When left in a salt-sugar mixture for a few days, then gently roasted or smoked, the various cuts of pork are radically transformed into much beloved delicacies. Pork legs become hams. Belly becomes bacon. Tenderloin becomes back or 'canadian' bacon. Shoulder becomes tasso or picnic ham. Flavors are intensified, texture is improved, grins spread.
At its heart, the curing process is one of food preservation. Salt draws moisture from the meat, creates an unfavorable environment for most microorganisms, and slows oxidation. Sugar is added to counteract the taste of salt and to support the development of beneficial bacterial in some cuts, such as salami. Sodium nitrite slows oxidation, prevents the growth of dangerous bacteria, and gives cured meat its characteristic flavor and pink color.
Curing a slab of bacon or a satisfying hunk of ham is a great holiday project. You'll need to choose a cut of pork to cure. For this initial project, look to cure 1-2 lbs fresh weight. A few of you may have received 'Just add pork' cure kits from Kelly: they are intended to cure 2 lbs of meat. We're doing a dry cure, so the salt penetrates from the outside in: choose a cut no more than a couple inches thick. A section of tenderloin, belly, or a portion of a shoulder are great choices. The photo above shows a section of a fresh ham cut by one of the great full service butchers at Kirkgate Market here in Leeds. It can be cured and smoked with the skin on. You'll be spending some time on this project, so you may as well spend some of that time tracking down your ideal cut of meat. This project may be a good excuse to find a mom-and-pop butcher and make a special request. How about a couple of pounds of nice, meaty pork belly? Who butchers the pigs that eat the spent grain from your favorite brewery?
If you're not using pre-made cure blend, prepare the cure mixture. It is fine to make this in larger quantities and dispense as needed.
For five pounds of meat:
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 tbl sugar
2 tsp pink salt (Instacure #1 or Prague Powder #1: salt and 6.25% sodium nitrite)
Alternately, Morton's EZ Cure is a great, easy option, if you can find it (Van's Thriftway in Helena). It's just a pre-made blend of the above.
Feel free to experiment with spice blends, as long as you keep the ratio of meat to cure ingredients constant. Black pepper is a favorite with bacon. It's worth recognizing that the taste of cured meat and smoke will overpower most ingredients you add to the cure. I've experimented with some elaborate cure ingredients: juniper berries, bourbon, maple syrup. In the end, I usually have a hard time distinguishing the taste of the dressed-up final product from that made with the basic cure, and the bourbon actually had a detrimental effect on the meat texture. Instead, the maple syrup is better to have ready at the breakfast table as you dig into your home-cured bacon and hot cakes. The bourbon should be shared with a partner as you stand in the winter frost tending the smoker.
Trim and clean up the cut of meat that you'll be using. Remove sinewy silverskin or connective tissue and any loose, flaccid fat. Firm fat is welcome.
Put your cut in a good ziploc and shake the cure over it. Zip it up, excluding air. Working through the plastic bag, distribute the cure across all surfaces of the cut. You want 100% of the meat to be in contact with the cure. Stick it in the fridge. Every day or so, massage the cut, making sure that all surfaces get contact with the cure. As water is drawn from the meat, brine will accumulate in the bag: leave it. The cure time depends on the thickness and structure of the cut and the temperature of your fridge. It'll take about 5 days, and you'll feel the meat firm up as it cures. Don't overdo it, or your final product will be too salty.
Wash the cure off from the cut, and leave to dry on a rack in some cool protected place (fridge works) for 6-12 hours.
If you want to smoke it, go ahead (see earlier blog post)! If not, it'll still be great. In either case, get the center to 155 degrees F either by hot smoke or by roasting at 225 degrees F on an oven rack, or some combination. Follow all food safety best practices. If in doubt, throw it out.
Have fun and drop a line with any questions!
