Dry Curing belly Pork

[lavrentyuk]

So true, amazing how much liquid is in it.

 

[Pignut]

Quick update, this will be out of the cure on Friday, then going in water to soak, then dry overnight.

Sat it will be in the cold smoker!!!

 

[lavrentyuk]

Finished my last batch just over a week ago. Almost gone already, delicious.

 

[fishfish]

so how did it go? any pics?

 

[Pignut]

Oh.. Must have posted in the wrong thread.... Here it is.

Had some last night.

Chicken breast stuffed with cranberry and stilton. Wrapped with this bacon and roast in the oven. Mmmmmmmmmmmm


sent from the back of beyond using "new-fangled" technology

 

[fishfish]

oh boy that looks really fine!

 

[MLL Knives]

Looks very well, with some eggs...

 

[Parbajtor]

Curing in salt will make it salty. No way around that. If you buy one of the commercial curing mixes they use nitrates/nitrites etc and it will taste much less salty. One of the mixes has smoke powder in it which isn't for the purists but does work.

I would smoke after curing, not instead of. I don't believe that just cold smoking will preserve it without curing as well.

Anybody do differently though ?

A word to the wise, nitrate/nitrite use in curing not only preserves the natural colour of the meat, but prevents rancidity of fat as well as being the most effective way of preventing botulism. Not usually an issue if the particular cured meat never hangs around long enough to spoil (such as biltong anywhere near my family), but if making up large batches to keep or intending to store in the fridge/larder, it's essential. Follow the mixing proportions precisely as an excess (particularly of nitrite) is a poison in itself.