I've figured out the picture thing, just need to find my camera. I've got more I going to wait the two days on and when I slice I'll post pictures.

I don't know if anything can come out of a BS that could be bad..ha. I want to brine cure a venison ham with bone. Anyone have any experience with this?

JD

JDNC · December 07, 2008, 05:08:24 AM

Hab's,

Forgot to answer your question ref taste. I don't think it taste like a ham, but it doesn't have a gamey or wild taste. I just about got my wife to try it as she thought it was sliced beef (she doesn't like deer and I think she would have liked this). I'm telling you, this was great tasting, I would like to get the same results on another backstrap.

You know, I would think that the center at 153* would be grey if not cured, what do you think? I thought that maybe due to the small size of the meat (1.5-2.5 inch) the grey outside might be due to the heat of the tower. I don't know, just know it taste great! Oh, I did heat some in the microwave and it come out steaming hot with the outside edges drying out some but the center still rosy red.

JD

Tenpoint5 · December 07, 2008, 05:09:30 AM

Quote from: JDNC on December 07, 2008, 04:55:42 AM
I want to brine cure a venison ham with bone. Anyone have any experience with this?

JD

I haven't tried this one yet. I only have one word of caution. For what its worth I would bone out the venison ham first. Since this CWD thing, I dont mess with any bones. Don't cut them or leave them in anything. There isn't enough info out there on CWD and nobody knows what it will do to humans. So I will tend to err on the safer side. I don't think they have even found a case here in Iowa, but I ain't taken any chances.

With that said. Let us know how it turns out if you give one a whirl. Buy opening the ham up you ensure that the large chunk of "Star Fat" is removed from the lower half along with the large gland that is with it.

coleman · December 07, 2008, 08:28:28 AM

10.5

I'm with you on the de-boning of venison. I think it tastes a whole lot better if you don't have the bones in. In my opion it gives it more aof a gamey taste.

Tenpoint5 · December 07, 2008, 08:37:13 AM

Coleman I only debone because of CWD or I would leave them in Meat always tastes better cooked with the bone in. But then again I am eating corn feed venison here in Iowa.

JDNC · December 07, 2008, 10:15:12 AM

Well here go's this picture thing...

Here is what I sliced yesterday, which most has been digested by now!

Might see this a little better.

What do you guys think?

Tenpoint5 · December 07, 2008, 10:24:34 AM

I'm gonna have to bow out and leave this one to Hab's since I went back and looked and you used his dry rub. Which might be the reason it doesn't look like the VCB I did. I used the TQ and Brn Sugar cure on mine. But I will ask this "Does it taste good? Is it the flavor you was after? If you answered Yes to them two questions then IMHO you did it right. You can always try it again.

JDNC · December 07, 2008, 10:26:46 AM

On second thought....i don't think it cured as it's not firm enough. It's too limp and soft. I'm going to try this again but I think I'll throw away my cure and mix up new just in case I made a mistake with the ingredients.

JD