Category Archives: pork

Bacon, bacon, bacon!

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Our last attempt at curing bacon didn’t work out so well, coming out more like a country ham than bacon. The cure also gave the fat a kind of sickly, gamey flavor that I found mildly off putting. It was a combination of too much salt, too much time and blurring the line between a wet cure and a dry cure.

Back to fundamentals. This 10 pound belly is split into thirds and I’m working on three different recipes: a basic dry cure, a basic wet cure and a bourbon & black pepper wet cure.

Basic Dry Cure

Derived from several online sources. This is for 3.3 lbs of belly.

  • 3.3 lb pork belly, trimmed
  • ¼ cup sea salt
  • ¼ cup raw sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoon pink salt

Combine dry ingredients and coat pork belly liberally on all sides. Seal in a zip lock bag and displace as much air as possible. Refrigerate 5 days, turning daily. After 5 days, rinse the cure from the belly, pat dry and refrigerate on a rack 4 hours or overnight, uncovered. Smoke over 225°F until internal temp reaches 150°F. Refrigerate up to 1 week, or freeze up to 2 months.

Basic Wet Cure

Derived from several online sources. This is for 3.3 lbs of belly.

  • 3.3 lb pork belly, trimmed
  • ¼ cup sea salt
  • ¼ cup raw sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pink salt
  • 2 cups cold water

Combine ingredients in a zip lock bag and slosh around to dissolve. Seal belly in the bag with the brine and displace as much air as possible. Refrigerate 2-3 days, turning daily. After 3 days, rinse the cure from the belly, pat dry and refrigerate in a rack 4 hours or overnight, uncovered. Smoke over 225°F until internal temp reaches 150°F. Refrigerate up to 1 week, or freeze up to 2 months.

Bourbon & Black Pepper Wet Cure

Derived from several online sources. This is for 3.3 lbs of belly.

  • 3.3 lb pork belly, trimmed
  • ¼ cup sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons raw sugar
  • 2 tablespoons coarse ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon pink salt
  • 1 ½ cups cold water
  • ½ cup Kentucky straight bourbon, 80 proof

Combine ingredients in a zip lock bag and slosh around to dissolve. Seal belly in the bag with the brine and displace as much air as possible. Refrigerate 2-3 days, turning daily. After 3 days, rinse the cure from the belly, pat dry and refrigerate in a rack 4 hours or overnight, uncovered. Smoke over 225°F until internal temp reaches 150°F. Refrigerate up to 1 week, or freeze up to 2 months.

Pork Chop Sauerbraten

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Who doesn’t love sour pork?

Ingredients

1 4-5 lb pork roast
2 med onions thinly sliced
2 Cups vinegar
2 TBS brown sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1 clove minced garlic
6 whole cloves (1/4 tsp ground cloves)
2 bay leaves
2 Cups water.
leaves of 3-4 stalks of celery
flour
12 old fashioned gingersnaps – Ground

Directions

Roll or dust roast with flour; brown in shortening and place in crock pot, top with onion slices, garlic cloves bay leaves and celery leaves

Bring vinegar, brown sugar, salt, pepper and 2 Cups water to a boil. pour over pork roast and cook on low for 6 hours.

Remove pork from crock pot, strain so that you only have the liquid and bring the liquid to boil in a med to large sauce pan over med-hi heat. Cook down about 1/3 add ground ginger snaps and whisk until it is a desired thickness. (how thick do you like your gravy?) Shred or cut meat and serve the gravy on the side

Jimmy Dean copycat

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Original recipe from TSR: http://www.food.com/recipe/tsr-version-of-jimmy-dean-pork-breakfast-sausage-by-todd-wilbur-250325

INGREDIENTS

Sage

  • 16 ounces ground pork
  • 1 teaspoon salt No salt added if using Italian sausage
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon rubbed sage (or more)
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon dried thyme (or more)
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon coriander
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon MSG (such as Accent flavor enhancer)

Hot

  • 16 ounces ground pork
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more)
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon rubbed sage
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or more)
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon coriander
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon msg (such as Accent)

Maple

  • 16 ounces ground pork
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon msg (such as Accent)
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon coriander

DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients for the flavor of your choice in a medium bowl.Form the sausage into patties and cook in a skillet over medium heat until brown.