Chicken dry cure with nitrite

[PK Jee]

Salt breaks down proteins. Poultry is a soft flesh and shouldn’t be bribed or salted for any longer than is necessary. A typical whole chicken not more than about 24hrs a turkey about 48hrs unless it’s very large then go a bit longer, in my experience the poultry flesh gets mushy if left too long in a brine of any kind that is salty.
Also keep in mind that the weight of a bird is largely made up of a skeleton (bone) so keep that in mind when figuring up your salt and cure #1 percentage. It’s easy to make Whole poultry too salty if the skeleton weight is not allowed for.
I’ve never dry rub cured poultry, however I may grab some thighs and try it) but I’ve brined/cured a bunch of them and smoked them. I like it a lot and my kids too, but the wife is old school and refuses to eat it because it’s “pink” chicken. She understands cure, she has to being married to me, but we eat with our eyes and that pink meat on poultry kills it for her even knowing better. I laugh, it’s funny.

Thanks.

 

[Cody_Mack]

Salt breaks down proteins. Poultry is a soft flesh and shouldn’t be bribed or salted for any longer than is necessary. A typical whole chicken not more than about 24hrs a turkey about 48hrs unless it’s very large then go a bit longer, in my experience the poultry flesh gets mushy if left too long in a brine of any kind that is salty.
Also keep in mind that the weight of a bird is largely made up of a skeleton (bone) so keep that in mind when figuring up your salt and cure #1 percentage. It’s easy to make Whole poultry too salty if the skeleton weight is not allowed for.
I’ve never dry rub cured poultry, however I may grab some thighs and try it) but I’ve brined/cured a bunch of them and smoked them. I like it a lot and my kids too, but the wife is old school and refuses to eat it because it’s “pink” chicken. She understands cure, she has to being married to me, but we eat with our eyes and that pink meat on poultry kills it for her even knowing better. I laugh, it’s funny.

My wife will hardly touch any of my "craft" meats! Maybe jerky but that's about it.