Tips
and Recipes
The featured recipes were
developed by meat curing experts at Morton and made easy for everyone to
enjoy. As you begin, please keep in mind that home meat curing is not an
exact science. If you should experience difficulty in the preparation of
an individual recipe, refer to the following meat curing tips to help ease
the process. Remember patience is the key to perfection!
Dry Curing - After applying
the cure, place meat in a plastic food storage bag and tie end with a twist
tie. For large cuts of meat and poultry, use large-size food storage bags
which are available in most grocery stores. Do not use garbage bags.
Brine Curing - To prepare the
brine, use non-corrosive bowls, such as plastic, glass or stainless steel.
Crocks work well, too, but will take up more space in the refrigerator.
Prepare enough brine so that meat is fully submerged. Use a bowl or plate
as a weight to keep meat fully immersed in the brine.
Meat cuts differ in thickness
and amount of bone and fat which affect cure penetration rate. You may
have to lengthen curing time if using a thicker cut than specified in a
recipe.
Feel free to experiment with
spices when curing to suit your family's taste. However, do not exceed
the curing levels indicated in the recipes.
To eliminate guesswork, label
and date meats before curing. We recommend labeling day and time the meat
is to be removed from the cure.
If meat is too salty, soak or
boil in water to remove excess salt. Next time, remember to rinse cured
meat under running tap water to remove excess salt or reduce curing time
slightly.
Cure meat in the refrigerator
(36° - 40°F). At colder temperatures, meat will not cure properly.
Warmer temperatures encourage growth of spoilage microorganisms.
After curing, meat and poultry
are still raw and must be cooked before being eaten. For your convenience,
most recipes include suggested cooking instructions. Should you decide
to give a home-cured delicacy as a gift, let the recipient know if you
have cooked it.
Cured meat turns a pink or reddish
color when cooked. If meat is fully cured, it will be pink throughout the
cut. For poultry, use a meat thermometer to determine doneness, as meat
will appear light pink when fully cooked.
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