# Pops Curing Brine



## chef jimmyj

Below is Pops Brine for Easy Bacon and other meats. 

Note: The High Sugar content will cause Bacon Fried in a Pan or Oven Baked above 325°F to Burn! Pops' once told me to reduce to 1/4C of Each or leave out the Sugar...In Memory of Pops, enjoy...JJ

*Real simple curing brine:

for every 1 gallon of water, add:

1/3 - 1 cup sea salt (depending if you're on a lo-salt diet)

1 cup granulated sugar or Splenda

1 cup brown sugar or Splenda brown sugar mix

1 tbsp cure no. 1 pink salt

stir thoroughly until clear amber color, pour over meat, inject if necessary to cure from inside-out as well as outside-in

weight down with a partially filled 1 qt or 1 gal. ziploc bag or bags to keep meat immersed

Curing times vary with meat, but generally overnight to 24hours for Chicken.
 2-3 days for turkeys.
8-10 days buckboard bacon.
10-14 days belly bacon, pork shoulder, whole butts.
3-4 weeks whole hams.
 10-20 days corned beef (fresh beef roasts, briskets, rolled rib roasts, etc.)  
Note: If whole muscle is more than 2" thick, then inject so it can cure i/o as well as o/i, and/or in and around bone structures, etc.

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:*


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## smokeymose

This is what I've been using for bacon for years and I love the simplicity. 
Recently my wife had to go on a low salt diet (2000mg a day). I didn't know you could cut back the salt to 1/3 cup and still have a brine. I thought we were going to have to just give up bacon, but this may be an option. Should you back off on the sugar a bit, too?
Funny, I'm basically following the same diet now, and you do learn to not really miss salt. I fried up some of my bacon a few days ago (mainly to get it out of the freezer because she couldn't have it) and I couldn't believe how salty it was. Seemed like that's all I could taste.....


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## tropics

Started a Pork Butt 2/22 for my Easter Ham using the lower salt.
Richie


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## zwiller

Note: type of salt matters here.  Pop's used SEA salt and is course grained.  If using table salt use half the stated amount.  IE: When I use his low salt version with table salt I uese is 1/4C.


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## smokeymose

zwiller said:


> Note: type of salt matters here.  Pop's used SEA salt and is course grained.  If using table salt use half the stated amount.  IE: When I use his low salt version with table salt I uese is 1/4C.


I've been using Mortons Kosher.


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## tropics

zwiller said:


> Note: type of salt matters here.  Pop's used SEA salt and is course grained.  If using table salt use half the stated amount.  IE: When I use his low salt version with table salt I uese is 1/4C.


Sam be sure your table salt is non iodized 
Any salt used should be non iodized
Richie
I use distilled water when I make mine


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## smokeymose

tropics said:


> Started a Pork Butt 2/22 for my Easter Ham using the lower salt.
> Richie


I like the idea! We have a Cooks butt portion Ham in the freezer we had planned for Easter, but at 950mg per"serving" that's just out of the question now....
How long are you curing it? Do I have time if I get it in the bucket in the next few days?
Dan


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## tropics

smokeymose said:


> I like the idea! We have a Cooks butt portion Ham in the freezer we had planned for Easter, but at 950mg per"serving" that's just out of the question now....
> How long are you curing it? Do I have time if I get it in the bucket in the next few days?
> Dan


Dan I am doing 30 day minimum gives me time to get a good weather day, then I can put it in the oven Easter 
Richie


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## jmusser

tropics said:


> Dan I am doing 30 day minimum gives me time to get a good weather day, then I can put it in the oven Easter
> Richie


Got me thinking of dropping a butt in for a long soak. Thanks for the inspiration!


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## zwiller

smokeymose said:


> I've been using Mortons Kosher.


My post was just a FYI for others and not directed at you.  Kosher is coarse grained so you're good to go!  



tropics said:


> Sam be sure your table salt is non iodized
> Any salt used should be non iodized
> Richie
> I use distilled water when I make mine


Richie, I would normally agree with you except I have done tests and a little research about this.  Back when I went down that rabbit hole I stumbled upon the real reason many people think iodized is "bad" and is actually related to my first post.  Most people that substitute table salt for coarse salt do not reduce...


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## krj

Never experimented with brining. Can I brine a pork loin into a ham for Easter? If so when would be the best time to get it brining? I see the above posters going for 30days with a butt, will a loin need a similar time or less?


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## tropics

zwiller said:


> Richie, I would normally agree with you except I have done tests and a little research about this. Back when I went down that rabbit hole I stumbled upon the real reason many people think iodized is "bad" and is actually related to my first post. Most people that substitute table salt for coarse salt do not reduce...


I am going by what Pops posted when I 1st started doing it.





						Pops6927's Curing Brines - Regular and Lo-Salt
					

These are my Curing brines for pork, beef (corned and dried), poultry, and so on.  Regular Curing Brine:  1 gallon of clean water  1 cup plain, regular non-iodized table salt  1 cup sugar or sucrolose  1 cup brown sugar or sucrolose equiv.  1...




					www.smokingmeatforums.com
				



I believe this is also good info for this post JJ if you feel this is a High Jack feel free to delete it
Richie


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## thirdeye

zwiller said:


> Note: type of salt matters here.  Pop's used SEA salt and is course grained.  If using table salt use half the stated amount.  IE: When I use his low salt version with table salt I uese is 1/4C.





pops6927 said:


> *I use plain non-iodized table salt, a low of 1/3rd of a cup to a high of 1 cup. * I am on a salt-restricted diet so I gravitate to the 1/3 rd cup myself, but anywhere in between it's up to you; my preference is not by taste, but by lo-salt content (if I had my druthers, I'd druther have 1 cup myself, but the doctor sez "NO NO!").  And this is what it's all about; your preferences within acceptable limits.



I had to look back through my brining notes, but this ↑↑↑ post was from 2013.  Later postings from Pop's did mention a change to sea salt but I assumed he was taking about a product like Real Salt from Utah which is about the same grind as table salt.    Anyways, when I began using Pop's Brine I experimented and found the amount of salt I liked and weighed it.  For me, 125 grams of salt / gallon of water is my sweet spot.  I use canning salt in all my brines because it dissolves very easily in room temperature water.


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## smokeymose

krj said:


> Never experimented with brining. Can I brine a pork loin into a ham for Easter? If so when would be the best time to get it brining? I see the above posters going for 30days with a butt, will a loin need a similar time or less?


You would need to do some injecting, but need less time. Tropics was giving himself some leeway so if he had a good weather day up there in MA he could take advantage and get it smoked.


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## daspyknows

I have been using this recipe for my bacon.  The only problem is everyone who has tried it wants more and I need to keep making more.  I reduce the salt too.  It is so good.


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## Hamdrew

jmusser said:


> Got me thinking of dropping a butt in for a long soak. Thanks for the inspiration!









Just in case you needed any more...


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## zwiller

thirdeye said:


> I had to look back through my brining notes, but this ↑↑↑ post was from 2013.  Later postings from Pop's did mention a change to sea salt


Thank for confirming Wayne.  I am was not aware he changed it.  The post I used said sea salt.  I used to use canning salt as it was close to sea salt in my mind but ran out and I had like 5-6 other salts on hand so I decided to test and see if I could detect any differences, I didn't.  All same weight in same amount of water.    



krj said:


> Never experimented with brining. Can I brine a pork loin into a ham for Easter? If so when would be the best time to get it brining? I see the above posters going for 30days with a butt, will a loin need a similar time or less?


Heck yeah you can!  That's called canadian bacon.  I do one every Easter.  I inject so only need a few days but I do a week.  ROT for brining is 1/4" thickness per day for cure penetration but most say anything over 2" should be injected.


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## bill1

jmusser said:


> Got me thinking of dropping a butt in for a long soak. Thanks for the inspiration!


Just be careful of the pink salt in liquid brines.  Sodium nitrite (and other salts) diffuse into meat far faster than than other brine additives like sugars or the water base itself.  So it's a little hard to predict exactly how much NaNO2 goes into your cook, and in particular into a single generous portion, when you wet-brine.     Based on the water volume, you may _think _you're throwing most of it away, but probably a lot more of the NaCl and NaNO2 went into the meat than you think.

Dry rubs OTOH are much easier to control.  And maybe it's just me, but I never seem to cook a large cut when I had planned to, so my meats brine typically 3-12 hours longer than I plan.   And frequently get too salty.

A conservative approach would be to assume all the pink salt goes into the meat even if I dump out a lot of brine.  For the recipe above, that's 3 tsp, which by the 1tsp-5# rule means you want to have 15pounds of meat in that brine.  Probably overly conservative but something to consider.


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## thirdeye

bill1 said:


> A conservative approach would be to assume all the pink salt goes into the meat even if I dump out a lot of brine.  For the recipe above, that's 3 tsp, which by the 1tsp-5# rule means you want to have 15pounds of meat in that brine.  Probably overly conservative but something to consider.



I'm not following you on the 1 tsp - 5# rule.  That's for a dry cure.

Isn't it correct that for a calculation of Cure #1 in a wet cure you use weight of water, weight of meat and weight of ingredient (but some omit the ingredients).  Once you arrive at the total weight, you calculate the amount of Cure #1 needed.


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## Hamdrew

im new to this so im only gonna say 99% positive, but yes 

 thirdeye
 thats the most accurate way


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## chef jimmyj

Pops' Brine is NOT designed around achieving 156ppm. 156ppm is desired for Sausage like Kielbasa, a Ground Meat product. While 156ppm is also suitable for Whole Muscle, where Clostridium Botulinum is of less concern, USDA has determine a Range of Nitrite Concentration is effective to Color the meat, give the desired Flavor and provide a level of Bacterial Protection. According to the Meat Inspectors Handbook, as low as 40ppm will give the desired Pink Color and Cured Flavor, but offers little to no CB Protection. To that end, 80ppm to 200ppm is the typical Effective range acceptable for Whole Muscle.
Pops Brine was designed by his Father then Tested and Verified Effective by the USDA/FSIS.
So, Yes, determining the proper amount of Cure based on the Weight of the Meat Plus the Weight of Water and other Ingredients, used to achieve 120ppm for Belly Bacon or 156ppm, as is common for Whole Muscle but INTENDED for Sausage, is great tool to achieve Cured Meat. Pops Brine is just another Approved but different metbod of achieving the same result Easily and No Math, that can be intimidating to the Newbie wanting to get into Curing Whole Muscle. As long as the amount of meat being Cured is SWIMMING, and not so much meat that a Gallon of Pops Brine, is merely Wetting or Marinating the meat, following Pops instructions will yield a tasty and Safe Result.
Now, because Long Soaks, 14 days plus, in any Curing Brine can result in Ropy Brine or Spoiled Brine from Salt/Cure tolerant Bacteria, Injecting any meat thicker than 2 inches is a good idea.
You guys have all made Valid Points and can be commended.  Just understand there is more than one Type or Curing Brine, hence both adding Cure By Weight and Pops' Brine work, although differently...JJ


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## thirdeye

chef jimmyj said:


> You guys have all made Valid Points and can be commended. Just understand there is more than one Type or Curing Brine, hence both adding Cure By Weight and Pops' Brine work although different...JJ


The bottom line for me is, Pop's Brine works and I recommend it often. My only suggestion has been to make a couple of small batches to experiment with salt and sugar amounts as well as time.... then figure out if any aromatics or seasonings are needed for certain things. 

I was not trying to negate the 'universal curing brine' status that Pop's Brine has.  In fact when I first came across it I was an infrequent visitor to the forum and Pops had a couple of write-ups about his Father's meat market, and how the State of NY had run the numbers and gave it (as well as the technique) their blessing.  What was unique for me was using slightly above the minimum amount of Cure #1, and adding injection and time into the equation.  This was a new concept for me. Especially since some of the Charcuterie authors coming on the scene were notorious for being heavy handed or downright careless. 

For years I have experimented with low salt (or lite) flavor brines and curing brines as well as lower salt dry cures.  It put them on the low end of equilibrium curing, so additional time was no problem at all, in fact in some cases a few more days improved the flavor as I use some signature seasonings when curing various meats.


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## chef jimmyj

I didn't think you were trying to Negate Pops Brine at all. I was just clarifying, for anyone reading the thread, that there are multiple Cure Brining methods that work and provide a little info as to Why. All good stuff here....JJ


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## chef jimmyj

An old but Great Thread on Salt, Iodized vs, Kosher vs Table Salt, etc...JJ






						Kosher salt vs. Iodized Salt
					

Sorry for the dumb question fellas but what is the differance? Taste? Texture, or is it a question of the chemical absorbtion?




					www.smokingmeatforums.com


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## SmokinAl

I started out using Pops brine because it was so easy to use, but found that our family & friends like a dry cure better. We think the texture & taste of the meat is better, but then everybody has their own taste’s.
Al


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## jmusser

Tried Pop's a few years back and preferred the dry. However, want to try again after more experience. So simple, like me. Dropped in a few pork loins for Canadian Bacon and a couple pounds of pork belly for bacon. Check back in a few weeks.


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