CB Cure Question

[buffalosmoke]

I got a whole loin at the market, cut into three pieces, weighed them, and applied my cure....which was also carefully measured. I used #1 curing salt, kosher salt, and added some sugar as well. I used the proportions given in the book "Charcuterie". I cured it in the fridge for 7 days, rotating them regularly.

When I took them out of the fridge this morning to rinse them off, I noticed some grey areas on the outside of the loins. Just wondering what happened? Should it be OK to smoke them, or do I need to toss them out?

Thanks for any help!

 

[forluvofsmoke]

I'm guessing this was a dry cure. I haven't done dry curing (yet), but I'm inclined to think that the coverage of the cure didn't come out quite as evenly as it needed to be.

I wasn't around to see this earlier...I would think there could be a safety issue if there is gray meat after being refrigerated for 7 days...gray would indicate to me that those areas did not cure. The coloring should be nearly the same from the outside all the way to the core of the loin, without any gray showing.

IMHO, I can't say I'd trust it, but I haven't run into that situation myself. With a wet cure, I've never had problems getting a full cure. I go by feel of the meat for firmness to indicate the extent of the cure.

Eric

 

[meateater]

Your good to go, smoke em!  That's like a wart, mole, or any other imperfection.

 

[buffalosmoke]

The meat had the same texture/firmness all around. I cut into one of them, and the cure made it all the way to the center.

I've never had this issue when doing a dry cure before, but maybe I'll give a wet cure a go on the next round.

These got smoked yesterday afternoon, and I'll be slicing them up today.

Thanks for the help.