brined pork smells yeasty

[robinmraney]

Hi guys. I brined a pork belly several months ago, using the recipe below, and placed it in my garage fridge. When I took it out today to cook it, the brine was cloudy and smelled yeasty. I washed it off and have got it in the pot right now cooking. Smells like uncooked bread in my kitchen. Did I do something wrong? Is this going to be edible? Thanks for the help. I was really hoping this was going to be good cause I want to get into home curing, smoking, etc.

2L water
1/2C brown sugar
1/2C salt
1/2tsp pink curing salt

 

[kilo charlie]

You left the pork in the fridge for several months in the brine? I would not eat it.

 

[thirdeye]

Is "months" a typo? I'm assuming this is a curing brine?

Some pickle brines will get cloudy through a fermentation process, and meat brines that become lightly cloudy are not a serious issue..... but cloudy and ropy (gooey and slimy strands when stirred) is not good. The yeast odor is questionable too. The meat can be rinsed/soaked if caught in time, and a new brine added. But you have exceeded limits of a brine.

 

[SmokinAl]

Yea wow “months ago”.
14 days is plenty of time.
You didn’t say how much it weighed, but if you used 1/2 tsp of cure, I’m assuming you had 2 1/2 lbs of belly.
Personally if it were me I’d toss it, but others may say different.
The person to ask is chef jimmyj , just message him.
Al

 

[Bearcarver]

After 2 months, I'm thinking that one's down for the count.
In this case, I believe the smell is confirming that.
They say you can't "Overcure", but there actually is a limit.
Also like Al said, 1/2 tsp is good for 2.5 pounds of meat, so combine several months with maybe not enough cure, and you get a problem.
Sorry.

Bear

 

[robinmraney]

Thanks everyone. Its definitely too long....the meat was sour. I was attempting to do salt pork but apparently I must have went wrong many ways. I would like to try that again but just for the 2 weeks like Al said. Can anyone direct me where to learn to salt cure pork properly?

 

[chef jimmyj]

Months in Brine gives Spoilage Bacteria time to get going and sour the meat. Additionally, for 2L of water, a minimum of 1.5 tsp of Cure #1 is needed...JJ

 

[daveomak]

Next time use white sugar.... Brown sugar is contaminated and all sorts of stuff will grow in it...

 

[kilo charlie]

Thanks everyone. Its definitely too long....the meat was sour. I was attempting to do salt pork but apparently I must have went wrong many ways. I would like to try that again but just for the 2 weeks like Al said. Can anyone direct me where to learn to salt cure pork properly?

Here's a good place to start..

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/pops6927s-wet-curing-brine.110799/

 

[daveomak]

Hi guys. I brined a pork belly several months ago, using the recipe below, and placed it in my garage fridge. When I took it out today to cook it, the brine was cloudy and smelled yeasty. I washed it off and have got it in the pot right now cooking. Smells like uncooked bread in my kitchen. Did I do something wrong? Is this going to be edible? Thanks for the help. I was really hoping this was going to be good cause I want to get into home curing, smoking, etc.

2L water
1/2C brown sugar
1/2C salt
1/2tsp pink curing salt

Robin, afternoon.... I just figured out you used Pops Brine.... You cut the volume in half....
YOU CAN'T DO THAT.... There is not enough cure#1....
You should add the cure #1 based on the amount of meat + the amount of water... by weight... 1 tsp. for each 5# of meat and water....
That is the correct, scientific way to do it......

And to make it more scientific, the amount of water is much better for the curing process if you add water at 1/2 the weight of the meat... add the 2 weights and add the proper amount of stuff....

 

[robinmraney]

Dave I used a recipe from a lady on YouTube. She was making a pork cottage roll. I think if I had just brined for just 2 weeks I would've been ok but didn't understand that it wasn't a long term brine. How do I make salt cured meat that last for a long time...similar to salt beef brisket for example?

 

[thirdeye]

Robin, afternoon.... I just figured out you used Pops Brine.... You cut the volume in half....
YOU CAN'T DO THAT.... There is not enough cure#1....
You should add the cure #1 based on the amount of meat + the amount of water... by weight... 1 tsp. for each 5# of meat and water....
That is the correct, scientific way to do it......

And to make it more scientific, the amount of water is much better for the curing process if you add water at 1/2 the weight of the meat... add the 2 weights and add the proper amount of stuff....

Dave, it looks like the brine that R robinmraney used is not actually a half recipe of Pop's brine as it has 1/2 teaspoons of Cure #1 not 1.5 teaspoons.

But for the benefit of the OP, you are saying that it's okay to mix a 1-gallon batch (using a heaping tablespoon) of Pop's brine, but only use a quart of it.... but not okay to mix a 1/2 gallon batch using 1/2 of the Cure #1 called out in the 1-gallon recipe (which would be 1.5 teaspoons)?

In post #85 in this THREAD, Pop's replied to several questions within the quoted text box at the top of the page, so click it to expand. Question 3 was:

3. Do I have this right? As long as the curing brine is made with 1 TBSP per gal of water, and then, as long as meat is fully covered, it will work. Say, I mix a gal of your recipe, but only use a pint of it, in a small Ziplock bag with some jerky strips. The jerky will still brined safe and sound, the same as if I had used the whole gal? Yes, the whole thing is concentration within a given volume; once concocted, changing the volume does not change the concentration.

 

[daveomak]

Dave, it looks like the brine that R robinmraney used is not actually a half recipe of Pop's brine as it has 1/2 teaspoons of Cure #1 not 1.5 teaspoons.

Good Catch.... I stand in shame.....

But for the benefit of the OP, you are saying that it's okay to mix a 1-gallon batch (using a heaping tablespoon) of Pop's brine, but only use a quart of it.... but not okay to mix a 1/2 gallon batch using 1/2 of the Cure #1 called out in the 1-gallon recipe (which would be 1.5 teaspoons)?

In post #85 in this THREAD, Pop's replied to several questions within the quoted text box at the top of the page, so click it to expand. Question 3 was:

3. Do I have this right? As long as the curing brine is made with 1 TBSP per gal of water, and then, as long as meat is fully covered, it will work. Say, I mix a gal of your recipe, but only use a pint of it, in a small Ziplock bag with some jerky strips. The jerky will still brined safe and sound, the same as if I had used the whole gal? Yes, the whole thing is concentration within a given volume; once concocted, changing the volume does not change the concentration.

It doesn't change the concentration BUT the available amount of cure#1 may not be enough to adequately cure the meat...
1 pint is 1/8 of a gallon....
1 TBS is ~16 grams of cure#1... 1/8 of 16 grams is ~2 grams....
1 pint = ~1#
If there is 2#'s or 3#'s of jerky in the zip bag, that's 3 or 4#'s of stuff with only 2 grams of cure#1...
To properly cure meat, ~1.1 grams of cure#1 must be used per pound....

 

[chef jimmyj]

Dave is correct if you dont apply some common sense!

Since Pop's never gives a specific weight of meat a Gallon of his brine will cure. His Father, though test and review, must have proved that,
1 ) If Covered in Brine, the meat will Safety be cured...But,
2) Depending on the weight of meat, the amount of Cure in the meat will Vary but still be within a Safe Range.

Example...
5 pounds of Belly may hit in the 150's, a 3 Pound Chicken, closer to 200 ppm and a 12 pound Turkey near 100ppm. All Safe.
(Numbers are not actual but shows possible results.)

By this Standard and Common Sense....
Yes, mixing a Half Batch and adding 2 thick Pork Chops or a couple pounds of Jerky Beef, not going Crazy, after all it's SALT WATER, will get a Safe Result...JJ

 

[Bearcarver]

Dave is correct if you dont apply some common sense!

Since Pop's never gives a specific weight of meat a Gallon of his brine will cure. His Father, though test and review, must have proved that,
1 ) If Covered in Brine, the meat will Safety be cured...But,
2) Depending on the weight of meat, the amount of Cure in the meat will Vary but still be within a Safe Range.

Example...
5 pounds of Belly may hit in the 150's, a 3 Pound Chicken, closer to 200 ppm and a 12 pound Turkey near 100ppm. All Safe.
(Numbers are not actual but shows possible results.)

By this Standard and Common Sense....
Yes, mixing a Half Batch and adding 2 thick Pork Chops or a couple pounds of Jerky Beef, not going Crazy, after all it's SALT WATER, will get a Safe Result...JJ

Exactly what Pops said every time I asked him about weighing the meat.
"Just make sure the meat is covered by My Mix".

Bear

 

[Bearcarver]

3. Do I have this right? As long as the curing brine is made with 1 TBSP per gal of water, and then, as long as meat is fully covered, it will work. Say, I mix a gal of your recipe, but only use a pint of it, in a small Ziplock bag with some jerky strips. The jerky will still brined safe and sound, the same as if I had used the whole gal? Yes, the whole thing is concentration within a given volume; once concocted, changing the volume does not change the concentration.

Yup.

Bear