13 Days in POPS Brine

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backtroller

Fire Starter
Original poster
Feb 5, 2014
30
10
Pierre, SD
13 days in Pops brine and cut a piece to test fry--it was a little to sweet and not enough salt. I cut the salt by 1/3 cup not to get it to salty, but I guess I should have put the full amount in it. Added the 1/3 cup of Kosher salt today in the brine and will put back in fridge for another 2-3 days----will this work?   Thanks in advance
 
Yes some, its my understanding that the cure/brine will at some point and reach a stabilized or normalized solution  so the longer its been there the less conveyance or permeation it will get. BUT since that same brine cure is used on 4 week cures for hams and such, I would be willing to bet it will help some.

Did you dissolve the salt in hot water and add some ice so it could go into solution first, using as little water as possible of course. the added water will futher dilute, but if not in solutions it may just sit on the bottom of the brine bucket.

It really hasn't worked for me but some have said you can add flavor modifiers before smoke like spices and herbs as well as afterwards. I have tried but without very good results.

Some one like Pops or Dave would be a better reference than myself. I would recommend Bear but he is usually more a dry cure kinda guy!

But I would think if done right it will help some.
 
You will get some penetration with the added salt but not anywhere near as much as with the initial introduction of the brine. As your meat cures in the brine it "stiffens." The best way to do it after you have had it in the brine for awhile is to remove all the meat from the brine then add your extra salt & stir it in well before adding the meat back. I would recommend adding a little more salt than you need to help offset things a little bit.

I was in your situation once when I decided mid-cure that I wanted a different product. I pulled the meat added extra salt & garlic & put it back in. I also let the meat in the brine an extra 5 days - you actually have 40 - 45 days before the meat begins to break down. I ended up with acceptable results this way but not quite as nice as if I had spiced properly at the beginning.

One other thing is that instead of messing with it you can always add a little extra salt when you are frying it up...
 
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