Cured Pork Food

CURED PORK

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients together on a smooth surface.
• Rub meat every morning and every night for 3 days, making sure you rub in good around the bones.
• After first rub, place meat skin- side up.
• Turn after each rub.
• On the 4th day, place a strong wire or hook through the shank of hams and shoulders, (and at corners of middlings, if you're doing them).
• Hang from rafters of your smoke house, placing pan underneath to catch the drips.
• As it takes the cure, the meat will drip almost continuously.
• If the meat becomes moldy after hanging for several weeks, not to worry.
• It's not spoiled, just aging.
• Just wash meat well when ready to use.
• This mix should take care of a 350# to 375# hog.
• My husband and I start our hams, shoulders, middlings, ham hocks and jowls, (500 to 600) mid-October and are finished by mid-April.
• Have fun and happy eating!

BRINE-CURED PORK

Steps:

• Put 2 1/2 gallons cold water in a large, nonreactive container that will hold the meat and brine. Stir in the salt and sugar. Slightly crush and add the bay leaves, peppercorns, clove, allspice, and chili peppers. Add the garlic and thyme. Add the pork and put a plate on top to keep the meat submerged. Refrigerate for 5 days or more.
• Remove the pork from the brine and pat dry. Roast pork loin for about 1 hour, grill over a medium fire, or slice into very thin chops and brown them in a cast-iron pan. They will cook very quickly, about 1 minute per side. Finish with a good fistful of chopped parsley and garlic if you wish. A brined shoulder is good boiled or braised, and is delicious to add to cooked beans.

HOW TO CURE PORK

Steps:

• Mix the salts, pepper, bay, nutmeg, sugar, garlic, and juniper. Pour ¼ cup (75 g) of coarse kosher salt into a bowl and stir in 2 teaspoons (11 g) of pink curing salt, 4 tablespoons (27.5 g) of coarsely ground black pepper, 4 crumbled bay leaves, 1 teaspoon (2 g) of freshly grated nutmeg, 1/4 cup (50 g) of brown sugar, 5 cloves of crushed garlic, 2 tablespoons (9 g) of lightly crushed juniper berries, and 10 sprigs of fresh thyme. If you prefer, substitute honey or maple syrup for the brown sugar.
• Place a ramekin in a storage container. Get out a non-reactive container that's large enough to hold the pork belly. Set a small ramekin upside down in the bottom of the container. Use a plastic, glass, or enamel container, but avoid metal containers since these will affect the flavor of the pork. When you place the pork on the ramekin and the pork gives off liquid, the ramekin will keep the pork from curing in its juice.
• Coat the 5 pounds (2.3 kg) pork belly with the dry rub. Place the belly on a cutting board or platter and cover it with the dry rub mixture. Use your hands to firmly rub the mixture into all sides of the pork.
• Place the pork belly in the container and cover it. Arrange the pork belly in your storage container so it's propped up on the overturned ramekin. Put the lid on the storage container.
• Refrigerate and turn the pork every 2 days for 1 week. Place the container with the pork belly into a refrigerator and leave it to cure. Remove the pork from the refrigerator and flip it over once every 2 days. Return it to the refrigerator and keep flipping it every 2 days for 1 week.
• Remove and rinse the cure off of the pork belly. After a week, take the pork belly out of the refrigerator. Rinse it with cool water so the dry rub washes away. Use paper towels to pat the cured pork belly completely dry.
• Place the pork belly in muslin and hang it for at least 1 week. Put the dry pork belly into a muslin bag and tie a knot at the end. Insert a hook into the knot and hang the pork belly in a cool, dry place for at least 1 week. If you're pressed for time, you can skip this step but the flavor of the pork will be more intense the longer it cures.
• Slice and heat the pork belly. Cut the pork belly into slices as thick as you like and then fry, roast, broil, or grill the meat until it's completely cooked. For example, slice the pork belly into 1/4 in (0.6 cm) slices and then fry for 7 to 8 minutes to get crispy bacon. Refrigerate the cured pork belly that you haven't cooked. Store it in an airtight container for up to 1 week.