KpaxFAQ
Full Fledged Farker
I have a freezer full of $0.99/lb pork shoulders so I decided to give buckboard bacon a go for the first time on a whim last week. I went the "dry" cure route using the recipe 3% salt, 1% sugar, and 0.25% cure #1.
I de-boned the shoulder and without really considering what I was doing neatly cut it into 6 "slabs" shaped just like you would buy if you went to the butcher for a slab of bacon to come home and cut yourself. They are all no more than 2" in thickness.
Here's where I wasn't really thinking. I had freezer bags big enough to fit (3) slabs each into for the cure. I weighed each set of 3 and then weighed a batch of "cure" for each set and just dumped it into the bag with the meat, pushed all the air out and massaged the hell out of it. They went into my 1946! GE fridge in the basement that hovers at 34F for 7 days and I massaged them each day and flipped.
I'm ready to smoke today but got to thinking that each slap could have different amounts of cure in them. Either too much or too little because even though I used the correct amount of ingredients, they could of unevenly absorbed them based on my methods.
I rinsed and patted dry and all slabs feel firm as I read they should. I have no problem chucking them if necessary as this is food my family would be eating and I'd like to eventually share with other friends/family once complete confident I know what the fark I'm doing.
What's the deal brethren? Should I smoke em up and try or should I save myself charcoal and time and try again with lets say a butt cut in half and each piece with it's own batch of cure so I know it's a even cure.
I de-boned the shoulder and without really considering what I was doing neatly cut it into 6 "slabs" shaped just like you would buy if you went to the butcher for a slab of bacon to come home and cut yourself. They are all no more than 2" in thickness.
Here's where I wasn't really thinking. I had freezer bags big enough to fit (3) slabs each into for the cure. I weighed each set of 3 and then weighed a batch of "cure" for each set and just dumped it into the bag with the meat, pushed all the air out and massaged the hell out of it. They went into my 1946! GE fridge in the basement that hovers at 34F for 7 days and I massaged them each day and flipped.
I'm ready to smoke today but got to thinking that each slap could have different amounts of cure in them. Either too much or too little because even though I used the correct amount of ingredients, they could of unevenly absorbed them based on my methods.
I rinsed and patted dry and all slabs feel firm as I read they should. I have no problem chucking them if necessary as this is food my family would be eating and I'd like to eventually share with other friends/family once complete confident I know what the fark I'm doing.
What's the deal brethren? Should I smoke em up and try or should I save myself charcoal and time and try again with lets say a butt cut in half and each piece with it's own batch of cure so I know it's a even cure.
