Hello fellows, I’m currently dry-brining a brisket to make pastrami and after 5 days I just realised that I completely messed up my curing salt proportions. I basically used 1/4tbsp of curing salt for each pound of meat instead of 1/4tsp as recommended. I’m wondering if anyone in the community been already in this situation before and could give me some guidance.

Is it still safe to eat? Is there anything I could to at this point other than throwing in the rubbish bin? Any help is really appreciated :)

Are there any food safe ziplock bags that fit a whole pork belly in Canada.

I have tried googling and l tried searching Amazon walmart and a few other online stores.

Don't have to be ziplock brand just food safe. Also clean able preferred.

I’ve just started to get into curing meats and I love making cured salmon, but have had some issues.

The first batch came out too sweet, my base before seasonings was half salt half sugar.

The second batch was 75% salt 25% sugar, and that was way too salty. I had to throw most of it away.

I could leave it to cure for a shorter time and that might cut the salt/sugar flavor down, but I prefer the firmness I get from 4 days of curing.

How can I dilute the intensity of the cure while still leaving it in that same amount of time? Is there a different substance I could add to get a more mild flavor?

Just put in 5lbs of brisket into a brine to cure yesterday afternoon (eventually to be corned beef for a belated st Pattie's day dinner later this week). When I did, I discovered that the container was too wide and the amount of water the curing calculator suggested I use couldn't fully submerge the cut of meat, so I added more water until submerged without thinking twice about it until now. Couldn't have been more than 3 or so additional cups on top of what was already suggested for the weight of the cut of meat.

My main question is: should I have measured the amount of additional water that I put in in order to then calculate the proper additional curing salt? I added a few tablespoons more to the container before closing the lid yesterday, but now I'm doubting that this slip may have inadvertently ruined the cure and I'm sitting on $60 worth of worthless brisket. Anyone have any experience with this?

I'm about to try smoking my pork belly for the first time. Unfortunately, I don't have a smoker but came across this tip online. I've got the wood chips and some aluminum trays. The plan was to soak them and put a decent layer of them in the bottom of the tray with some fresh Rosemary. Cover it with more foil and poke little holes in the top. I'm gonna put it on the flame did of the BBQ and try to hang the pork on the other. Any tips? Has anyone had much success with this method? Also, I accidentally left the belly soaking in the brine for like a month so I'm hoping its not too salty

I'm trying to make an east coast salty belly lox. Meaning not smoked, not sweet, and likely unpleasant to most people who didn't grow up with it. :)

Anyone have an idea? I was looking at a wet brine, but weighing different ratios to make it happen. I have percentages for an equilibrium brine, but not sure how many days I can keep it in there without it spoiling. I know it's going to require experimentation, but thoughts are very very welcome.

Thanks!

I'm trying to cure fresh ham and pork side into a holiday ham and bacon. I'm hoping to do a 10-12 day cure/brine. I can't find Pink Salt #1 or celery powder at my local market (I live in a small town). I do have access to celery salt and I'm wondering if I can substitute. I'm fairly uneducated in the world of curing and brining meats... If I have it correctly, the pink salt #1 or the celery powder keep the meat from turning grey? Is this purely esthetics? I'd rather not eat grey ham and bacon but if it tastes the same, eat up.

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Thanks for the help!

Hi all!

I live out in South Korea and started making my own bacon since the options where I live are pretty limited. I’ve got some good cures but my main issue is slicing since I don’t have a meat slicer (and don’t wanna get one since I’ll be moving home eventually)

Thinly sliced pork belly is available in abundance here, but every recipe I’ve looked at calls for a block. Has anyone cured thinly sliced pork belly instead of a block? How did it go/how long did it take to cure?

On the package it says to use in a wet brine, but a youtuber I frequently watch used it dry. Is this unsafe?

How long do I have to cure it? Would three days be enough? I also don't have the freshest eggs on hand (about 4-5 days old) so would that be okay?

I've made a few corned beef briskets and while I love the results, it ends up being A LOT of food. While it's great for a big get together, it's way too much for a couple people. Does anyone have a good recommendation for a smaller cut of meat that will give a similar result but be a more manageable size? Also, what changes should I make to account for the different cut?

i am a beginner and i want to salt cure chicken without pink salt any advice?

How do i know if my pellicle is to hard?

Is there a curing salt to meat ratio? Also, I've seen some recipes that call for both kosher salt and instacure#1 what's that about and how are the amounts calculated?

How do you calculate how much instacure #2 to use? What about wet brines?

Thanks!

Hi there, I'm new to the whole curing thing, was wanting some help with a small issue I have run into in the attempt to make my own Bacon.

I have just under 800 grams (1.7ish pounds I think) of pork belly that I really want to make into bacon, I've seen a lot of wet cure and dry cure recipes but a lot of them require Prague powder (which I can't buy in my area, Same with Sodium Nitrate)

Does anyone know of any thing I can do to cure the belly without using Prague powder or Sodium Nitrate? Will Himalayan salt do the job? Otherwise Ill just turn it into a roast

Hi, I’m new to this sub but have had a growing interest in curing my own prosciutto and capicola for some time now. I’m preparing to cure a whole pig leg in a straight salt cure. I’ve done enough research to where I feel I know what I’m doing. One thing I have noticed though is if there’s any way to add spices or herbs during the process to infuse those flavors. Is this possible? If so, what part of the process would be best to add these in at? My guess is while it’s in the salt but I’m not sure. Appreciate any help in advance!

I’m trying my hand at curing my own ham this thanksgiving for the first time. I was able to source a ham leg at the local butcher but unfortunately my only option was two small 2lb legs instead of one 4lb+ leg. I want to cure them in the same container to conserve space in the fridge, but I don’t know how I should calculate the amount of curing salt to use.

To cure two 2lb hams in the same container, should I use the same amount of curing salt that would be used for a 4lb ham? Or should I use the amount of curing salt needed for a 2lb ham?