buckboard question

jpw23

jpw23

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got my bbb cure in the mail today and have plans on using it on a big loin for canadian bacon.....instructions say to keep it covered in a non - metalic pan or bowl........could I just vacu seal it or does it need air to circulate around it some?
 
jpw23 said:
got my bbb cure in the mail today and have plans on using it on a big loin for canadian bacon.....instructions say to keep it covered in a non - metalic pan or bowl........could I just vacu seal it or does it need air to circulate around it some?
Click to expand...

I have done them in both a big zipper bag and a vacuum bag. I don't pull the full vacuum on the vac bag, so there is some room for the fluids that come out of the meat to circulate. Bags are really handy because you don't have to touch the meat when rotating. (I rotate more often than HM recommends)
 
Thanks Thirdeye.....:biggrin:
 
BAGS!!! I tell you..... you learn something here every day. Next Butt to be cured will be zipped locked!!

Thanks thirdeye
 
I received my buckboard cure last Friday. I will be curing a butt and also a loin for canadian bacon. Question for the board, the directions say that the meat should be 3-3.5 in thick. Do most of you cut the butt in half to accomplish the tickness or cure the entire butt? :?:
 
I just use zip lock bags. A buddy uses the vacuum bags and does pull a vacuum on it, but, without some kind of technical guidance for time etc...I dont think it's worth it. With dry cure, not sure if vacuum does any good anyways.
 
I have sliced mine down to 3.5" before. Thirdeye would know best. Probably if it is thicker you just cure it longer. PM Thirdeye though. He helped me on mine.

I do vac seal mine but don't pull the full vac.. Also leave room for juices.

You are going to like the bacon.
 
I did mine in a glass baking dish and covered with plastic wrap as per the directions thinking it needed the air space to cure. :idea:

IMG_3205.jpg
 
JD, That is how I did my first one. Came out great. I now use the vac seal so I could turn it easier without touching meat or making a mess. Plus my wife felt better that raw meat was sealed.
 
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Brian in So Cal said:
JD, That is how I did my first one. Came out great. I just used the vac seal so I could turn it easier without touching meat or making a mess. Plus my wife felt better that raw meat was sealed.
Click to expand...

I'll be picking up my FoodSaver next Friday when they go on sale at Costco...as far as raw meat being covered the plastic wrap created a pretty good seal and when I turned it last Saturday I used new wrap and got the same good seal. Besides...I have it out in my beer fridge in the garage :p:biggrin::lol:
 
Frank Sacco said:
I received my buckboard cure last Friday. I will be curing a butt and also a loin for canadian bacon. Question for the board, the directions say that the meat should be 3-3.5 in thick. Do most of you cut the butt in half to accomplish the tickness or cure the entire butt? :?:
Click to expand...

You don't have to cut anything down. The instructions are just referring to an ideal cross section thickness. "Best curing thickness is 3 to 3 1/2 inches. Excess thickness should be trimmed off the back (adjust curing time if thinner or thicker cuts are used)." Most butts come in around 3" thick after removing the bone. Many full loins are around that thickness too. The critical things to realize is that the amount of cure needed is based on weight, and the cure time is based on thickness.

boatnut said:
I just use zip lock bags. A buddy uses the vacuum bags and does pull a vacuum on it, but, without some kind of technical guidance for time etc...I dont think it's worth it. With dry cure, not sure if vacuum does any good anyways.
Click to expand...

The dry cure will turn into a liquid brine of sorts in 4 or 5 days as liquid leaches out of the butt. It is beneficial to keep that liquid in contact with the meat.

Brian in So Cal said:
I have sliced mine down to 3.5" before. Thirdeye would know best. Probably if it is thicker you just cure it longer. PM Thirdeye though. He helped me on mine.

I do vac seal mine but don't pull the full vac.. Also leave room for juices.

You are going to like the bacon.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much it. I would go 11 or 12 days curing time on a 4 inch thick butt, 9 or 10 days 3 to 3-1/2 inch thick butt. About 8 days on a 2 to 2-1/2 inch thick butt. About 6 days on an average loin. About 5 days on a tenderloin.

The cure is on all sides of the meat, so even on a 4 inch thick butt, the cure only has to penetrate 2 inches from each major face.
 
JD McGee said:
I'll be picking up my FoodSaver next Friday when they go on sale at Costco...as far as raw meat being covered the plastic wrap created a pretty good seal and when I turned it last Saturday I used new wrap and got the same good seal. Besides...I have it out in my beer fridge in the garage :p:biggrin::lol:
Click to expand...

That is what I am missing, a beer fridge in the garage.:-D
 
For my first time BBB/TQ butts I have them in Foodsaver bags, looking forward to this weekend. My butts had the flaps of meat just hanging from boning, so I cut them off and did a 5 day cure with Tenderquick/Brown sugar cure (@2.5 lbs- 1.5" thick) Soaked for 2 days, coated with honey and cooked on the BGE. Cut on the bias, it was not salty, very lean and tasted like HoneyBaked Ham.
Just turned my bagged butts for the second time and not much liquid in the bags? Normal??
 
Thanks guys for the advice. I'm looking forward to popping my bacon cherry. :icon_blush:
 
I just use a 5 gallon bucket.
Started some more yesterday, 32lbs, I'm going to pull them back out today and inject with maple flavoring.
 
swamprb said:
For my first time BBB/TQ butts I have them in Foodsaver bags, looking forward to this weekend. My butts had the flaps of meat just hanging from boning, so I cut them off and did a 5 day cure with Tenderquick/Brown sugar cure (@2.5 lbs- 1.5" thick) Soaked for 2 days, coated with honey and cooked on the BGE. Cut on the bias, it was not salty, very lean and tasted like HoneyBaked Ham.
Just turned my bagged butts for the second time and not much liquid in the bags? Normal??
Click to expand...

When I turned my covered bbb there was a lot of liquid...I just left it in and flipped it over. Nothing in the instructions on how much liquid there should be or what to do with it. :confused:
 
I started my cure with the Hi mountain BB seasoning Sunday on a 6 pound pork loin from Costco. They package it as two loins tied with butcher string to look more like a roast ( 3 pounds each). I untied the pieces and rubbed all sides with the cure. I used plastic wrap and placed both pieces in a large zip lock bag. My refrigerator has one of those fancy temp monitors on the door so I can verify it is at 38 degrees (also verified the temp monitor is accurate).

Prior to reading this thread I planned to turn them over after 5 days. I think now I'll rotate them at least daily. After 4 days there is not a whole lot of liquid and I also wonder how much is enough? Probably varies depending on using a loin versus a butt.

I'm going to smoke it on my WSM. About how long do you think it will take to reach 140 with the lid temp at 200 and the two loin sections (about 3 pounds each) side by side?
 
Sylvie said:
After 4 days there is not a whole lot of liquid and I also wonder how much is enough? Probably varies depending on using a loin versus a butt.
Click to expand...

I think so. Butt has a lot more fat content than a loin. Good thing this is Q talk.
 
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