Backyard Farming Forum
Bringing food production home

Dry Cure
A basic rule is 2 days per ½ kg for small cuts and the bacon and 3 days per ½ kg for hams and shoulders, stored at 3 to 4°C.
Another formula calls for 7 days of curing per 2.5 cm of thickness.                                             

Dry Cure – 31/05/2010 2:45

3 Pork Necks – 5.80 kg - $64.07 ($9.99 à 1 kg)
1 Pork Belly  – 2.06 kg - $19.55 ($9.48 à 1 kg)

Mixture
Basic Cure:
     800 gr Sea Salt
     300 gr 2% Nitrite
     250 gr Brown Sugar
    (Equivalent to 1 kg salt, 250 gr sugar, 100gr Insta-cure #1)

Spice Mix:
     17 gr Allspices
     15 gr White Pepper
     12 gr Nutmeg
     8 gr Cloves
     3 gr Cayenne Pepper

Used only 500 gr of the mixture for curing, divided that half in ½ and two ¼
 
31/05/10 – pack meat to cure with ½ of cure mix
03/06/10 – drain and repack with ¼ cure mix added
06/06/10 – drain and repack with second ¼ cure mix added

09/06/10 scrub/wash in ½ water ½ apple cider vinegar cut off a sample to check for cure and fry to test. TOO SALTY.
Put to soak in chilled water for 6 hours. Changed water at two hours intervals. 
Drained water, pat dry, smeared with minced garlic and put to rest (equalise).

14-06-10 washed in water/vinegar, pat dry and hanged to dry in the smoker for 4 hours, then lit the (smoke) fire.
Three cool, thin smoke fires per day till 18/06/10 (4 days),
then only one (morning) fire.

20/06/10 cut one Pork Neck in half, one half for the fridge, the second had one smoke to seal the cut and was put in salt to dry. (Experiment)

23/06/10 finished smoking, hanged both necks and the belly in the drying cabinet.