Cure- Vacuum sealing?

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Pops has a good brining recipe... Search "Pops brine recipe"....


What I do for a dry rub/brine...
Weigh the belly.... add cure at 1.3 grams per pound (~<200 Ppm)... add salt at 2% and sugar at 1%.... Good places to start... add other spices... rub into the meat.. zip bag it in refer for 10-15 days... rinse and dry (add black pepper now if you want pepper bacon)... rest for another couple days in refer ... warm to room temp and place in front of a fan to form the pellicle.... cold smoke for 4-24 hours plus... cold smoking should be done in steps over several days.. smoke on.... smoke off... always very thin blue smoke for the best flavor.... partially freeze and slice...


http://www.meatsandsausages.com/meat-smoking/cold-smoking
How do I figure out percentages? I have an accurate scale to do the cure (it arrived today). The belly slab is ~7 pounds
 
Here is the math, Sir...JJ

7 X 1.3g/lb = 9.1g Cure #1 = .32oz

7 X .02 = .14lb X 16 = 2.24oz Salt = 63.56g

7 X .01 =.07 X 16 = 1.12oz Sugar = 31.78g
 
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454 gms in 1 pound..... 454 x 0.02 (for 2% salt) = 9.08 grams of salt per pound.... sugar would be half of that or 4.54 grams of sugar per pound...

Soooooo for 7 #'s of bellies..... 7 x 9.08 = 63.6 grams and 31.8 grams for sugar...
 
Ok in response to my own question. What I did was I have 1.5kg ham I used 150 grams of salt and 3 grams of instacure 1 and spices to cure in a vacuum bag for 14 days. would that keep me in the safe zone when using instacure 1. that would be around 1.2 ish grams per american pound of weight.the ham will undergo a waterbath of 24 hours after cure changing out water every 3 hours to pull out salt then undergoes a 3 steep cold smoking 3x 12 hours with 12 hour rest between each smoking..
 
You started with a little less cure than most people use (0.25%, you have 0.2%) and way too much salt (10%).

I assume you plan to cook the ham after cold smoking. I suggest after the water bath you fry a sample. If too salty (which I think it will be) let it soak longer.
 
Ok in response to my own question. What I did was I have 1.5kg ham I used 150 grams of salt and 3 grams of instacure 1 and spices to cure in a vacuum bag for 14 days. would that keep me in the safe zone when using instacure 1. that would be around 1.2 ish grams per american pound of weight.the ham will undergo a waterbath of 24 hours after cure changing out water every 3 hours to pull out salt then undergoes a 3 steep cold smoking 3x 12 hours with 12 hour rest between each smoking..
Ray, morning.....   

Ppm nitrite...  200 Ppm nitrite = 200 mg per Kg....     0.2 grams per 1000 grams...   etc...    if your curing salt is 6.25% nitrite, as an example, and you need 0.2 grams of nitrite for 1000 grams of meat to get 200 Ppm nitrite, 0.2 grams / 0.0625 = 3.2 grams of cure #1 per 1000 grams of stuff...    

for 150 Ppm nitrite in final product, 0.15 gram / 0.0625 = 2.4 grams of cure #1 per 1000 grams of stuff...

Does that answer you question on how to calculate Ppm ??

Dave
 
no it is a raw ham like a prosciutto type ham but the way the Germans do it      this is what iam attempting to create 
You started with a little less cure than most people use (0.25%, you have 0.2%) and way too much salt (10%).

I assume you plan to cook the ham after cold smoking. I suggest after the water bath you fry a sample. If too salty (which I think it will be) let it soak longer.
no it is a raw ham like a prosciutto type ham but the way the Germans do it      this is what iam attempting to create 
 
no it is a raw ham like a prosciutto type ham but the way the Germans do it      this is what iam attempting to create 
no it is a raw ham like a prosciutto type ham but the way the Germans do it      this is what iam attempting to create 

I assume you will be drying it after smoking. 14 days with 10% salt, then dried. I still believe it will taste salty.
 
Is this speck? Without drying it will taste raw. The salt removed some of the moisture, but some will go back in during the water bath.

I never made speck but like any air cured meat it has to lose weight/water to be palatable.

Have you air dried meat before?
 
You are right there, draining liquid will decrease level of nitrites. After a bad leak from ziplock bag, I always cure in vacuum, although I do not remove all the air, just keep the meat a little loose in the bag. Turning the bag a giving it a gentle massage once a day and results are always good.
Why is vaccum sealing done whats the purpose ?
 
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