salt petre formula made easy

[robin o]

is there a simple formula for using salt petre in a wet cure ? for instance 1 tea spoon of salt petre per kilo of pork .i have two bellys of pork salt .sugar.ect and raring to go

[aris]

is there a limit of how much meat this recipe can cure?

[Oddley]

The weight of the brine is 1.258 kg If we assume a 10% pickup then the theoretical limit is 12.580 kg of meat can be cured with the recipe as is. But I would rather just cover the bellies.

[aris]

I was thinking if this were in a vac-pack, then you could use the minimum brine needed, then discard.

How long does one usually brine for - same as a dry cure?

[Oddley]

I normally go on 10 days per kg + a few days after out of brine to equalize the salts and dry out a bit.

[aris]

Sounds good - i'll give it a shot. Is it necessary to rince in water after brining - but before drying? What kind of stuff have you brined with this, and does the thickness of the meat or inclusion of bones make any difference to the brining time?

I was thinking of doing some pork belly ribs.

[Oddley]

I would typically wash off the meat after brining just to remove surface salt etc. If you are going to be doing ribs that have little meat on them I would imagine that about 3 days would be fine.

I have used this particular formulation with bath chaps and Fromage de tete( Just got up and can't think of the English name for it.). I have In brine at the moment a boned and rolled shoulder joint. So far this recipe has given a mild tasting not too salty bacon/Ham.

I have used just cure #1. This gives an immediate protection to the meat and kickstarts the whole process. I have posted that brine recipe HERE

[Franco]

I have used Oddley's Englsh brine recipe and find it gives good results, I add bay leaves, fresh rosemary and sage to the brine and find it makes a great continental style ham.

Franco

[aris]

Hmm, ham sounds like a good idea too. I assume this is a cooked ham?

Any recipe you could provide would be appreciatedl. i.e. which cut of meat, and the length of time you had it in the brine for such a thick piece of meat. Would piercing the ham help with the curing too?

[Franco]

Aris,

try this recipe.

Old English boiled ham.



5.5 litres of brine (use Oddley's recipe or my ready made mix http://www.sausagemaking.org/acatalog/C ... Brine.html

10 grammes chopped juniper berries

5 grammes dried cloves

1.5 kg boneless leg of pork.


1.Stir the ingredients together until dissolved in the water.

2.Prick pork with a sharp implement ie to help the brine penetrate.


3.Place pork in the brine for 2 weeks.


4.Place the pork in a large pan of water and simmer GENTLY for 3 hours.


You can add herbs to the stock if you want but as the brine is flavoured it isn't really neccessary.

Franco

[aris]

Sounds good - I think i'll try this for Christmas.

Do you leave the skin on when brining?

[aris]

Do you leave the skin on when brining? I'll assume yes, as most hams one sees in the shops have the skin on.

[Paul Kribs]

Aris

I leave the skin on right up until carving, when I remove it. The same would apply if wishing to roast it. I would skin it after boiling and then slash the fat and insert cloves and cover with honey. I would cook it for just enough time to caramelise the honey.

Regards, Paul Kribs.

PS. I would dearly love to eat the succulent skin as it melts but diet and commonsense prevents it.

[Vernon Smith]

Hi guys and gals,
With a lot of help from Paul, Rik, Oddley and a lot of other forum members I have now mastered sausage making and bacon curing.
I am a victim of my own success because I can't keep up with the demand so I have to strictly ration what I produce. My smoke house works well but is is underutilised. I have plentiful hard wood saw dust with a variety of flavours from piquant to sweet. So now to Ham.
Assuming I put my leg of pig into the brine recipe mentioned under this topic I don't see how I get ham instead of bacon. I can't get juniper berries here so I will have to do without. I know the difference between ham and boiled bacon when served on my plate but I don't see how one becomes ham and the other becomes bacon simply through brining and boiling. Sorry if I am being dim but I just don't get it. I wish to leave my ham on the bone so I hope that won't cause additional snags. Any hints please? Franco mentions simmering gently for 3 hours but no mention of smoking. Has anyone any information on this please.
To put my case simply, I need all the information I can get, please, on ham curing, smoking and cooking before I make a horrible mess of a pig that I bred and carefully raised for the past 8 months.
Best regards,
Vernon Smith

[Paul Kribs]

Vernon

I have seen a cookery program where it showed how a Suffolk 'black ham' was made. I am sure it was on one of Delia Smiths xmas shows. After brining in a stout brine they were then smoked in a smoke shed. I can't recall times required, but I would imagine that it would need a heavy smoke as some flavour would be lost in boiling. Apologies for not paying more attention..

Regards, Paul Kribs