Pops6927's Wet Curing Brine

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Hey Pop's and all,

I just found some fresh bellies and I bought them out of impulse
drool.gif
.  Not knowing what the future temps are going to be, can I brine them  and then freeze them or freeze them in the brine until a cooler night is forecast?

Thanks for your help.

JD

/
 
"Fresh" bellies don't necessarily mean that they haven't been frozen, just that they are not "cured".  I buy my bellies when they are frozen and then brine them.  However, I'm not sure about freezing them after brining or while brining.  I'm sure someone will come along that can offer better advise.
 
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I made up a batch of Pop's brine and am going to zip bag the bellies in the brine and freeze the in two pound pieces. I'll you all know how they turn out.
 
So I am looking to do a pork shoulder and had not thought about brining it. I always brine my pork loins. Is there much added benefit to brining the shoulder?
 
The 'brining' is with a curing brine, having sodium nitrite in it to cure the bellies to change to pork to cured pork, like salt pork.  Then, when you smoke it, the product becomes ham, bacon, and so on.  
 
Just got off the phone with Danny at Butcher & Packer Supply....

PROS: 2 lbs of DQ Curing Salt was only 3.50$ per lb

CONS: Shipping 2 lbs to Montréal cost me over 20$
icon_eek.gif


Placed the order anyway cause I can't find the stuff here anywhere! :)
 
 
Just got off the phone with Danny at Butcher & Packer Supply....

PROS: 2 lbs of DQ Curing Salt was only 3.50$ per lb

CONS: Shipping 2 lbs to Montréal cost me over 20$
icon_eek.gif


Placed the order anyway cause I can't find the stuff here anywhere! :)
You don't need to cure way up north, just hang it out on the porch. <Chuckles>

Yee Haw!! I found a new source and I graduated with the owner....... They had cases of bellies in stock, said the trotters and hocks would be about the time the fresh ha,s came in. That meant when it gets cooler. Woot Fresh hams!! Making a list, need yowls, hocks, trotters, temples,  ham........... <does a Snoopy happy dance>

I got a cryo pack of butts, 24lbs! Just deboned and but part in a cure I am thinking ham, oh yeah!

BTW my bellies were 3.65 /lb. but the bacon was on sale for only 6.00/lb. I can do this.
 
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Need some help on caculating the right measurements of cure....

I purchased 5lbs of Instacure #1 from The Sausage Maker, just got it today. On the label it says for wet brining add 3 OZ per gallon of water, yet in Pop's recipe it states 1 tbsp (about 0.5 OZ) per gallon. So what should I do? I thought Instacure was the same as pink salt #1?

Hopefully someone knows cause it would be a shame to waste 16 lbs of pork....or to kill my family with food poisoning!
 
Need some help on caculating the right measurements of cure....

I purchased 5lbs of Instacure #1 from The Sausage Maker, just got it today. On the label it says for wet brining add 3 OZ per gallon of water, yet in Pop's recipe it states 1 tbsp (about 0.5 OZ) per gallon. So what should I do? I thought Instacure was the same as pink salt #1?

Hopefully someone knows cause it would be a shame to waste 16 lbs of pork....or to kill my family with food poisoning!
It is the same.If you read all of POPs brine he says some where there is a max amount allowed and a min amount allowed he does not use the Max in his recipe.His father came up with this years ago using less cure #1 and still making a safe product.This is what or how I read it maybe POPs will come along or some one else and confirm I read correctly.

Dan
 
Use Pops method for a better quality product.... Dan is correct mentioning min/max for cure amounts.... Pops method also added extra time in the cure/brine for thorough penetration of all additives... Pops brine also passed inspection from the Feds when they were in business....
 
"You can add any other flavorings you'd like, this is just the basic curing brine. 1 heaping tablespoon of cure is about 1 ounce.  The maximum concentration allowed safely is 3.84 ounces per 1 gallon of brine (24 lbs.per 100 gallons: 16 oz. x 24 = 384 ounces, 1/100th is 3.84 ounces).  You can experiment with different concentrations as long as you keep it between those parameters:"

This is part of Pops first post here.
 
Hey Chad

Yeah, Mark beat me to it, I was looking for the actual post, but his recipe is 1 oz (heaping tablespoon) per gallon, plus the salt and the sugar.  He says you can go up to 45 days in the brine that way, but seems he usually goes about 3-4 weeks.  Seems longer times with lower dosage gives more tender ham, and based on the results I've had I have to agree.

This is the recipe I've settled on, makes a pretty sweet ham but that's what my family likes:

1 oz cure #1

1/2 cup sea salt or 3/4 cup kosher salt

3/4 cup  white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 tbs garlic powder

1 tbs onion powder

Mixed in 1 gallon of water.  I've checked this against Martin's (DiggingDogFarm) calculator, and it comes out right on the money for a 200 PPM nitrite mix.
 
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Hey Chad

Yeah, Mark beat me to it, I was looking for the actual post, but his recipe is 1 oz (heaping tablespoon) per gallon, plus the salt and the sugar.  He says you can go up to 45 days in the brine that way, but seems he usually goes about 3-4 weeks.  Seems longer times with lower dosage gives more tender ham, and based on the results I've had I have to agree.

This is the recipe I've settled on, makes a pretty sweet ham but that's what my family likes:

1 oz cure #1

1/2 cup sea salt or 3/4 cup kosher salt

3/4 cup  white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 tbs garlic powder

1 tbs onion powder

Mixed in 1 gallon of water.  I've checked this against Martin's (DiggingDogFarm) calculator, and it comes out right on the money for a 200 PPM nitrate mix.
Not to nit pick but that should read 200 PPM nitrite mix not nitrate I believe.

Chuck
 
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