Curing levels for flavor?

[chef jimmyj]

A partial cure would give " some " hammy flavor on the surface based on 1/4" penetration per day. But you would get a Pink hammy ring then a Gray center just like any other meat. For Pulled Pork the flavor profile of the mixed outside and inside would be Slightly hammy but with any other meat it will just look like a very deep Smoke Ring.
I really don't know anyway else to say it. Curing is Chemistry. A reaction takes place 100% of the time to a predictable result or you put two chemicals together and nothing happens. You take Pork, put Nitrite in contact with Myoglobin and a predictable and permanent reaction takes place resulting in Myoglobin becoming stable and unaffected by heat denaturing it into Metmyoglobin that which makes uncured meat Gray. In other words the Myoglobin stays Pink when cooked and if Smoked, the cured portion of the Pork taste like Ham. After all, that is what Ham is! Cured Pork. You can have Partially Cured as in just X inches of the surface cured but there is just no way to get ALL of the meat to be only 25, 50 or 75% cured for Ham Lite...JJ

 

[Bearcarver]

A partial cure would give " some " hammy flavor on the surface based on 1/4" penetration per day. But you would get a Pink hammy ring then a Gray center just like any other meat. For Pulled Pork the flavor profile of the mixed outside and inside would be Slightly hammy but with any other meat it will just look like a very deep Smoke Ring.
I really don't know anyway else to say it. Curing is Chemistry. A reaction takes place 100% of the time to a predictable result or you put two chemicals together and nothing happens. You take Pork, put Nitrite in contact with Myoglobin and a predictable and permanent reaction takes place resulting in Myoglobin becoming stable and unaffected by heat denaturing it into Metmyoglobin that which makes uncured meat Gray. In other words the Myoglobin stays Pink when cooked and if Smoked, the cured portion of the Pork taste like Ham. After all, that is what Ham is! Cured Pork. You can have Partially Cured as in just X inches of the surface cured but there is just no way to get ALL of the meat to be only 25, 50 or 75% cured for Ham Lite...JJ

There ya go!!!
You "Splained" That real good, Ricky!!

Bear

 

[tallbm]

Wow! Both those drums and ribs look fantastic! I really love the cured bird and have only ever fully cured them. I think I will try your recipe tallbm.

Bear, you know I think those ribs look like perfection done that way! As a matter of fact I have a bone-in loin (crown roast) on tenderquick and brown sugar right now... Its the full cure like you did, but I am on day 4 as of today. I would pull it out short, but I would be afraid it would be ugly grey in the middle. With ribs it looks like you can get away with it. Also just like the turkey legs.

Thanks all for the input and discussion.

You will LOVE the turkey if you follow what I did in those posts. Its soooo good! :)