Question on Beef Bacon/Dried Beef

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TexasMuskrat

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Mar 15, 2016
161
98
Andrews, TX
So one of the whole packers I picked up last night I want to turn into Beef Bacon/Dried Beef. I was wondering if I could use a premade bacon cure like buckboards or if I should use something like Pops Wet Brine/cure? Also on a dry brine/cure do you still need to inject some of the brine/cure and if so how do you do that with a dry brine/cure? I know most everything I have read says to cure the beef for 7-9 days. So now to smoking it..... Should I cold smoke and to what IT? Should I hot smoke it and to what IT. So I guess what I mean by all this is I have no clue where to start lol.
 
Thank you for the link. I was wondering more on the beef bacon side then the dried beef sandwich meat side. Not sure if much of a difference though. Also still wondering if i could use bacon cure on beef?
 
Thank you for the link. I was wondering more on the beef bacon side then the dried beef sandwich meat side. Not sure if much of a difference though. Also still wondering if i could use bacon cure on beef?
Rat, afternoon....   Dry brining will work just fine....   A rub for bacon will work...   but.....  I would stick to the 200 Ppm nitrite end of the scale...

To insure complete penetration of additives, I would cut the meat into ~2" thick slabs max.....   From what I have read, you will need 2.5% min. to 3% kosher salt rubbed in...  and 1.5 grams of cure #1 per pound or 1 1/3 tsp. cure #1 per 5#'s ....  that will get you to the ~200 Ppm nitrite range... If you choose to use cure #2 for this project, use the same amounts as cure #1...  cure #2 works to prevent botulism while the meat hangs at room temp...

Any seasonings you want to add....   do so....  using any amounts....  the meat should be in the refer for ~14 days at 38-40 deg. F...   

Does your method call for rinsing and drying the meat....  then hang in a 60 ish deg room that has a humidity of around 80-85% for a few weeks then the humidity can be slowly reduced...

The meat can be coated with black pepper to keep the flies off, or screened in...   also to keep bad mold off of the meat,  Bactoferm mold 600 can be applied to the outside...  It is a white mold that we can eat...  you'll see it on some salami... 

If you are planning on smoking the beef, after the 2 weeks in the refer, remove, rinse and dry...   rub in more spices if you wish...   hang in cold smoker to dry the surface and form a pellicle with a fan blowing on it..... then apply cold smoke, below 70 deg. F. for up to 30 days or so...   apply the smoke in sessions... 6-12 hours of smoke then 18-36 hours no smoke...  I like 6 on and 18 off personally for pig bacon...  leaving it hang continually in the smoker...  I don't refer between smoke applications...  just don't try to smoke it in the hot weather...

If I confused the issue, sorry...
 
Last edited:
Rat, afternoon....   Dry brining will work just fine....   A rub for bacon will work...   but.....  I would stick to the 200 Ppm nitrite end of the scale...

To insure complete penetration of additives, I would cut the meat into ~2" thick slabs max.....   From what I have read, you will need 2.5% min. to 3% kosher salt rubbed in...  and 1.5 grams of cure #1 per pound or 1 1/3 tsp. cure #1 per 5#'s ....  that will get you to the ~200 Ppm nitrite range... If you choose to use cure #2 for this project, use the same amounts as cure #1...  cure #2 works to prevent botulism while the meat hangs at room temp...


Any seasonings you want to add....   do so....  using any amounts....  the meat should be in the refer for ~14 days at 38-40 deg. F...   

Does your method call for rinsing and drying the meat....  then hang in a 60 ish deg room that has a humidity of around 80-85% for a few weeks then the humidity can be slowly reduced...

The meat can be coated with black pepper to keep the flies off, or screened in...   also to keep bad mold off of the meat,  Bactoferm mold 600 can be applied to the outside...  It is a white mold that we can eat...  you'll see it on some salami... 

If you are planning on smoking the beef, after the 2 weeks in the refer, remove, rinse and dry...   rub in more spices if you wish...   hang in cold smoker to dry the surface and form a pellicle with a fan blowing on it..... then apply cold smoke, below 70 deg. F. for up to 30 days or so...   apply the smoke in sessions... 6-12 hours of smoke then 18-36 hours no smoke...  I like 6 on and 18 off personally for pig bacon...  leaving it hang continually in the smoker...  I don't refer between smoke applications...  just don't try to smoke it in the hot weather...

If I confused the issue, sorry...

Thank you! I think i will try pops wet cure on half and the dry cure on the other.
 
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