1/2 cup of curing salt Sodium is actually a mineral that is an important part of the human body, but an excess of sodium can cause fluid retention in the body and high blood pressure. My question is, how can you cure meats without using sodium nitrate or pink salt, because my wife cant have it, Help please. Put a layer of curing mix on the tray to act as a bed for the ham. For more self-reliance and homesteading tips from Lee go to Tennessee-Homestead.com. There are two types of nitrates you can buy pink curing salt 1 & 2. 1 teaspoon of juniper berries It also does use up quite a lot of salt and you end up with quite a lot of wastage, although salt is quite cheap its nice to have precise amount need for curing with equilibrium curing method. If meat was preserved this way in cold weather, which slowed down the decomposition while the salt had time to take effect, it could last for years. Smokers come in all shapes and sizes to fit your individual needs and are fueled by charcoal, electricity, gas, wood, etc., in order to generate smoke. The result is meat that has a longer shelf life. There are two joints, the H-bone (hip) and the hock. The meat here smelled a bit off after I washed the pork. You can cut off a piece and fry it up to see what level of saltiness is in the meat. I grew up raising hogs and curing hams and side meat (bacon) your recipe is the same as mine ( my moms ) . Ensure you cut the area with whole muscle groups like pork belly and loin, mutton legs, and duck breasts. Like smoking for fresh bacon sausage and ham. It was a lot cheaper than many of the store-bought versions. Salt Safety in Dry Curing. Many people prefer dry curing as opposed to injecting or immersing the ham with a curing solution. Hi, I started wuring a 2 kg piece of chump joint ham. Combine the salt, spices, and cure and apply it to the meat. Rub and cover the rest of the ham with the curing mix. n removed ? But I would love to hear your thoughts. Curing salt does come in small packages and not large amounts are recommended in your recipe it calls for quite a bit of curing salt is it a mixture of curing salt and salt let me know thanks. I specialize in healthy, flavorful recipes that are easy to make at home. Do you have a recipe/process to sugar cure a ham? Now I cant find the protocol. Sodium nitrate can be found in all kinds of leafy green vegetables and can be added to your salt mixture in the form of celery juice, ground spinach or pink salt (curing salt #1, which is 7 percent sodium nitrate). Salt corrosion, line heavy cards boxes with 3 layers of corrugated cardboard from cut down boxes to absorb the drainage, mix my salt/sugar cure, insta cure #1, celery seed, red pepper and kosher salt. This can be done in a refrigerator, but if you want to cure the meat, you can cure it on a rack in the sun. Years ago, several methods of curing meat with . A bit of drying to form the pellicle and then its ready to smoke. Methods on How to Cure Meat with Salt (with Pictures), quilibrium curing at home in your regular kitchen fridge, check out that post here, https://eatcuredmeat.com/how-to-cure-meat-in-a-fridge-without-modifying-it/, Want to Make Charcuterie at Home? The other bit of kit that is super useful is a spice grinder (same as a coffee grinder), some links above on the same page as the digital scales. I just leave it overnight in the fridge and give uncovered it in the morning. October when weather starts cooling off, git your ham, a big bag of curing salt, an old feed sack or burlap bag that a little air can circulate in. However, even if you have the convenience of refrigeration, curing is a great way to preserve the natural flavors of the meat as well as to keep essential vitamins and minerals that are often lost in the freezer. [], When you slit at the joints are you slitting them from joint to joint or making 2 slits at each joint, thank you. To dry cure meat with salt, cover it entirely in salt for a full day. Make sure you have enough water to completely cover the backfat and platter. Step 3: Let the meat sit at room temperature for 1-2 days. 2. Is Salt Curing the Same as Dry Curing a Ham? The whole pork leg would be packed in salt for many days. Step 4: Time to Cook. The next time youre curing some meat, consider using some salt. Take a fresh ham with skin on, wash off in water and pat dry. I have backing time per pound. Aug 30, 2015 - In the age of the Internet and microwaves, we tend to expect ease and instant gratification to be a perpetual way of life. Once the ham is cured, it can be smoked, cooked or frozen for later cooking. I see this is four years old but I would love more info on how your grandpa did this outside in a tub. Pour over the contents of the crock. Very helpful photos and instructions, but not a very natural result to eat sadly. Meat can be preserved in salt solution, too; it is called "brining." We used a real *built 1912) pine board smokehouse with built in wooden trays fior salting. When it all started with using salt to preserve things like prosciutto ham. Do I cold smoke for few hours then hot smoke ? Hi Melissa !! Old Fashioned Recipe for Curing Ham For every 100 pounds of meat take 5 pints of good molasses or 5 pounds of brown sugar, 5 ounces saltpetre, 8 pounds of rock salt and add 3 gallons of water to a pot. Communal smokers were responsible for supplying meat for many families. Sugar is a minor part of the composite flavor, with bacon being an exception. Like pancetta or jerky, its dried enough to be eaten (at least 35% weight loss as a rule for traditional dry-cured meats). Great article, it made think of my grandfather who died in the 80s. Although the methods have been refined over the years the basics are still the same. Do It Yourself With The Complete Book of Butchering, Smoking, Curing, and Sausage Making, There are two ways to salt-cure meat. A lot of home curing enthusiasts also use a vacuum packing and the stage. I want to bake it to help heat kitchen in 167 year old 2 story house. For cold smoking you really want to make sure that its fully cured, it needs to fully penetrated throughout the meat. This is a process of coating the meat with a salt cure rub which draws out the moisture. Dry cure using 3.5 oz. Ira. And actually I have one ready to go to the slaughter house. It seems also the homesteader was able to use this quite easily. Im trying to cure two 45 lb hams. 7 pounds of beef brisket or 2 pounds of beef brisket and 5 pounds of chuck roast 318.7 (c) (4), 381.147 (d) (4)). The process is basically the same for all different varieties of meats, although the recipes may differ slightly. With a ham that's between 36 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit, rinse in cold water and pat dry. Next, place the brisket in a Dutch oven with enough water to cover. Leave the meat on the tray, all the salt will draw out the moisture. Because dry hams are typically saltier than other products, they benefit from soaking in water for 1-12 hours (in the refrigerator) before cooking. Kind of necessary when curing a ham safely. It seems to work best for meat around 7oz/200g or less. I have even heard of the traditional South African Way many years ago. In the future, remember to rinse cured meat or reduce curing time. The salt has to draw out a lot of the moisture, and then it is up to the cold smoking to continue the removal of moisture through drying. Vegetables such as runner beans and cabbage are also often preserved in this manner. Good luck and Id love to hear how it turn out for you guys. Because of the tremendous amount of salt used, sugar serves to reduce the harshness of the salt in cured meat and enhance the sweetness of the product (ie. We use a dry rub cure to make the best-tasting hams possible. If you are going to smoke your ham, it has to be firm to the touch. We can buy a hundred pounds of meat, stick it in the freezer and eat off of it for a year without any special preparations or considerations made. This is a method I am very familiar with, it is used widely and dry cured products. 1 teaspoon of pink salt Take the meat or fish youd like to preserve and rinse it in cold water. Once the ham is cured, rinse well with cool water then smoke it, cook it or freeze it for later (see recipe notes for cooking tips). Sodium nitrate will also make your cured meats turn a nice shade of bright reddish-pink. I put salt into this part and put it in the fridge last night. Does this only work for pork or can this process be used on venison etc? In the case that meat is too salty, soak or boil it in water to remove the excess salt. Let it sit for 24 hours. I have a question, But what if the time comes when our modern conveniences are no longer available? It is still cooked much longer than grilled meats, in lower temperatures, but hot enough so that the meat cooks very slowly, making it tender enough to fall right off the bone and melt in your mouth. All I could find is a whole(preferred, do not like half) shoulder butt as they call it. This post is an overview to explain each step and how I use salt to cure meat in different ways. Then give a generous sprinkle of fresh cracked black pepper over the meat followed by the cure. Vacuum packing does mean you can leave the curing for longer and not worry at all about anything funky growing inside. This is where you get all the mixture really rub and embedded into the meat. 2. Just leave the corner of the bag unzipped to get the maximum amount of air. Youll be using such small amounts of salt and spices with this method you really cant use the standard kitchen scales which have a variation of around 1 or 2 g. Check out some suggested scales here. However, salt can be used to cure some meats. Most fresh hams will need a minimum of a triple batch, the recipe can be scaled up or down as needed, depending on size of the ham. Then youll know it is fully dry-cured. You can also add some flavorings (like celery seed and black pepper) at this point, if you want. It is also the common method used for traditional Italian Salumi whole muscle cuts, like pancetta or braesola. Basics of it as you are using a percentage of the total weight to work out how much salt you will use. There are quite a few ways that dry salt curing is used. Step 1: Chop the brisket and chuck roast. Here on the homestead, cured hams are just one of the products we make from our own hogs. Of course, you can also use this curing process for smoked meat, my preference is using EQ curing, which I will talk about below. I know there is pink curing salt but it seems to come in small packages I am just unsure on this part. 1. Remember the ham you buy at the grocery has already been cured and/or smoked. The best way to cure any meat is to first remove all the unwanted fat. Salt pork and beef were traditional preserved this way. There is no science backing up that nitrates are bad. Did I mention you need to rub the 'ol pork belly down with the sugar and salt? Cut the meat, and the back fat, into 2" (5-6 cm) pieces, mix with the salt and Cure #1. Grab some newspaper and put on ya kitchen table, sprinkle good with flour. As you can see its my go-to method for a lot of the curing projects. One thing to be mindful of, however, is that high levels of nitrates (like most anything) are toxic and you need to be careful about the amount that you are adding to your curing mixture. Place the jowl skin side down in the baking dish. How long should I leave meat in the salt box. Rubbing salt on the meat and letting the juices drain off will result in a dry product. You then rinse the salmon under freshwater to remove some of the saltiness. Cure in a refrigerator or a chilly environment. Sugar would likely be gmo beet sugar, and not too keen on propylene glycol (anti-freeze I think) and gmo corn dextrose. It's just magic. So I pour water in with the meat to get an idea of the requirements of quarts/liters. Learn everything you need to know about curing bacon at home. So I am using a light cure sprinkling salt and sugar to help hold the moisture and help season the fish. A ham has two sides, the skin side and the fresh-meat side. Where can I buy the book how to cure ham old fashion preservation. You will know for sure when the meat was lost 35%-40% of its original weight. Did he do it in the winter? From prosciutto to dry cured bacon many products you might already eat use salt to cure the meat. Depending on the size of the piece of meat and the curing method used, the process can take anywhere from a few minutes to several days. Repack with salt on the new cuts, lett her hang. Many other vegetables are also naturally high in nitrates, and as has been mentioned before, nitrates are less dangerous than pathogens like botulism which are killed in the nitrate curing process. Im here to help you learn how to cook, and to show you that its not as difficult as you might think! But what if the . Place the ham on top of the layer of curing mix. (You can also simmer the ham slice in a little water in the frying pan, remove the water, then continue cooking. Again thank you. Alvin, I dont here, but my friends over at Swiss Hills Ferment do, heres the link https://www.swisshillsferments.com/makin-bacon/. It will say except for what naturally occurs and celery. I cured a ham in my refrigerator, I had family. Alternatively, you can slice the ham, soak the ham slices in cold water for up to an hour, then cook. For bacon, I am using usually 1.5-3% salt of the total meat weight. Nitrates are used to prevent bacteria from forming. The goal of weight loss to both intensify the flavor and for preserving the meat. Place in glass dish. Yes, infatuation this condition Terrific article. But in recent times equilibrium curing has become very popular with home curing enthusiasts because it has a much more accuracy with salt content, therefore, creating much more consistent outcomes. Not going back, (4 seasons not 2). Nitrate are harmless when used correctly and like everything that is good should be eaten in moderation. Ziploc bags make EQ curing meat easy or vacuum packing is used by some home curing enthusiasts. Leave the tray in a cool place (such as a refrigerator or a cooler packed with ice) for 18 days at 36-40 degrees. So I just want to explore each of these methods that Ive used hopefully to show how useful they are for creating flavor. Let the pork cure for 5 days. Look ahead to a future in which unpredictable electrical blackouts make refrigeration impossible and the inflated prices of commodities make them unaffordable. Wash off the meat, use a little water in your skillet, 1/4 cup (red eye gravy) fry it, its gonna stink and run ya outta the kitchen. Roll out some biscuit dough, use a big mouth jar and make your biscuits (catheads). We like to hang it using bacon hooks. For How long should the ham be smoked if we chose to smoke it. Just curious what kind of curing salt you recommend? Its is not nitrate free. 3/4 cup of fine, granulated sugar After adding the sauce, wrap the meat in a plastic food storage bag. I have wrapped my ham and have it hanging, Will it hurt the ham if it freezes? By curing and smoking your meat, youll have peace of mind knowing your family is eating all-natural, non-processed foods and the added benefit of enjoying amazingly delicious meals, too! Pink salt #1 is used on any meat thats will be cooked. As an organic homesteader myself I stay away from it. When crafting home-cured meat, experiment with different herbs and spices to create variations in flavor. For bacon/pancetta or another smaller cut of meat, it can work fine. Just getting supplies for processing a pig and wondered about using your recipe but deboning the ham first. Repeat this process until you have enough water for all of the jars. Lee isa writer/blogger who is also a self-reliance promoter. Country hams prosciutto spalla lardo and Lonza I do not use them. In short, No. I can remember my parents using cheese cloths to wrap the ham in to. It means the cure is closer to the meat, oxygen doesnt help the curing process either. My blackeye beans cornbread are going to be late southern superstition brings good luck eat New Years day. Mainly, I just want to touch on each method so you can get some ideas. Using a salt cure saturation method, with a fully penetrated salt cure. Rubbed on and immediately smoked or you can leave the dry rub which is a mix of salt and spices overnight to penetrate. Do I just keep adding mix? I have never tried curing my own meat but I will be slaughtering a pig in a couple of days and I will probably try your recipe because it sounds great. Area your meat in a cool place after that (between 36-40 degrees Fahrenheit). What smoking and curing tips do you have? Yes, salt curing is simply another term for dry curing. Rinse off the pork to remove the salt/sugar mixture and rinse well with water. This site is owned by eatcuredmeat.com, it participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. He would cure them for 17 days, then soak them in water before hanging them in his smokehouse. The humidity level has a significant impact on dring and cold smoking. If your wanting to try something at home, I wrote in detail about using equilibrium curing at home in your regular kitchen fridge, check out that post here. When I use a portable smoker, for fresh salmon or trout fillets. Mix all the dry ingredients. They butchered in the fall when the cold was coming on. When the meat was no longer damp, it was washed, then shelved or bagged and left to age. Now thats some stinky old salty ham. Start by covering the meat in a mixture of 1 tablespoon of kosher salt and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. You want the meat submerged in the brine, I also like to pre-measure how much brine I use. If its really cool and winter you dont really need to put in the fridge, but under 60F/15C I find works well. Its Easier Than You Thought. Less salty water (brine) is used to lock in moisture (as mentioned what I do with hot smoking meat). Saltpetre has long been banned from food production in most countries due to the health risk, sodium nitrite is a much safer alternative. There are basically two ways to salt-cure meat. Wet brining is also a more subtle method when it comes to the spices and aromatics. Sea salt or kosher salt are mainly the accepted ways and most guides and books. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright2023 - Melissa K. Norris Pioneering Today LLC. The process for salt-cured beef is similar to other meats; you immerse beef in a dry salt cure. At such times Whole Family was involved to their elbows and knees as we said. Before reliable refrigeration, people would salt cure meat the old fashioned way because it was the best way to preserve pork. ), http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/nchfp/lit_rev/cure_smoke_cure.html, https://www.swisshillsferments.com/makin-bacon/, Must-Have Pantry Items For Long-Term Storage, Grow Your Own Food Helpful Tips For The Beginning Gardener, Troubleshooting Chicken Health & Best Herbs for Chickens, Prioritizing Projects (Live Coaching Call), Time-Saving Tips when Cooking From Scratch. But, today I will discuss with you the first part of the process, how to cure pork with a salt dry rub. Leave in cure two weeks. Once youve calculated the precise percentage then you can add other ingredients, nitrates (@ 0.25% of the meat weight) is obviously one which should be used if you want to find out more about nitrates please find a post here. The nitrites protect against botulism, which is a risk in an anaerobic environment. So we want to do everything we can to make sure that our cured meats are as safe as possible. I real would like to read it. If ham is ready to be smoked, thoroughly rinse off the salt and pat dry before smoking. Slice the ham and freeze or freeze whole. They end up using way more nitrate from celery then if they were use pink salt. You can roll meat up in the bag to try and squeeze all the air out. Was there a reason? (If it is not firm it is because there is still too much fluid left in the ham.). Will Kosher salt work just as well as Curing salt? Nitrite. Do I cure it in the fridge for the 18 days and then hang it up in the barn??? Mix thoroughly, taste, and add more salt if desired. We dont cure for this purpose anymore, but rather to give the ham a great flavor and color. Dry curing: Salt and other ingredients are rubbed over the meat. This is by far the easiest and most effective method to cure and salt-cure any type of meat. Thanks and GOD Bless. I plan on storing it in the freezer until prepared. Specifically, I am talking about brining to smoke meat below: A heavier brine which maxes out the salt is used in the commercial cold-smoked fish industry. The salt/sugar mix adds color and flavor to the meat.