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Curing 200+ pounds of pork 3 different ways. Dry cure, wet cure and salt only cure.

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135

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  • tfhanson
    tfhanson Posts: 219
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    Let me know when and where.
    Johns Creek, GA - LBGE and a some stuff
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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
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    tfhanson said:
    Let me know when and where.
    Save my name and number and give me a call/text toward the end of January and let me know if you can make it. By then I will know for sure what weekend we are having the killing. My name is Scottie. Number is 228-627-5400. 

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • tfhanson
    tfhanson Posts: 219
    edited December 2015
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    SGH said:
    tfhanson said:
    Let me know when and where.
    Save my name and number and give me a call/text toward the end of January and let me know if you can make it. By then I will know for sure what weekend we are having the killing. My name is Scottie. Number is 228-627-5400. 
    Will do.  Just added a reminder to my calendar. 
    Johns Creek, GA - LBGE and a some stuff
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,767
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    this post has me drooling for a smoked cured shoulder dinner
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
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    fishlessman said:
    this post has me drooling for a smoked cured shoulder dinner
    I deboned the shoulders and cured them too. Going to cold smoke them after the cure. 

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
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    fishlessman said:
    this post has me drooling for a smoked cured shoulder dinner

    I was drooling after they knocked it down

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

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  • DaveRichardson
    DaveRichardson Posts: 2,324
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    Brother Scottie-  this is one thing that I never got to learn from my grandfather who was a hog farmer in Kentucky. 

    I do remember that we would get a whole ham out of the old barn at thanksgiving and bring it home to Atlanta. It typically rode between my sister and me in the backseat!

    We'd hand it in the crawl space until Christmas when we'd drag it up and start cooking away!  Good times!

    I'd love to get truly fresh meat from my "dirty hippy market" that just emailed my on a cow butchering seminar they are doing next month!!!  SWMBO wasn't too interested!

    Memory lane, my friend!  Keep it rolling!!!

    LBGE #19 from North GA Eggfest, 2014

    Stockbridge, GA - just south of Atlanta where we are covered up in Zombies!  #TheWalkingDead films practically next door!

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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
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    DaveRichardson said:
    Memory lane, my friend!  
    Sadly, as we get old enough, memories is all that we have left my friend. Great story above brother, and thanks for the kind words. 

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
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    @nolaegghead
    Cutting some fresh pork chops. These ain't going in the cure. Straight from pig to plate my long haired friend =)

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
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    Nice Scottie.

    Interesting fact:  Curing salt - sodium nitrite, used to cure pork is actually extremely toxic to pigs if they eat it.  It's used to control, through baiting, wild pig populations that are out of control.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
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  • Gamecockeggman
    Gamecockeggman Posts: 1,329
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    SGH you very well could be my hero
    Go Gamecocks!!!
    1 XL, 1 MM
    Smoking in Aiken South Carolina
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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
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    nolaegghead said:
    Nice Scottie.

    Interesting fact:  Curing salt - sodium nitrite, used to cure pork is actually extremely toxic to pigs if they eat it.  It's used to control, through baiting, wild pig populations that are out of control.
    Lot of long words in there my friend ;)

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
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    Fellows, tomorrow was the original planned day to pull this meat from the cure and cold smoke it in the smoke house. However due to very high temps and 95%+ humidity everyday, it will be Wednesday at the earliest. The meat is just not tightening up yet. 

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • Angus1978
    Angus1978 Posts: 390
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    @SGH thanks for sharing all you do. So cool
    LBGE and Primo XL Plano TX All right all right alllll riight
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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
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    Angus1978 said:
    @SGH thanks for sharing all you do. So cool
    It's honestly my pleasure brother to share what little I can. I'm glad to be a small part of such a great group of people. 

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 11,528
    edited December 2015
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    The delivery truck came this morning, 700 pages and almost 1-3/4" thick. Worth its weight in white gold dust  =)

    canuckland
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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
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    @Canugghead
    I wish I could hit both the like and agree button. Hope you enjoy it my friend. You are about to go old school. Once you do, you will never go back ;)

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • walleyv
    walleyv Posts: 147
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    Wow this thread and the other with the hogs being butchered brings back some fond memories. We used to butcher our own hogs and cure them them using slat and a smoke house my dad built.  I would always get busted going in the smoke house and eating the bacon right out of the salt box.  Man that was good.  
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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
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    walleyv said:
      I would always get busted going in the smoke house and eating the bacon right out of the salt box.  
    This^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I especially like. 

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
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    The temp is getting right, just need the humidity to drop 5-10 percent. A curist is akin to a farmer, both are always at the mercy of the weather. 

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
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    SGH said:
    The temp is getting right, just need the humidity to drop 5-10 percent. A curist is akin to a farmer, both are always at the mercy of the weather. 



    Scottie, this weather has been unbelievable, I'm sure the same for you.  Hoping your hogs are happily cured and you can hang them soon.
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
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    bgebrent said:
    Scottie, this weather has been unbelievable, I'm sure the same for you.  Hoping your hogs are happily cured and you can hang them soon.
    You are correct brother. This weather has really been something to see. I bet Al Gore is smiling like a mule chewing briars.  I'm really hoping to hang it all on Wednesday, but it's not looking promising at the moment. 

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • westernbbq
    westernbbq Posts: 2,490
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    First it was my dad, then my brother, then Walter Payton. but now my new hero is SGH! Way to go brothaman on those hogs!
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  • Sundown
    Sundown Posts: 2,980
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    Darby_Crenshaw said:
    Good old italian proscuttio (as in, typical small prodcition, farmhouse curing, before production optimized for commercial quality control) was just to simply bury in salt and stack another on top, add salt, add another, etc. (the stacking is why it ended up flattened, and also squeezed out water)

    This was all done at room temp

    this is why i have to laugh at the "my fire went out" butt posts

    the french too, farmhouses, pre refrigeration, kept a perpetual crock of brine. You'd throw the meat in it and take it out when you needed it. It had NOTHING to do with flavor (initially). It was just where you stored meat

    herbs were added eventually. Sugar too (sugar is a very recent thing. Rare until mid 1700s)

    heck. There are piles of mammoth bones sometimes found under rocks. These were called "meat caches". Weight down the meat with stones and the water itself was a relative improvement for storing meat. 

    Short step from that to salt water

    in fact, gravlax is from 'grav' meaning grave. What do you do with a lot of fish after a successful catch? Bury it in the sand just above high water. 

    They had no idea the salt in the sand was curing the meat. It just did. At ambient temps

    we have no good reason to be afraid of our food

    i'll say again (until i am blue in the face), it's arguably safer to eat pork raw than it is to eat a tomato or spinach raw
    I'd bet you were stike or **** Hurtz from Holden or whatever you call yourself these days!
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  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
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    Nothing sneaks by you!


    [social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others]

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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
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    Darby_Crenshaw said:
    Nothing sneaks by you!


    There is just no fooling some folks ;)

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 11,528
    edited December 2015
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    I scanned the book rapidly last night.  First dumb question (food for thought) ... most recipes mention temperature and humidity, how did our forefathers measure them? 

    Here in the GWN I have four cold places at my disposal: unheated garage, unheated enclosed front porch, garden shed, basement cantina. 
    canuckland
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  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
    edited December 2015
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    Canugghead said:
    most recipes mention temperature and humidity, how did our forefathers measure them? 

    although thermometers and hygrometers aren't anything new, they likely didn't measure anyway.  this was all done seasonally, for starters.  they wouldn't be slaughtering in the summer.  there's a reason hogs are slaughtered in the fall/winter

    but it is also something passed down from father to son, and learned empirically, through experience.

    when you write a book for a modern audience, you write down exact things.
    but grampa didn't need that bullsh!t.  day's not too hot, good to go
    [social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others]

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  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 11,528
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    @Darby_Crenshaw  Thanks for your insight as always. 

    Agree 100% about the seasonal part. My mom used to make 'lap cheong' (chinese sausage) only in the Indian winter, she said you need the 'northern wind' and would literally hang them out on clothesline to cure. 

    Even here in the frozen GWN, regular supermarkets have special deals on whole legs and NY shoulders only during 'sausage making season'.  Some folks would not buy a house without a large cantina in the basement.
    canuckland
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  • bob.bud
    bob.bud Posts: 297
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    the respect level I have for folks in this forum continues to grow. Thank you SGH  for sharing.

    @darby_crenshaw, you my friend, should teach a class to free the paranoid from their fear of food. 
    Bloomfield Hills, MI | LGBE : AR R & B Oval Combo w/Extender and Sliding D Grid : Kick Ash Basket : Smokeware Cap : Smobot Beta
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