Dry cure large cuts

rgautheir20420 · Feb 12, 2015

I've 8 lbs of belly at home. A portion I'm going to be making into pancetta, but I'll also be making 3 or so lbs of bacon. The larger portion is going to be way to big for any ziplock I've got so I was thinking I could wrap it nice and tight and snug in plastic wrap after it seasoned and just lay it inside one of my tupperware containers in case juices get out. I will still be turning them daily.

themule69 · Feb 12, 2015

That should work just fine as long as you don't loose any cure because of leaks.

Happy smoken.

David

wade · Feb 12, 2015

The problem you might find with the plastic wrap is that some of the brine may leak into the Tupperware container. This brine will be a highly concentrated solution of your curing salts dissolved in the water from the meat. When dry curing the amount of salt you are going to use will be relatively small and so in the early stages, even relatively small leakage could equate to a significant proportion of your active cure being lost. If you do use plastic wrap, as David says, watch out for leaks.

Bearcarver · Feb 12, 2015

Wade said:
The problem you might find with the plastic wrap is that some of the brine may leak into the Tupperware container. This brine will be a highly concentrated solution of your curing salts dissolved in the water from the meat. When dry curing the amount of salt you are going to use will be relatively small and so in the early stages, even relatively small leakage could equate to a significant proportion of your active cure being lost. If you do use plastic wrap, as David says, watch out for leaks.

Exactly!!

Don't want leakage.

Hard to keep saran wrap from leaking, when you're flipping it every day.

Can't you cut the big piece in 2 or 3 pieces, so they will each fit in 1 Gallon or 2 gallon zip locks???

Bear

red dog · Feb 12, 2015

Go on amazon and get a turkey brining bag.

daveomak · Feb 12, 2015

I found a tub that fit my beer fridge a w-mart.... cut the slabs to fit.... found plastic "screen" in the sewing section for dividers.... I put the dividers on the bottom of the tub, between the layers of meat and on top of the meat so brine/cure is always in contact with the meat... then to stir the brine, I just push down on the meat and brine moves in and out of the screens.....

DSCF1897.JPG

daveomak
Feb 12, 2015

...

DSCF1896.JPG

daveomak
Feb 12, 2015

Bearcarver · Feb 12, 2015

I think he wants to Dry Cure!!

Bear

pc farmer · Feb 12, 2015

rgautheir20420 said:
I've 8 lbs of belly at home. A portion I'm going to be making into pancetta, but I'll also be making 3 or so lbs of bacon. The larger portion is going to be way to big for any ziplock I've got so I was thinking I could wrap it nice and tight and snug in plastic wrap after it seasoned and just lay it inside one of my tupperware containers in case juices get out. I will still be turning them daily.

I would try to get big zip lok bags. I get 2 1\2 gallon ones.

rgautheir20420 · Feb 13, 2015

Bear, I wouldn't mind cutting them smaller if I was doing bacon for all of it. I'm making 5 lbs into pancetta with the UMAI bags, so I need a large whole piece together.

Dave, that does look like a pretty look setup actually! If I was doing larger amounts, I just might have to look at that.

I'm going to Walmart today to take a look at the biggest ziplock bags they've got available and see if they'll do the trick.

Bearcarver · Feb 13, 2015

rgautheir20420 said:
Bear, I wouldn't mind cutting them smaller if I was doing bacon for all of it. I'm making 5 lbs into pancetta with the UMAI bags, so I need a large whole piece together.

Dave, that does look like a pretty look setup actually! If I was doing larger amounts, I just might have to look at that.

I'm going to Walmart today to take a look at the biggest ziplock bags they've got available and see if they'll do the trick.

Got it !!

The biggest I've ever used was 2 gallon, but like Adam said, I think they have them at least up to 2 1/2 gal.

Luck be with you!!

Bear

rgautheir20420 · Feb 13, 2015

Thanks Bear! I'll be making bacon out of the other 2.5 lbs or so of the belly...running low already!

donr · Feb 13, 2015

Ziploc at least used to make some 5 gallon and 10 gallon zip bags. Huge. I use them as a washing machine on canoe trips. I haven't seen them at my local grocery store, but I also haven't looked anywhere else. They may be with the home storage stuff at Target/Walmart.

rgautheir20420 · Feb 13, 2015

Well no luck at Walmart. All they had were the 1 gallon sizes. However, I picked up a tupperware cake carrier that is nice and wide and should the portion of belly that's to be made into Pancetta nicely and will serve well to have the belly laying flat in any liquid cure that comes out. I'll just cover the meat with a piece of saran wrap and then pop the lid on. This is the pan.

Here it is

diggingdogfarm · Feb 13, 2015

2 gallon Ziploc bags aren't available at Walmart around here either but the local grocery store has them for 50 cents per bag which I refuse to pay.

13" x 15" Heavy Weight 2 Gallon Zip Lock Freezer Bag - 100 / Pack, $16.49

rgautheir20420 · Feb 13, 2015

That's a decent price Martin. If this pan doesn't get the job done I'll look further into it. I just needed something now because I want to get the belly curing tonight. Any larger cuts I cure (loin or other) easily fit into the 1 gallon bags. Belly has that funny dimension so. I never have more than 1 belly curing as a time anyway so this would do the job.

tropics · Feb 13, 2015

rgautheir20420 said:
That's a decent price Martin. If this pan doesn't get the job done I'll look further into it. I just needed something now because I want to get the belly curing tonight. Any larger cuts I cure (loin or other) easily fit into the 1 gallon bags. Belly has that funny dimension so. I never have more than 1 belly curing as a time anyway so this would do the job.

rg I get 2 1/2 gal. bags at a dollar store Dollar Tree.

pc farmer · Feb 13, 2015

tropics said:
rg I get 2 1/2 gal. bags at a dollar store Dollar Tree.

I was just gonna say the same thing.

Dollar store and the are Zip lok brand.

Dry cure large cuts

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