tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27945607.post5204072166056539459..comments2024-01-12T18:41:52.560-05:00Comments on Dave's Cupboard: Whiskey Cured BaconDavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17866627809585257034noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27945607.post-71473598877111570052017-04-18T17:29:21.778-04:002017-04-18T17:29:21.778-04:00Greetings Smoke Master:
Enjoyed your site. I have ...Greetings Smoke Master:<br />Enjoyed your site. I have been making cured and smoked products for many years as my family (Italians) have since 1541 in a town in Italy called Cavassagra. I want to add to your comments on cures and bacon's. Last year we made over 100 lbs of bacon and 400 lbs of cured, air dried product, (salami, capicolo, spalla, lonza, and pancetta), and enjoy curing with liquors and wines. Hands down the best bacon recipe I came up with is 10 lbs of pork belly, 4 tbs of #1 cure, (bacon takes more cure than the 1tsp for 5 lbs), 1/3 cup of dark brown sugar, 3 heaping tbs of minced garlic, and 1 cup salt. Now here is the kicker: 12 ozof sweet vermouth and 4 oz of Southern Comfort. 5 days in the fridge curing (a day more for 2" + bellies) then 4 hours of smoke at 135-140 degrees. Finish at 200 till 162 degrees internal meat temp. Total 10 hours. I have had this stuff in the fridge for a year vac sealed and never lost a piece. Great taste and browns fast in the oven or pan. 250 degrees for 12 mins at a thick slice #4 on my slicer. Excellent. <br />I am starting some lonza today (pork loin) in a cure of dark rum with orange rind and other spices. I will take the advise you gave to use the rum for the first few days exclusively before I start the cure. Great idea. Then I will mix the cure and finish it the next 20 days in that. Then I dry for 40 days (till -30% takes place)before we slice to eat. We do have some of this (different mix, olive oil and black pepper) that is still hanging at 8 months old. Super buttery when sliced so that it only has one side. Well that's my post. Hope you all enjoy.....<br />Living the life in Tn.<br />J&E in TnJerrold Cavasinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09358527013600075619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27945607.post-85468467951658731442012-02-06T15:29:11.965-05:002012-02-06T15:29:11.965-05:00Mark C. - Yes, you can use food-grade plastic cont...<b>Mark C.</b> - Yes, you can use food-grade plastic containers for a brine cure. You can use anything that is non-reactive, i.e. food-grade plastic, stainless steel, enamel-covered cookware, and so on. No cast iron, carbon steel, aluminum, or anything like that.<br /><br />I have used plastic tubs and also coolers lined with food-grade plastic, but recently I've been using heat-sealed plastic with a Foodsaver vacuum sealer. I use the heat with no vacuum to seal the bags.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17866627809585257034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27945607.post-26517698981001322152012-02-06T12:38:18.863-05:002012-02-06T12:38:18.863-05:00Hi Dave. I've only used dry rubs for curing, b...Hi Dave. I've only used dry rubs for curing, but would like to try your brine technique. Can I use a food-quality plastic pail with a locking lid to brine multiple bellies at the same time? What do you normally use as a container for brining pork bellies?Mark C.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27945607.post-24613525472705063632011-11-08T13:00:14.647-05:002011-11-08T13:00:14.647-05:00Chris V - I poured in about a cup and a half, but ...<b>Chris V</b> - I poured in about a cup and a half, but I didn't use vacuum to seal the bags, just the heat to make pouches.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17866627809585257034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27945607.post-89408758552116025012011-11-06T21:43:22.444-05:002011-11-06T21:43:22.444-05:00How much of each of the alcohols did you add befor...How much of each of the alcohols did you add before vacuum sealing?Chris Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02689397092785136566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27945607.post-62729645678830228402011-04-04T23:02:17.771-04:002011-04-04T23:02:17.771-04:00Well, there are a lot of nice micro-brews here in ...Well, there are a lot of nice micro-brews here in Minneapolis but I think I'd like to try a good ole fashioned Guinness. Tough to improve on perfection.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17639493602197438109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27945607.post-18446294235077190652011-04-04T09:43:20.349-04:002011-04-04T09:43:20.349-04:00Jesse, I don't see any reason why using beer i...Jesse, I don't see any reason why using beer in the cure wouldn't work. Most beers are pasteurized, so I don't think there would be a problem with bacteria, and you'd still have the salt and sugar as well. Pork and beer are natural companions. What type are you thinking of using?Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17866627809585257034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27945607.post-90660999684536258502011-04-04T09:19:47.728-04:002011-04-04T09:19:47.728-04:00Dave,
I have been thinking of doing this for a whi...Dave,<br />I have been thinking of doing this for a while now. This sounds excellent. What about using beer? Does carbonation have an effect on the pork? I'm new to curing and I'm trying to avoid that pesky food poisoning. Or worse ruining a perfectly good piece of pork. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.Jessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03472859729556871290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27945607.post-63732669239554349272010-04-12T00:23:08.696-04:002010-04-12T00:23:08.696-04:00Anonymous: Use a long boning knife or filleting kn...<b>Anonymous:</b> Use a long boning knife or filleting knife. Put the belly bone-side up on a cutting board and begin with the blade of the knife flat against the bottom of the rib bones. Using long, smooth strokes, free the bones from the belly and lift them up and away - they'll look like a rack of spare ribs. You can cure them with the bacon or cook them as is. I like to marinate them in teriyaki sauce and grill them.<br /><br />I think the last time I bought bellies there they ran me about $1.99 a pound. You don't really save any money by making your own bacon once you consider the cure ingredients, the time, the meat cost, and so on - but you sure do get a better product.<br /><br />P.S. Saturday is the worst day of the week to go to 90 Meat. The place is jammed, the meat cutters are stressed with everyone wanting their stuff trimmed and cut, and they run out of stuff. Go in the middle of the week after work if you can.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17866627809585257034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27945607.post-58694092707337262010-04-11T18:34:14.333-04:002010-04-11T18:34:14.333-04:00Dave, Thanks for the tip about 90 Meat Market. I h...Dave, Thanks for the tip about 90 Meat Market. I had bought a couple of ribeye roasts from them a while back and wasn't really happy but if they have full belly's like that it's worth another try! How difficult is it to separate the ribs from the belly? While I'm trying to improve my butchering skills are sad at best! Any recollection of what you paid per pound? Thanks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27945607.post-53415470940327802342010-04-09T07:22:59.537-04:002010-04-09T07:22:59.537-04:00Anonymous - Go to 90 Meat Market, on Avocado Stree...<b>Anonymous</b> - Go to 90 Meat Market, on Avocado Street in Springfield (it's in the North End, head toward West Springfield and it's on the left just before you hit the North End Bridge.)<br /><br />Their phone number is (413)737-1288. If you're making a special trip to buy bellies, CALL THEM before you go to make sure they're in stock - sometimes they run out and it can be a few days before more comes in.<br /><br />Also: When you buy it, they'll ask you if you want it bone in or boneless. I always get it with the bone and trim it out myself. The bellies are thicker and meatier with the bone it, and so I do my own trimming and use the ribs for other purposes.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17866627809585257034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27945607.post-12357549014238858672010-04-08T20:05:10.346-04:002010-04-08T20:05:10.346-04:00"tarted off with a beautiful 13-or-so pound p..."tarted off with a beautiful 13-or-so pound pork belly from the local wholesale butcher."<br />I'm in your area. Where are you buying nice belly? The only belly I've found so far is from Arnolds and it was quite thin at best.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27945607.post-12184479619657914592008-06-10T10:49:00.000-04:002008-06-10T10:49:00.000-04:00be still my beating heart--as I'm sure it would be...be still my beating heart--as I'm sure it would be after eating this! Dear God, I love pork and this looks fantastic!Anne Colemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07205204013404303196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27945607.post-56965856315082687812008-05-29T14:02:00.000-04:002008-05-29T14:02:00.000-04:00I love how Bacon-centric you are. Makes me want to...I love how Bacon-centric you are. Makes me want to make a trip to Connecticut and knock on your door.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13074949515498662453noreply@blogger.com