Preserving Meat via Salt

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swampratt

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Good read dennishoddy Thanks.

Old friend told me they would salt and smoke the pork and remembers reaching into a barrel of salt as a kid and pulling out a chunk of meat and eating it.. sometimes there was a barrel of brine that had meat in it for many months.

I have been thinking of canning some deer meat this year instead of freezing all of it
 

TedKennedy

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I killed some wild hogs in 2008, right before a long cold spell. I hung the hams in cheescloth, and covered them with sodium nitrate I bought at Heber's meats. I kept a thermometer in the garage to make sure it didn't get too warm - the cold spell lasted about 9 days, iirc.
The hams dripped juice throughout the process, when temps started to climb, my wife put the hams on the smoker for 8-10 hours. You talk about good eatin! Very tasty!
I cured some meat the next year in the fridge the same way, (on a smaller scale) rigging up a drip pan/Tupperware combo. Turned out great.

Problem here is, it doesn't stay cold enough long enough in Oklahoma to thoroughly cure a ham, unless you've got a cellar, or outside smokehouse(even that is iffy). (most of the time)
 

BadgeBunny

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Mr. Kennedy, I am soooo wanting to build a small smokehouse. That is on my "to do" list when we get moved ... I'm thinking about tearing the shelves out of this old fridge we have and dedicating it to using for hanging meat to dry cure.

My wish list for an acreage is quite a site. I think it kinda weird GC out sometimes, but HEY!! we'll both be retired so we'll have all the time in the world ... right?? Lol
 

dennishoddy

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Mr. Kennedy, I am soooo wanting to build a small smokehouse. That is on my "to do" list when we get moved ... I'm thinking about tearing the shelves out of this old fridge we have and dedicating it to using for hanging meat to dry cure.

My wish list for an acreage is quite a site. I think it kinda weird GC out sometimes, but HEY!! we'll both be retired so we'll have all the time in the world ... right?? Lol

My uncle built a smokehouse from brick that could do 1/2 beef.
He spent a lot of time cooking for others.

The misconception that
Anyone has about free time after retirement is going to be an eye opener, unless your a slug in the working world.

If your a slug, disregard this post
 

subprep

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found this recipe in an old canning/preserving book from 1942
Dried Beef
200lbs good fresh killed beef
(the rounds) <--whatever that means

1 pint fine salt
1 teaspoon saltpeter
1/4lb brown sugar
Mix last 3 ingredients well, rubbing out all lumps
Divide mixture into three equal portions.
Place meat in large crocks and rub thoroughly with one portion of above mix.
let stand 1 day.
follow same procedure on second and third days.
Turn meat several times a day.
allow meat to remain in crocks 7 more days, then hang in a warm place until meat stops dripping.

When dripping has stopped, hang in cool shed about 6 weeks to dry thoroughly.
Wrap meat in clean muslin bags and keep in cool place.
If in 6 months meat becomes too hard, soak it in cold water 24 hours and wipe dry.
Wrap again in muslin bags and hang in cool place
 

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