# hello from upstate ny



## dfvellone (Oct 7, 2009)

Hi,

I've been enjoying this forum for a while now, having great appreciation for the curing and smoking of meats.
I live in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate NY where I raise hogs and chickens, on my small homestead farm.
As far as equipment goes I have a very small battery room on the North wall of my house that I utilize as a "cold room" in the winter months for curing meats, and a small smokehouse that I built last winter to smoke my first bacons. They came out pretty good and I just started this year's bacon two days ago. I'd been curing Italian capocollo and sausage types for years and wanted to try curing my own bacon from my hogs because I want to have as much control over the final product as I can - the butchers I work with all make good bacon but use nitrates and my wife and I wanted our bacon nitrate-free and more traditionally cured.
My experience in curing meats comes from my family all having processed their own cured meats for generations. It's a great and important knowledge especially now when the quality of store-bought cured meats is so poor. I'd especially like to keep the process alive for my children so it won't be lost from one generation to the next. Looking forward to sharing info and hearing of others recipes. Thanks


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## richoso1 (Oct 7, 2009)

Hello, and welcome to the SMF. Nice of you to provide us with an introduction. Sounds like you're going to fit right in with a great bunch of folks who like to share good times.


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## dfvellone (Oct 7, 2009)

hi,

I've been enjoying this great site for bit now and just recently submitted my first post.

I live in the Adirondacks of upstate NY where I raise pigs and chickens on my small homestead farm.

As far as equipment goes I use a small battery room on the North side of my house for a "cold room" for wintertime curing, and I built a small smokehouse last winter when I made my first bacon. The smokehouse is 2' square id and just under 7' tall. The firepit is about 6' away and underground. Works very well. Just got to get some more in it to smoke.

I've been curing meats for years - mostly Italian capocollo, and sausage varieties and just last winter started with bacon and smoking.
I enjoy doing things myself, and in particular wanted to have greater control over my pork products. The butchers we use cured our bacon in the past using nitrates and we wanted to process our bellies without any. 

Glad to have found this site. I think meat curing is an important and great set of skills to have. Most folks used to have these skills and they were handed down from generation to generation for many years only to have been forgotten in the interval of just a generation with the introduction of refrigeration and mass production of "cured" meats. Unfortunately, I think the quality was also forgotten too. Nothing like home cured or smoked meats! Thanks


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## beer-b-q (Oct 7, 2009)

Welcome, Glad to have you with us. This is the place to learn, lots of good info and helpful friendly Members.

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Large ones that us old people with bad eyes can see.

When you uploading to Photobucket I always use the Large IMG setting, 640 x 480 it is a nice size...

How to post Qview to Forum:



For Step By Step Instructions On Posting Qview Check Out This Tutorial

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ad.php?t=82034


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## irishteabear (Oct 7, 2009)

Welcome to SMF.  Glad you joined us.


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## zeeker (Oct 7, 2009)

welcome to SMF


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## DanMcG (Oct 7, 2009)

welcome again, I'm glad you joined us! I'm curious that you want to make bacon with out nitrites but you make dried sausages. Do you do these with out cure also? I think 99% of us here will insist on cure with a smoked meat, but we love a good discussion on the subject.


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## chefrob (Oct 7, 2009)

welcome and i love a good capocollo and provolone sand..........


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## cheapchalee (Oct 7, 2009)

Welcome to the forum.  I'm planning on curing and smoking some bacon when I finish this job I'm on.  Yeah when you go to the market and see the package "smoked" ham etc.. and it's just injected, no smoke rings or anything.

Charlie


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## rwtrower (Oct 7, 2009)

Glad to have you!  Enjoy!


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## pops6927 (Oct 8, 2009)

Welcome to SMF!  Be sure to post lots of Qview.. we all love drooling!


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## slim (Oct 8, 2009)

Welcome to SmF


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## alx (Oct 8, 2009)

Welcome.Sounds like you are very experienced.Please-join right in.....


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## blue (Oct 8, 2009)

Welcome.

I'm new here myself.  This is a great place with great people.


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## downstatesmoker (Oct 8, 2009)

Welcome.  I'm from downstate (long island).  Where exactly are you?
-Chris


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## Dutch (Oct 8, 2009)

dfvellone, I merged your 2 "Roll Call" threads into one.

Welcome to the SMF family.


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## eaglewing (Oct 12, 2009)

*Greetings '**dfvellone**', and Welcome to the 'community'.*

*Enjoy your stay at* *SMF*
*Settle in and have fun.
Any questions, plenty of experts... and make yourself at home.





*


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## the dude abides (Oct 12, 2009)

to our little off ramp on the information super highway.  Hope you enjoy your stay.  Learn lots and then help to guide other SMF members on their smoking journeys.  This is a great place to perfect your craft with tons of really great folks who honestly want you to succeed.


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## zjaybird (Oct 12, 2009)

Welcome to SMF  dfvellone....your craft sounds delicious.....wish we lived closer.


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## fastfusion (Oct 12, 2009)

Welcome to the SMF


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## scarbelly (Oct 12, 2009)

Welcome to the forum. With all of your experience please don't be bashful about sharing.


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## pops6927 (Oct 12, 2009)

What kind of cure do you use?  Celery?


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## dfvellone (Oct 13, 2009)

No, although I'd like to learn more about it and try it. I actually just use salt.
I was introduced to home curing of meats by my family who has always just relied on salt as a cure, so I never really had any experience with anything else.


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