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Flaggy posted:I was given a 16lb pork belly, I have access to about 100lbs more (thanks work) what are some recommendations. I am going to do the recipe listed in the OP but am curious as to how I should be using this. Make bacon, dry-cured pancetta, braise some, eat some like a Filipino, some like a Chinaman, and some like a weird foodie or something.
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Sep 10, 2014 20:38
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Just received 10lbs of pork belly from my favorite farms, White Oak Pastures. These guys are really focused on environmental sustainability and humane animal treatment, and the quality of their meat is spectacular. I'm probably going to split it into 2-3 segments and do a couple different brine recipes for bacon, what are some favorites you guys have run across so far? I have Ruhlman's book so I was going to start with a basic brine, but I'd also like to do a maple and maybe a peppercorn as well.
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Sep 11, 2014 12:04
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A good glug of assertively flavored whiskey is always a nice addition. Scotch has done me well in the past. The flavor has to stand up to the smoking. Pepper bacon is getting quite popular, so don't be afraid to have a heavy hand when putting the peppercorns in the brine. I also like to put a few handfuls of fresh herbs in there from time to time; thyme, rosemary, even lavender. You get kind of a bacon-pancetta crossover product. If you like spicy things, a hot chili pepper or two might give you a little heat that you desire. Pork is a blank canvas, and likes savory just as much as sweet flavors. Just make sure you don't forget to do a plain version. You need to know just how much better it is than factory bacon. e: sp holttho fucked around with this message at 20:44 on Sep 11, 2014 |
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Sep 11, 2014 14:41
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Does alcohol work ok? I was worried that it would screw up the texture. I think I left my current batch in the cure 2 days longer than planned, hoping it's not indelibly salty!
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Sep 11, 2014 19:48
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Yea, whiskey is a pretty common additive into the mix. I do not know off-hand nor have heard of any deleterious effects of ethanol in a cure. If you are really worried about the booze, just simmer it for a minute or two, that'll drive off a good deal of it but leave most of the flavor. Fire safety is recommended, though. 2 days shouldn't be an issue. I think I've gone 3-4 days over just because life happens. Turns out just fine.
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Sep 11, 2014 20:41
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 Ruhlman recipe pastrami. Came out really good.
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Oct 2, 2014 02:27
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I did a whiskey/honey brine a few months back that turned out really well. Another one of my favorites was a coffee, cocoa powder, and a few dashes of vanilla extract. These were both done in the oven as I didn't have a smoker at that time, so I can't speak to how the flavors would work when smoked.
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Oct 2, 2014 15:38
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I made another 27 or so pounds of bacon.  Hopefully it's ready to smoke this Sunday.
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Oct 2, 2014 16:25
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Errant Gin Monks posted:
Nice! I just had my 3rd attempt at it and it came out quite well. Photo didn't, but oh well. 
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Oct 3, 2014 01:27
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Does anybody have any good recommendations for sausage stuffers? I won't be doing large batches and, if possible, I'd like to keep it below $100.
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Oct 11, 2014 02:59
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I have this one. http://www.amazon.com/LEM-Products-...sausage+stuffer I know it's a little above your range, but I love it. I've tried the auger style ones before and they would just ruin the meat. The plunger ones are much gentler and more consistent with the amount of meat coming out. If you plan on making a lot of sausage then I think it's worth the extra cost.
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Oct 12, 2014 00:37
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I have this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0007D2YP4?pc_redir=1411699993&robot_redir=1 Definitely go with a verticle style stuffer, you really don't need one over five pounds. I'm happy with the one I have. It has some plastic components that some people complain about, but your stuffer doesn't go through a whole lot of stress like the grinder does. I don't see them ever wearing out or becoming a problem.
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Oct 14, 2014 17:56
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How are you guys grinding your meat if you're not using an auger style stuffer/grinder? I have an industrial sized electric meat grinder and i still use the auger style for packing.
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Oct 15, 2014 17:06
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An auger works perfectly well for grinding, for stuffing though it's way less smooth and you'll end up with more air pockets than compared to a verticle stuffer. Way less reloading too since the chamber will be filled with five pounds of meat all at once instead of needing to be continually filled. I'm so happy there are other sausage goons in this thread. Has anyone here gotten into making fermented and dry cured varieties? I've only done fresh and smoked so far and want to get into dry curing, but the resources I've been using so far haven't been all that helpful. Rytek doesn't really go over the process that well and always calls for sausage to be smoked as well as cured and hung. Ruhlman on the other hand plays a little too fast and loose with food safety. I'm looking for a book or forum for some advice on how not to give my family botulism.
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Oct 16, 2014 16:57
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I'll be heading down to visit my parents for Thanksgiving to smoke a turkey and figured I'd do some pastrami since the smoker's already going to be fired up. I have the Prague #1 already and I'll be picking up some brisket from http://www.merindorfmeats.com this weekend. I have one of those spring-loaded spike type meat tenderizers - should I hit the brisket with it before it goes into the brine? Would that help the brine infuse the meat more readily, or is ordinary osmosis preferred? Would it let too much brine remain in the meat when I desalinate it before smoking?
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Oct 30, 2014 23:02
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hogmartin posted:I'll be heading down to visit my parents for Thanksgiving to smoke a turkey and figured I'd do some pastrami since the smoker's already going to be fired up. I have the Prague #1 already and I'll be picking up some brisket from http://www.merindorfmeats.com this weekend. I have one of those spring-loaded spike type meat tenderizers - should I hit the brisket with it before it goes into the brine? Would that help the brine infuse the meat more readily, or is ordinary osmosis preferred? Would it let too much brine remain in the meat when I desalinate it before smoking? I don't do it with mine, but some of the pros in the life thread dot the poo poo out of theirs. I have found 4-5 days in Ruhlmanns cure yields a vey nice pastrami to me.
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Oct 31, 2014 02:44
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I stab the poo poo out of my brisket for pastrami, but I like a 6-7 day turnaround for a whole, untrimmed brisket. Don't "desalinate", just use a decent recipe, Ruhlmans is solid, but I disagree with his times. 5lb briskets don't exist Ruhlman, stop writing recipes for home cooks!
Chef De Cuisinart fucked around with this message at 05:56 on Oct 31, 2014 |
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Oct 31, 2014 05:51
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I haven't got the Ruhlmanicon and neither does the library here. I was planning on using this recipe along with their corned beef recipe for the cure. Any opinions on those?
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Oct 31, 2014 12:42
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I was flipping thought the channels the other day and caught "The Chef's mind" or some such thing on PBS. The were walking though a Kentucky smoke house where they age hams 12 or 18 months. Then they sliced some open and it looked almost exactly like prosciutto. My taste buds started to water a bit, so i looked online and found the smoke house. http://www.newsomscountryham.com/agkencounham.html Yes, the web page is godawful. 100 bucks for a ham? Holy poo poo, are they really that worth it? What would I do with a ham like that?
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Nov 1, 2014 17:40
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Cimber posted:I was flipping thought the channels the other day and caught "The Chef's mind" or some such thing on PBS. The were walking though a Kentucky smoke house where they age hams 12 or 18 months. Smell it a lot and then eat all of it. Country Ham is one of the best things I've ever smelled, especially touring a hanging room of them.
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Nov 1, 2014 17:48
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A little of that goes a long way, plus those hams are huge. $6/pound really isn't expensive.
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Nov 1, 2014 18:09
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Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:A little of that goes a long way, plus those hams are huge. $6/pound really isn't expensive. So what would I do with the stuff, and how long would it be good after i cut it open? How would i store it? I'm assuming it would not serve it like a spiral ham, but more like shavings, right?
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Nov 1, 2014 18:14
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As a Virginia boy, I would say you slice it thin, soak it, then use it for ham biscuits. Edit: but I have no idea how to store it. I don't think I've ever purchased more than a pound of Virginia at ham at once.
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Nov 1, 2014 18:19
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I'm experimenting with making a stout bacon. I have the belly already in the fridge with the usual amount of Ruhlman's cure on it with some stout and maple syrup. I'm trying to determine if I should add additional cure at any point since there is more liquid than usual from the beer. Anyone have experience with using beer/alcohol/other liquids for bacon flavor?
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Nov 3, 2014 16:52
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From a math standpoint: additional liquid will reduce the salinity % of the cure and slow the cure process. However, unless you used something like a liter+ of beer, I can't see it ever really making a difference for home cured stuff. Just take the amount of liquid that comes out of the belly, for instance. I have had slabs of belly that hardly give out a drop of liquid, and some that dump a bucket out water out in the cure bag. The agricultural nature of the product means fluctuations like that will likely trump any additional small amount of liquid you vary by. I've never used stout in my cures, though I can definitely see something dark and coffee-roasty-malty being a good flavor combination. Personally, I would avoid chocolate-y stouts, but that is just me because I hate the bacon/chocolate combo. If you wanted to maximize flavor but want to keep the liquid to a minimum, try reducing a bottle or two of your stout of choice down to a syrup before adding it. ----- I was reading the Cajun thread the other day (http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3570811) and wanted to make some gumbo. Though I live in Chicago with good access to somewhat real andouille, I figured buying things is for quitters. Also, I'm lazy and cheap. I used a bastardized cross between Ruhlman and TheSpicySausage.com andouille #1 recipe. I picked up some of those family packs of 'blade chops' as they were somehow cheaper than a whole-intact shoulder. Ground and stuffed about 6lbs of sausage, then smoked for about 3hours in a somewhat warm smoker (about 150-170F). I use a hotplate with a pan of wood chips (apple this time; it's what I had on hand) and my horrible, cheap, prone-to-starting-itself-on-fire smoker.    (ignore the grubbiness of the grate) My god is it good. At first I was a little worried about the slightly crispy, over-done spots, but they are actually the best parts. --I also threw on some bacon wrapped chicken legs because why not.
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Nov 5, 2014 17:33
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holttho posted:From a math standpoint: additional liquid will reduce the salinity % of the cure and slow the cure process. However, unless you used something like a liter+ of beer, I can't see it ever really making a difference for home cured stuff. Just take the amount of liquid that comes out of the belly, for instance. I have had slabs of belly that hardly give out a drop of liquid, and some that dump a bucket out water out in the cure bag. The agricultural nature of the product means fluctuations like that will likely trump any additional small amount of liquid you vary by. When that goes in your gumbo do me a favor and post some pics of it over in the cajun thread! Looks real nice. When I lived in Texas they had a really good pork / jalapeno sausage made locally for very cheap. I used that in my gumbo / etoufee all the time and it was awesome. I say just roll with whatever you've got on hand, the dish is good either way.
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Nov 6, 2014 15:22
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Anyone grind their own turkey for sausage? I was going to buy some birds soon when they are cheap and make sausage. Is there enough fat or will I need to add a bit of beef or hog fat?
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Nov 13, 2014 07:29
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Turkey breast is incredibly lean. Just like chickens, turkey farmers are subject to the same "gotta be as fat-free as possible for the soccer-moms" market force that makes them breed turkeys the way they do. You can use legs and thighs and they will be much more fatty and flavorful, though make sure you get out all the pin-cartilage things in there (I forget what they're called). However, we breed turkeys for the breast, so legs and thighs are in much more short supply and are simply a smaller ratio of the bird than chickens. If you buy whole turkey, disregard that. Using breast meat, you will want to definitely add fat to it, and I would recommend against beef fat if you have the choice. It has a strong beef flavor, stronger than the analogous pork and it harder to get a hold of pure stuff in any quantity. Though, if you know a butcher, you may be able to work a deal to take away the fat trimmings. If you choose to use the fat from the turkey itself, make sure you render it down first and use the resulting turkey-schmaltz. The skin and the subcutaneous fat have just too loose and goopy of a texture and will not only gum up your grinder quickly (even when partially frozen) but will more than likely be noticeable in your final product if any larger than average pieces get stuck together. Personally, I would add something like 15% of turkey weight as fat for white meat. Maybe only 5-10% if using dark meat. It's only a little bit, but it'll make a world of difference.
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Nov 13, 2014 16:11
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Otto Von Jizzmark posted:Anyone grind their own turkey for sausage? I was going to buy some birds soon when they are cheap and make sausage. Is there enough fat or will I need to add a bit of beef or hog fat? It would be pretty lean for a sausage, but you could get away with just thigh and leg meat. A few months ago we made some sausage that was half chicken thigh and half pork loin (not tenderloin) which turned out really nice. I guess there are all sorts of fat replacement adjuncts available is you really didn't want to add in anything. I have to disagree with the advice of using rendered chicken fat. Though I've never personally tried using it, all accounts I've read of using a rendered fat describe the sausage as dry and crumbly.
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Nov 14, 2014 05:01
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I'm sure this has been covered in the thread already (maybe should be added to the op?), but does anyone have a good (and simple) guide for putting together a curing box? edit: or maybe I'm just misunderstanding the process?
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Nov 19, 2014 22:35
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It's probably been gone over, but it's simple enough. Ideally what you want is something that is cellar temperature with moderate humidity. (a traditional cellar would be a fairly humid place, so it worked out nicely for them.) Different recipes can call for different conditions, but 60F at 60% humidity is a decent place to be. The easiest/cheapest way to do this is to just put your meat in a large cardboard box with a large pan of ice in it. You'll have to replace the ice daily, but the setup costs basically nothing. :1bux: Moving up the scale would be to get a wine fridge. They can get warmer than standard mini-fridges, have a larger, more usable space, and have a nice clear window. Set it to temp and put a pan of water in the bottom with a sponge in it.  If you wanted to get really fancy, they make little humidifiers that you can place in there. They usually sell them for humidors, though they'll work here as well.  There are also wine fridges with humidifiers in them, but And finally, there is a kickstarter for a meat-aging fridge, which has everything you would ever want (except the ability to hold onto disposable income)  . But, the cheapest and easiest method of all (and the method I use) is to just drape a damp paper towel/cheesecloth over your curing product for the first week or so. Just re-damp it every day and it works great. Just don't let it dry on there or you'll be cutting off spots of welded-on-cloth. :zerobux: --------- Using rendered fat will result in a dry, crumbly sausage if it is overcooked. Which is to say the standard way we cook sausages. If you gently bring it to temp (poach), the fat will remain inside where it belongs. But, that's just my way of doing it, skip it if you'd like. I just use it all.
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Nov 19, 2014 23:16
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holttho posted:And finally, there is a kickstarter for a meat-aging fridge, which has everything you would ever want (except the ability to hold onto disposable income) So excited, deliveries are right around the corner!
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Nov 23, 2014 02:14
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where is this kickstarter please
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Nov 23, 2014 02:34
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Martello posted:where is this kickstarter please It ended months ago, that being said: http://www.steaklocker.com https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1343942869/steaklocker-the-first-in-home-dry-age-steak-fridge
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Nov 23, 2014 05:36
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Last year I did some home-cured bacon for a bunch of people that turned out pretty well so I'm thinking of doing it again. Problem is, I don't want to repeat the recipes so I'm trying to think of some new ideas. Anybody have any unique cure recipes they've used in the past? Last year I did -Whiskey and Honey -Coffee and Cocoa -Sriracha This year I also have a smoker at my disposal. I've heard good things about using pecan wood for bacon so I'll probably try that. Any other ideas?
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Dec 2, 2014 17:41
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Pepper bacon is a drat solid choice. Just use a standard recipe and double (or triple) up on the black pepper, depending on your taste. I have also been planning on doing a few pounds of garlic and dried onion in a week or two. Might be pretty good. For the smoking, you'll be hard pressed to tell the difference in wood with the short smoking period bacon requires. Unless you have an ultra-trained smoke-palette, smoke is smoke when you cook for less than 2 hours. Only when you get beyond 4-6 hours does the individual flavor become very noticeable.
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Dec 2, 2014 18:41
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lifts cats over head posted:Last year I did some home-cured bacon for a bunch of people that turned out pretty well so I'm thinking of doing it again. Problem is, I don't want to repeat the recipes so I'm trying to think of some new ideas. Anybody have any unique cure recipes they've used in the past? I've made a cinnamon bacon a few times. It has always turned out good but I'm also wishing to get a little bit more heat out of it. So feel free to bump up the black and cayenne pepper. Per 5 pounds of skinless belly: code:
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Dec 3, 2014 15:02
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has anyone done a country or other air cured ham at home? I read some foodie messiah chef, maybe it was chang, i dont remember, but they said they cured then hung their ham in their garage for a year to air dry. does anyone know the temperature limits of that? I live in so cal so it gets pretty hot in my garage, tempted to try it during the winter when I can get the initial aging done in colder temps.
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Dec 3, 2014 22:56
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  Did a batch of bacon over the weekend, 100 lbs total. Here it is after 8 hours of cold smoke, did another 8 hours the next day too.
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Dec 4, 2014 17:14
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 That is a titanic amount of goodness. What do you do with it all? Eat/gift/sell? Do you prefer cold smoke over warm/hot? I haven't tried to cold smoke mine, is there a texture difference? A difference in how it cooks/fries?
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Dec 4, 2014 17:59
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