? for anybody

[ice fishin' nut]

Last weekend I went to my buddys folks house in Hubbard Lake. His dad had a nice smokehouse built in the back yard, and we got to talking...... When he was a kid, he lived up there, and said that they didnt have a fridge. He said that his dad used to smoke all the meat to preserve it. He was telling me that the way the tested the brine they made was to keep adding salt, until a egg would float in the brine. Doing it this way, would guarantee that they had a strong enough bring for preserving..... Any body else ever heard of that????


IFN:D

[islaysteelies]

Yes

[sausageman]

Floating a raw egg was a very common way of getting the correct salt content in a salt curing brine. Many years ago my grandfather taught me this trick and it work very well for our hams and bacon.

[ice fishin' nut]

Sausageman,
By any chance do you have a good recipe for bacon,,,, tried it a couple times and was'nt satisfied with the results.

Thanks,
IFN:D

[Salmonsmoker]

The floating egg idea was a way to make brine strong enough to prevent any bacteria from growing on the meat - thus preserving it without refrigeration. It certainly worked. However, today we do have refrigeration. Using strong brines makes for a very salty final product.

When I first started making smoked foods (about 34 years ago), my first experiments came from some old books on making cured and smoked meats. The almost universal reply when I served up the efforts of my hard work was - "that is too salty."

Since that time, I have read a lot of books and done a lot of experimenting in the production of smoked and cured foods that actually taste good. If you run a search in the Wild Game Food Preparation area, you will find many posting that detail this process.

The end result of my research - to get that smoked and cured flavor that people like, use a brine about half the recommended strength - use other spices and flavors in the brine - use cider or other fruit juice for the liquid - keep the "curing" meat at 38 degrees - turn it every 4 hours - and give it enough time to totally penetrate the meat.

Even better - use a salt,sugar, and spice dry rub (some recipes are also posted in the Wild Game cooking forum). Brine tends combine all flavors. A rub brings out individual flavors. It certainly takes more time to use but the results are well worth it.

Salmonsmoker

[HemlockNailer]

ice fishing nut,


I HAVE USED BUCKBOARD BACON CURE FROM HI MOUNTAIN CO. YOU CAN GET IT AT GANDER MT. STORES OR GO ON LINE.

[sausageman]

Ice fishin Nut,
I have tried salt and sugar brined bacon but none have been nearly as good as this:

Honey Cured Bacon

1 cup of Kosher salt
4 tbs sausage cure
2 cups of honey

Mix the salt and the cure thoroughly and rub dry well into pork belly. I personally remove the rind to assure good penetration of the cure. Place 1/2 a belly on a piece of meat wrap and pour over the honey, getting even distribution. Now wrap the belly in the paper and place in refrigeration for 6 days............remove the belly from refrigeration and wash in luke warm water to remove all excess cure and honey and allow to dry for 30 minutes. Place in a 135 degree smoker with dampers open until surface is dry,,,about 1 hour,,,,then close the dampers to 1/4 and pour on the smoke to an internal temp of 128 degrees. Reduce the smoker temp to 120 degrees with smoke and hold until desired color is achieved. COOL OVERNIGHT BEFORE SLICING. This receipe is a bit messy but well worth it .

[Salmonsmoker]

Sausageman,

Have you tried using this process to make Venison Bacon?

Salmonsmoker

[HemlockNailer]

Salmon smoker,

I have not tried using venison, as it is too lean in my opinion.
I have always used fresh pork butt roasts with good results. It is a long process 10 days in refrigeration and then smoking all day. But the results are favorable.

[ice fishin' nut]

Thanks Guys,

I'm going to try both ways, going to pick up a pork belly today from the local meat market, and the local spartan store has pork butt on sale....... will let ya know the results....


IFN:D

[sausageman]

Never tryed this using venison. I don't have the opportunity to get out and hunt anymore due to the business.
A venison back loin would work well, I'll talk my brother out of one and give it a try!!! Let ya know!

[Salmonsmoker]

Sausageman,

I have had some really excellent Venison Bacon made from adding salt, cure, spices, and 20% pork fat to ground venison. Somehow it was pressed and let firm, then smoked. When sliced, it was similar in texture to the Turkey Bacon that is available in stores - however, there was a lot more flavor.

Any ideas how that was accomplished? All of my experiments had the flavor but when I tried to slice the stuff, it wouldn't hold together very well. Maybe they added TVP or some other agent to bind it.

Salmonsmoker

[sausageman]

More than likely the meat was not ground in the same fashion as we do with our standard meat grinders. Most lunch meats are processed with and emulsifier or high speed chopper that almost liquifies the product then a binder is added. The fine consistancy keeps the product firm so it holds together for slicing. The better flavor is acheived thru true smoking the meat. The large producers cannot afford the time required to slow smoke the product so short cuts are used with liquid smoke and steam ovens.
I am interested in tring a venison bacon. I think I can cure a backstrap and come up with something simular to "Canadian"style bacon. It will be lean but low temps may keep it from drying to much.
I will post the results.

[Salmonsmoker]

Sausageman,

I am looking forward to that posting. Venison is the only red-meat that we eat and once we have enough meat in the freezer, I go back to fishing and making smoked foods. Now, I will have to get a deer just for making smoked/cured products.

Salmonsmoker