Brown Sugar Cure Food

BROWN SUGAR BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a large plastic zip-top bag, combine brown sugar and mustard. Add bacon and toss to coat.
• Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Place a cooling rack on the lined baking sheet. Put bacon on rack and roast in oven for 20 minutes. Let drain for a few minutes on the rack and serve.

BROWN SUGAR-CURED SALMON

Steps:

• Pat fish dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, combine sugar, salt, pepper, spices and zest. Rub mixture all over fish. Place in a dish, cover and let cure in the fridge for at least 4 hours and preferably 8 hours. Rinse fillets and pat dry. Generously oil salmon.
• Light the grill. Once coals are hot, scatter drained hickory chips over coals. (If you're using a gas grill, place them in a disposable metal pan on the grill next to the salmon.)
• Place salmon flesh-side down on grill and cover, closing top vent so not much smoke is released. Smoke salmon, covered, for about 5 to 6 minutes, then flip. (If the fish is sticking to the grill grate, then it's not ready to flip. Cook for another 3 to 10 minutes, depending upon how hot your fire is. The fish is done when the interior is medium pink and exterior crisp and smoky. Serve with lemon wedges.

BROWN SUGAR BACON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Position racks in the top and bottom of the oven. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with foil and set cooling racks into the baking sheets.
• Using your fingers, crumble together the brown sugar, smoked paprika and several grinds of black pepper on a plate. Dredge the bacon on both sides in the brown sugar mixture, rubbing so the sugar adheres. Arrange the slices on the racks without touching.
• Bake until the bacon is crisp and caramelized, flipping the slices and rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom halfway through, about 20 minutes total. Let the slices cool on the racks, turning once or twice so they don't stick.

SUGAR CURE FOR PORK, BACON, HAM

Steps:

• Double this mix as much as you have meat.
• Weigh down meat so that it remains covered.
• Be sure to boil plent of water day before so it is good and cold.
• Put your meat in wood barrels or vinegar stone crocks.
• Leave small boned meat chunks submerged for 2 days.
• Bacon submerged for 4 days.
• Cut hams and shoulders 14 days.
• Whole hams 21 days.
• Storage area must be extremely cold, but not freezing to prevent fermentation.
• After submersion, run thick thread through corner of meats and hang in smokehouse.

SALT AND SUGAR CURED SALMON

Steps:

• Mix the equal portions of salt and sugar. Pour the mixture over the salmon and rub it gently on both sides. Put the salmon in a tray, cover it with cling film and put in the refrigerator overnight.
• Snap off the hard woody ends of the asparagus. Take two of the asparagus and finely slice them on a mandolin grater and put the strips into a bowl of iced water. This will make them curl and become firm and crisp. Put the rest of the asparagus in boiling water for 15-30 seconds, then transfer to iced water.
• Tear the rye bread into chunks. Melt and brown some butter (25 gr.) in a pan and fry the chunks of bread in the butter, so they are crunchy on the outside and still soft on the inside. When the croutons are done, salt them lightly and put them on a piece of paper towel to drain off the fat.
• Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Add a pinch of salt and a dash of vinegar to the boiling water. The vinegar makes the whites firm even faster to prevent them from breaking up in the water.
• Break the eggs into a cup. Turn off the heat and make a swirl in the water with a spoon. The swirl helps the egg white wrap around the yolk. Gently slide the eggs into the swirl and let them poach for about 3 minutes. When the eggs are ready take them out and leave them to dry on a piece of paper.
• Cut the salmon into thick slices, around 1.5 cm. Sear the cured slices of salmon on one side in olive oil on a pan for about a minute so the salmon gets a light crust on one side.
• Melt the rest of the butter (25 gr.) in the pan and add the white wine. Glaze the asparagus in the butter and wine for a minute. Add the slices of shallot and the chopped parsley and give it a stir with the asparagus.
• Arrange the poached eggs in the middle of a plate and place the salmon slices, asparagus and crunchy rye bread chunks around the eggs. Garnish with the raw asparagus strips, red currants, dill stalks and wood sorrel leaves.

BROWN SUGAR CURE

Steps:

• Combine everything in a large bowl. Mix well. Apply generously to a whole salmon side. Refrigerate salmon overnight. The sugar will melt into the fish.

BROWN SUGAR-CURED TURKEY WITH WILD MUSHROOM-SHALLOT GRAVY

Steps:

• Rinse turkey inside and out. Pat dry with paper towels. Place turkey on platter. Mix brown sugar, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, allspice, cloves and mace in small bowl to blend well. Rub brown sugar mixture all over outside of turkey. Refrigerate turkey uncovered 24 hours.
• Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 300°F. Arrange onion quarters in large roasting pan. Place turkey atop onions. Tie turkey legs together. Tuck wings under turkey. Sprinkle turkey with pepper. Cover loosely with foil.
• Roast turkey 2 hours. Uncover; roast 30 minutes. Add 1 cup broth to roasting pan; baste turkey with broth. Roast turkey 1 hour, basting occasionally. Add 1 cup broth to roasting pan; continue to roast turkey until dark brown, basting with broth every 20 minutes, about 1 hour. Cover turkey loosely with foil; continue to roast until thermometer inserted into innermost part of thigh registers 180°F, about 1 hour 30 minutes longer.
• Transfer turkey to platter. Tent with foil and let stand 30 minutes. Serve with Wild Mushroom-Shallot Gravy.