CRISIS AVERTED, THX re: help (Ruhlman\'s Bacon)

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

EDITED: ...performed a commando raid and snuck the book out of their house. thanks for your help everyone.

-J

Original Post:

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i have 14 pounds of pork belly that i'm curing today. as luck would have it, my "Charcuterie" book is laying on the kitchen counter of a friend's house a mile away, behind a locked door.

Quick question... if i Recall, his cure is basically his standard dry-cure recipe, PLUS additional sugars for flavoring, brown sugar and maple...

Is that right?
anyone have a copy on-hand nearby? I tried webbing/googling but nothing definitive from the book itself.

Thanks in advance

ps: this is as close as I have come from googling
"Basic Dry Cure

Adapted from Charcuterie

45 grams kosher salt

22 grams sugar

5 grams pink salt

Mix the ingredients well. If so desired, add 1/2 cup maple syrup or brown sugar and/or 1 tbsp. black pepper."

gdenby

Another adaptation here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/09/dining/091crex.html

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

yeah. that's a savory version. looking for his sweet version. i am actually making both, including this savory recipe.

thanks

ResQue

Here you go:

Basic dry cure:
450g kosher salt
225g sugar
50g pink salt
(makes approx 3-1/2 cups(725g)

Bacon:
One 3-5 lb slab pork belly
Basic dry cure 50g per 3-5 lbs

For sweeter add 125mL of maple syrup or 125g maple sugar or brown sugar.

Savory:
add 5 smashed garlic cloves, 3 crushed bay leaves, and 10g of partially cracked black peppercorns.

Fidel

yum...poison bacon

nothing like curing from memory to put a little fear in your mind the first time you serve it to the unsuspecting.

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

thanks very much.

that was it
as they say in france. Mucho thankibus

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

bah. curing is pretty simple stuff. anyway, i really have no problems if the specific recipients of this batch get sick. i'll never see them again. it's part of a big joke i am pulling on three pretty oblivious guys.

Boilermaker Ben

Got my copy of Charcuterie for my birthday last month. Waiting for it to cool off a bit, and then bacon will be the first thing I make. No hardware required (aside from a cheapo cold smoking setup (soldering iron, can).

fishlessman

going to hang it in the living room :laugh:

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

ruhlman actually hot smokes his. no sense waiting!

Boilermaker Ben

Yeah, I know, but I like the idea of cold smoked better. I suppose I should really do both and compare.

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

that would be pancetta, my friend.

have you even cracked that book? :silly:

Chubby

Damm Stike!!

Got my copuy out...poured a cuppa Joe, and was about6 to send you my # so's we couls talk!!

Just the idea of actually chatt'ring with St!ke...???

Well..,let's just say as happy as I am you got yours...I'm just a little let down now... :(

ResQue

Anytime.

ResQue

I must have hit the back button on my droid.

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

i did it cold smoked the first time. subtler, milder. need a loooooong cold smoke to match the intensity of hurry-up hot-smoke

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

ok. well then can you help my wife look for the bay leaves? everyone has that little box of bay leaves in the back there somewhere, just can't ever find them, can we?

fishlessman

just figured since you were going by a recipe from memory :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: seems i get the book out every fall and something happens, im under a full blown mouse attack right now and there is no food in the house, its crazy this year. maybe i can do it at the camp when it cools alittle

Fidel

Just be sure to keep it adequately refrigerated or you run the risk of really making people ill.

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

mouse attack. hahaha

i actually was gonna do one of these four slabs as pancetta, but i ended up making two maple and two savory.

pancetta takes a lot longer too, cuzza the air-drying.

good luck with the infestation

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

folks can always talk to me. $4 per minute, five minute minimum charge.

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

excellent idea!

unplugging the fridge right now

(hi-mountain actually recommends temps of 40-45 degrees. i bet that will send the food police into a tailspin)

BurntRaw

Mouse attack? Are you sure they're not in kitchen at night whipping up some delectable eats? Hold on, I think that was rats...never mind.

We are inundated with wasp this year - I have never seen it this bad. Have already gone through seven cans of spray but they just keep turning up - started a nest in my veg pan in my redneck kitchen (a bit of a surprise when I grabbed that), in a stack of cozies above my cooler (another surprise), in the bird house, in my attic, wood pile, etc, etc.

fishlessman

house next to me has been vacant for the ten years ive been in this neighborhood, when the night temps start dropping they plan to take over my house, every year come fall im invaded, this year the whole russian mouse army is on the move, ive trapped over thirty since war was declared two weeks ago :laugh: :laugh: stepped into a honey bee nest a few weeks back, same yard next door, never knew those bit that hard, they must leave some type if infection behind because it hurt longer than any bee bite ive ever had. strange summer up here. neighbor on the other side has 4 cats on full patrol and they aint slowing those mice down

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

maybe i'll buy the house next door and move in :woohoo:

fishlessman

make sure you bring your old house with you, this ones ready to go. :laugh: i love the house, every neighbor points at that yard even though mines worse :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

ResQue

Can't help her find them, but I know where mine are. I'll airmail them!