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I have just started looking into curing meats as a potential hobby. My wife and I began talking and the topic of nutritional value arose. Since this is still very new to me, I can not honestly say that I do not know the answer. Does cured meat mean less nutrition? Please enlighten me. 
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Oct 30, 2011 03:23
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What exactly do you mean by "less nutrition"? Many cured meats contain a lot of fat, so you have to balance that out with the rest of your diet. Another issue that comes up a lot is the high sodium content. If your question is if the curing process destroys some of the nutrients, e.g. the protein in bacon, I don't think that's the case.
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Oct 30, 2011 15:04
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cancertoast posted:I have just started looking into curing meats as a potential hobby. My wife and I began talking and the topic of nutritional value arose. Since this is still very new to me, I can not honestly say that I do not know the answer. Does cured meat mean less nutrition? Please enlighten me. Meat = Nutrition. Full stop, end of conversation. and slap her if she even tries to open her mouth after you've informed her of this indisputable fact you learned about nutrition from the internet.
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Oct 31, 2011 23:32
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Serendipitaet posted:What exactly do you mean by "less nutrition"? Many cured meats contain a lot of fat, so you have to balance that out with the rest of your diet. Another issue that comes up a lot is the high sodium content. If anything, it actually should have more "nutrition" per gram, since you're removing some of the water when you cure it.
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Nov 1, 2011 00:51
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The last thread really inspired me to make bacon so I wanted to contribute to this one. I've probably cured and smoked 25 pounds of pork belly over the last 12 months. I use Ruhlman's basic cure but I've sometimes added coriander or rosemary or sage, etc. I just use a 22 inch Weber one touch gold kettle grill to smoke. Just bank the coals heavily to one side and regulate the vents to keep it well under 250°F. I have used apple wood chips and the Jack Daniels pellets wrapped in foil. Poke a couple of holes in both sides of the foil and toss it right on the coals. I usually use one pouch right near the beginning of the smoke - too much smoke overpowers any additional flavors in the cure. Here are some pictures of the most recent batch. I did two 4.5 pound pieces this time and a majority has already been given/traded away to friends and family. Make your own bacon. It is totally worth it.  Awesome pork bellies  Bones removed  Rubbed with cure and bagged  After 9 days - rinsed and dried and on the grill  After about 2.5 hours they were 148 so I pulled them  linked for big  Skin removed  sliced  Delicious  Save for later
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Nov 1, 2011 02:35
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KWC posted:Bacons That was an awesome post, great job overall. The amount of nipples on your pork belly is hilarious. Your slicing is pretty uneven. To get more uniform slices, maybe try a sharper knife, or partially freeze the meat so that it's easier to slice more uniformly? Just some ideas to help perfect this process without going so far as to buy a dedicated slicing machine. Again, delicious looking bacon!
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Nov 1, 2011 05:29
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That was a great baconpost.
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Nov 1, 2011 10:54
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Appl posted:That was an awesome post, great job overall. Thanks. Re: slicing - That was the second belly and about halfway through it I decided to get thicker. That is when things fell apart with consistency of slice. The first belly went very well. I think you're exactly right about freezing for better results. I took both slabs out of the fridge and started cutting the first belly and then vacuum sealed it all up before starting the second one. On the second belly the knife dragged quite a lot more and the meat itself was much less "solid" feeling. The Victorinox 40645 12 inch granton edge slicer is just as frighteningly sharp as any slicer I have ever seen. I would recommend this knife (and I think Cooks Illustrated does too?) if you are looking for a dedicated slicing/carving blade.  Next to my 8 inch chefs knife.
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Nov 1, 2011 13:43
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TVarmy posted:What's a good place to find curing salts around the central NJ area? There's not really a Cabella's or anything like that near me, and our Walmarts have a fairly limited selection, not selling food or . Would Agway (farm supply store) carry it? They have mason jars and basic veterinary supplies. Look for a Butcher supply shop. They almost always have the cure. They may be hard to find but call around and check Google. Powdered Toast Man posted:Is it ok to post about purchased cured meat products in here (i.e. stuff you didn't make yourself)? I wanted to pimp this place, because they're so awesome: http://www.patakmeats.com/Patak_Meats/Welcome.html Post away, too bad those guys dont do mail order. Errant Gin Monks fucked around with this message at 16:29 on Nov 1, 2011 |
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Nov 1, 2011 16:27
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KWC posted:Bacon! Holy crap, I am the last person on the internet you will catch sperging out about bacon but this is seriously awesome. Can something similar be done in an oven (yes yes I know it won't get smoky)?
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Nov 1, 2011 20:20
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My wife and I are going to be getting half a hog this spring from a local farm, and after reading recent posts I can't freaking wait to produce bacon with the belly now...perfect excuse to finally buy a Weber smoker 
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Nov 2, 2011 03:47
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Vlex posted:Holy crap, I am the last person on the internet you will catch sperging out about bacon but this is seriously awesome. Can something similar be done in an oven (yes yes I know it won't get smoky)? Yes you can cook the bacon in the oven, it is suggested by our Curing God anyway. Feel free to make oven bacon all day e'rryday
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Nov 2, 2011 15:29
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Where do you all get your pork bellies? I haven't found one meat market / butcher in the Memphis area that has them. I did find a packing company that does because they process pig there. It's like 2.35/lb and I'm not sure if that's a good price, but for 11 bucks I'll have a 5lb slab of pork belly, I'm not going to complain.
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Nov 4, 2011 20:42
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I get mine from an Asian supermarket.
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Nov 4, 2011 22:11
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Kenning posted:I get mine from an Asian supermarket. The Asian supermarket here smells like dead fish and rotten mangoes. 
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Nov 4, 2011 22:48
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$2.35/lb sounds completely reasonable for pork belly. I get mine at the big city market and there are at least three meat stalls there that I can find it. I know that I can ask my butcher at the smaller local grocery store to get some in for me. They smoke their own bacon, so maybe if there is a store or shop around that does their own bacon, you know they have to have pork belly coming in. I know others here have had success asking a local restaurant to order some extra pork bellies that they can buy, but you would probably have to already have a pretty good relationship with the back of house (or at least management) to pull that off. Best of luck!
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Nov 4, 2011 23:07
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PainBreak posted:The Asian supermarket here smells like dead fish and rotten mangoes. They probably sell both of those things, and many awesome things too.
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Nov 5, 2011 03:30
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Dominion posted:They probably sell both of those things, and many awesome things too. Oh, I still go there...but I would never purchase fresh meat from them. Their food safety practices are questionable at best. I've learned to be cautious with this place after picking up a nice tub of panang curry paste that had been expired for over two years. 
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Nov 5, 2011 18:25
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PainBreak posted:Oh, I still go there...but I would never purchase fresh meat from them. Their food safety practices are questionable at best. I've learned to be cautious with this place after picking up a nice tub of panang curry paste that had been expired for over two years.
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Nov 5, 2011 18:55
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Mine are around 2 bucks a pound so your price is in the correct range. Better pork costs more, I lost my source for local pork so I'm going to try to find another one.
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Nov 5, 2011 23:23
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LTBS posted:Where do you all get your pork bellies? I haven't found one meat market / butcher in the Memphis area that has them. I did find a packing company that does because they process pig there. It's like 2.35/lb and I'm not sure if that's a good price, but for 11 bucks I'll have a 5lb slab of pork belly, I'm not going to complain. The one butcher in my town (just opened!) does not regularly carry them, but he said he would order one for me with the caveat that I buy the whole thing -- he recommended I find someone else to go in on it with me. A whole belly's worth of bacon isn't a problem to me though (that's what freezers are for!) so I'm going for it as soon as my hours at work roll back.
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Nov 6, 2011 00:19
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So where's this duck prosciutto recipe in the OP?
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Nov 6, 2011 21:48
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Oxford Comma posted:So where's this duck prosciutto recipe in the OP? Here you go, my friend: Duck Prosciutto, adapted from Charcuterie, by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn -One duck breast (I normally use a moulard duck breast weighing in around 20 oz.) -2 cups kosher salt -Fresh sage and orange zest -Cheesecloth and butcher’s twine First, find a lidded container that will snugly fit your duck breast. I use a small rectangular Ziploc tub, but a 1 qt. oval baking dish covered with plastic wrap would work well too. Pat the duck breast dry and set aside. Combine the 2 cups of salt with the herbs and zest to make a cure. You can use other flavors too. Some people like to add crushed juniper berries, herbs de provence, or a combination of hot pepper and brown sugar to their cure. Pour one cup of the salt cure into the storage tub or baking dish and place the duck breast on top of it. Pack enough of the remaining cure around and on top of it to just cover the surface on all sides. Cover the container and refrigerate for 24 hours. Remove the duck breast from the cure and rinse it under cool water. Pat it dry once again and weigh it. Wrap the duck breast in a layer of cheesecloth and hang it in a cool, dark, and mildly humid place to dry. Ideal conditions are around 60 degrees F. and 60-70% humidity. Hang for 1-2 weeks, or until it has lost 1/3rd of its original weight. Store wrapped in butcher paper in the refrigerator or vacuum seal for longer-term storage.
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Nov 6, 2011 22:31
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Welp...I know what book I'm about to order from Amazon.
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Nov 7, 2011 04:24
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My dads birthday is coming up and my mum is pretty stuck. Discussed a smoker and I've found this http://www.forfoodsmokers.co.uk/acatalog/Brinkmann_Smoke_n_Grill.html which seems pretty similar to what I was linked earlier in the thread. Can anyone give me some advice/recommendations etc so I can let her know?
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Nov 7, 2011 04:42
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Has anyone made the little red Chinese sausage yet? I'll have to ask my friend what the name is, but it is small and dry and a little sweet. We tried to use it in the kitchen a few times, but could never find a place for it.
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Nov 7, 2011 19:09
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Jose posted:My dads birthday is coming up and my mum is pretty stuck. Discussed a smoker and I've found this http://www.forfoodsmokers.co.uk/acatalog/Brinkmann_Smoke_n_Grill.html which seems pretty similar to what I was linked earlier in the thread. Can anyone give me some advice/recommendations etc so I can let her know? That's a very entry-level smoker...it'll do the job, but if they're serious about smoking for long periods of time, there's a slight frustration factor with it. You can get 5-6 hours out of a properly stacked (minion-method) load of charcoal, so that puts you in a bit of an awkward situation smoking pork shoulder or brisket. At the 5 hour mark, I would usually foil all of my meat and bring it inside, pop it in a 250F oven, remove the charcoal pan, and sift it through a chimney starter to retain any lit coals. The ashes, I'd put in a metal ash container, reload the charcoal pan minion style, then pour the lit coals over the top, return the water pan, fill it back up, then unfoil the meat and put it back on the smoker. I got mine for free, and it was worth every penny, and not a cent more. The alternative is to buy a Weber Smokey Mountain (or if you can find a knockoff for cheaper, do it!) and enjoy 10+ hour smoke times at steady temperatures, with much easier access to refill the water pan / charcoal basket. Alternative #2 is to buy an electric smoker and an A-MAZE-N Pellet Smoker, and enjoy the most worry free, tasty, awesome bbq known to man. Also, you can cold smoke things like cheese, salmon, bacon, jerky, et cetera. I have both alternatives now.
PainBreak fucked around with this message at 20:06 on Nov 7, 2011 |
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Nov 7, 2011 20:02
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Electric certainly seems easier but finding one in the UK that isn't incredibly expensive is proving hard
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Nov 8, 2011 01:38
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As soon as I get a hold of some curing salt I'll be making pancetta like it's going out of style. For now the only place I can find that holds it has nothing smaller than two pound containers of sodium nitrite, which I'm sure is more for someone's needs in serious chemistry. Is the duck breast prosciutto eaten raw like other prosciutto? Because I can think of a lot of things that could use duck proscutto.
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Nov 8, 2011 06:40
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24 hours ago, that Charcuterie book hadn't even been ordered. Today, its in my hands and I'm planning on making some duck confit tomorrow. Traditionally, how long could the confit stay submerged in the fat, unrefrigerated?
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Nov 8, 2011 06:49
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This thread has inspiredme to buy 8 pounds of delicious pork belly and get started making bacon. I managed to get my hands on Prague Powder a couple of days ino what was originally supposed to be nitrate-free bacon, but added it anyways. Should i let it cure for longer than a week, or should a week be fine. I've also made quite a lot of rillettes, which is dead easy and really delicious. I can post a recipe and some pictures if it's not outside the scope if this thread.
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Nov 8, 2011 12:48
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Oxford Comma posted:24 hours ago, that Charcuterie book hadn't even been ordered. Today, its in my hands and I'm planning on making some duck confit tomorrow. My parents are still using the left-over goose fat from last christmas, they keep it in an air-tight container in the fridge and it's still good. Duck/goose fat is awesomely tasty stuff. I know that's just pure fat, but I'd hazard a guess that duck confit will last for 6 months in the fridge no problem.
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Nov 8, 2011 13:58
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Does anyone have any experience with making rillettes? I was hoping to make some to bring as an appetizer to a Thanksgiving dinner. Maybe a duck, pork, and the trout rillettes from Ruhlman. Just wondering if there are any modifications to be made to Ruhlman's recipes, or are they pretty much fool-proof?
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Nov 8, 2011 17:37
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DontAskKant posted:Has anyone made the little red Chinese sausage yet? I'll have to ask my friend what the name is, but it is small and dry and a little sweet. We tried to use it in the kitchen a few times, but could never find a place for it. Lap chang.
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Nov 10, 2011 09:19
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I'm not sure if I have the space to make these recipes work, but the thread did it; just ordered Charcuterie online. I'm definitely gonna try the duck breast prosciutto. I'm curious, though: how exactly is it safely edible? I assume you can't just tuck into a raw duck breast. Is it the heavy salting in the curing process?
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Nov 10, 2011 13:15
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Happy Abobo posted:I'm not sure if I have the space to make these recipes work, but the thread did it; just ordered Charcuterie online. I'm definitely gonna try the duck breast prosciutto. I'm curious, though: how exactly is it safely edible? I assume you can't just tuck into a raw duck breast. Is it the heavy salting in the curing process? You have to understand raw meat isn't inherently dangerous. It's the microbes and little parasites the are in the raw meat. The salting process draws out the water and increases the salinity of the meat, making it inhospitable to microbes. The drying process further changes the meat. The nitrates in the cure will keep anaerobic bacteria out at this stage, most importantly the bacteria that creates botulinum toxin. After that it's perfectly safe to eat "raw" keeping in mind it's been changed by salt and air jest as much as it would have been by heat.
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Nov 10, 2011 15:32
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Errant Gin Monks posted:You have to understand raw meat isn't inherently dangerous. It's the microbes and little parasites the are in the raw meat. The salting process draws out the water and increases the salinity of the meat, making it inhospitable to microbes. The drying process further changes the meat. The nitrates in the cure will keep anaerobic bacteria out at this stage, most importantly the bacteria that creates botulinum toxin. After that it's perfectly safe to eat "raw" keeping in mind it's been changed by salt and air jest as much as it would have been by heat. Huh, interesting! Well, reservations dashed: I can't wait for this book to get here. Thanks!
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Nov 11, 2011 00:29
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beefnchedda posted:Does anyone have any experience with making rillettes? The recipe I use for duck rillettes is actually from one of Martha Stewart's first books. The only link I could find that sounded similar was this, but my copy had a picture of her in a goofy yellow dress with 1850's style puffed sleeves. I believe it was published in 1988, but I'm not sure, and the book is packed up for our move already. It was really, really tasty, and I enjoyed it.
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Nov 11, 2011 00:40
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beefnchedda posted:Does anyone have any experience with making rillettes? Pork rilettes are ridiculously tasty, and really easy to make. I've made them a couple of times, with rather good result. I use pork belly, the fattier the better, and i usually cut away some of the lean meat as well. You want loads of fat. More fat than you think you'll need. I cannot stress this enough. About 40/60 fat/meat is good. However, the stringy gristle-y fat on the inside of the belly is best cut away, as it doesnt render properly. Pork but also works well, but then you need to add extra fat from somewhere else.  Lovely pork fat. Food of the gods. Cube the meat, season with salt and white pepper, pack it tightly in a pot, and add enough water to almost but not quite cover. Then the pot is left in the stove on low heat for hours. The water will help render the fat and then evaporate, so after a few hours you should have bits of pork simmering away in their own fat. Don't be alarmed if its looks like some kind of overboiled pork tragedy at the one-hour mark; this is normal. As soon as the fat renders, things will improve. Exactly how long this takes depends on your meat, the amount of fat and how small you've cut it. Leave the pork to simmer in the fat until the meat is tender enough to be torn to shreds with a fork, and strain off the fat into a different pot. Ladle some of the fat back into the meat, making sure not to get any of the water. Crank the heat up on the remaining fat to evaporate whatever water is left, and mash the meat with a fork until you get a coarse mush. At this point i also do the final seasoning. You want the meat at this stage to be a little bit saltier than you want the final product, as the flavours will be muted when its served cold. Pack the mashed pork into jars, and cover with enough fat to leave a generous cap on top of the meat. This will help it keep. Make sure to get rid of any air bubbles. Make a better job of it than i did  If you make this, make loads. It takes very little active effort, and it takes quite a lot of meat to make one jar, so you might as well make a big batch.  Serve on some kind of toasted bread. Capers, conrichions and/or finely sliced shallots are nice, but it holds up well on its own. Make sure to get a good piece of the fat cap, and smush it into the meat as you spread it. snailassault fucked around with this message at 13:13 on Nov 12, 2011 |
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Nov 12, 2011 11:46
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^^^ That looks like a delicious heart attack in a jar Happy Abobo posted:Huh, interesting! Well, reservations dashed: I can't wait for this book to get here. Thanks! Additionally, the dehydration and protein changes caused by all the salt and drying time make it difficult to tell that something is "raw". The salami I made was delicious, safe, and I had it for literally months despite it being completely unrefrigerated raw pork that never went over room temperature  .The other trick for texture stuff, if you're not cooking it, is to slice extremely thin. That's what I did for my duck proscuitto.
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Nov 12, 2011 16:49
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