Very confused

Someone recently posted on this. IIRC nitrite is for shorter brines like a few days. Nitrate is for longer brines like months, because the nitrate slowly breaks down into nitrite.

countrykat said:

I have read through the posts, read articles online and in books. Seems the more I read about it the more confused I get about the nitrite and nitrates, gotta be at this temp or that temp. Seems every time someone says something someone else contradicts.

I have 40lbs of bellies in the fridge using craigs (pops) wet brine,  I have my pink salt #1 in the brine just as the directions. My question is after 2 weeks, the 25th of this month can I cold smoke the slabs without killing myself or the family due to creating botulism in the meat. Never cold smoked before.

Click to expand...

Kat, evening..... Yes you can cold smoke it.... No worries about botulism... Remove from the brine/cure.... rinse well.... dry well using paper towels...... Place on racks in front of a fan for several hours until the surface of the meat is dry... I do mine in my smoker with the fan blowing in... I use the AMNPS smoke generator that Todd sells... http://www.amazenproducts.com/Default.asp ...
Generate smoke... thin smoke is best... smoke from 4 hours to 40 hours.... Long smokes usually are interrupted daily for 12 hours... 12 on.. 12 off... anyway that's the way I was taught.. I have done 6 on.. 18 off..... Smoke to the color you like.... let the bacon rest for a few days in the refer to "bloom' , "equilibrate" , what ever it's called...
While smoking, try to keep the temp below 70 deg. F.... You do not want any fat melting, or starting to melt, if at all possible...
For slicing, put in the freezer for 2-4 hours to firm up... slice and vac-pack...

Here is an interpretation of smoke penetration... hot and cold smoke applications.....

Sorry Kat. That's the downside of this place: Botulism is everywhere and out to get us. Everyone talks about ISIS and Ebola, when in fact we should all worry about botulism. That was sarcasm of course.

Kat, if you are following the recipe from Pop's, it should be clear that after the proper curing time, you can either hot smoke to be table ready, or cold smoke for flavor to have prepared for finish cook on stove top or in oven to temp.

Kat, morning.....

I will try to help clarify some stuff about cures..... cure #1 is used for meats that will be smoked... hot or cold... sausage, bacon etc....

Cure #2 is used for meat that "generally" will not be cooked.... meats that are hung in an aging room for months to years... Like some of that expensive meat you get in an Italian meat market... you know the stuff.. $30 / pound ... That method of curing has a few names, which evade me now except for "dry aging".... humidity and temperature controlled atmosphere... specific bacteria can be added to the meats for a specific taste, mold can be applied to the exterior to keep the bad mold away... you've seen the salami's with white mold.....
Anyway, cure #2 is used for those processes...

There is a lot more to it than that short explanation... just trying to get you interested in "Old World Curing" , "Charcuterie" (that's the word)....

Dave