Guide to Drying and Curing Meat at Home in Detail

My online course is perfect for someone wanting to learn how to make dry cured meats at home: eatcuredmeat.c...

[@goofsaddggkle7351]

Something I’ve always wanted to try but thought making sausage was the starting point not the endgame! Thank you for clarifying that for me.

[@eatcuredmeat]

Hey thanks for checking it out, its a crafty world of sausages and meat curing! I'm continually learning too!

[@atherton46]

Wow very detailed and very interesting, i have been curing my own bacon over the year or so i have never thought of using vac bags / sous bags I have only used them for the completed cured and dried bacon, instead i have simply cured the bacon in a plastic container. i am using the equilibrium method much prefer how it regulates the salt content. i am going to make a smoker to smoke the bacon, really keen to give this a go. thanks keep this up very informative - Ron

[@eatcuredmeat]

Thanks Ron, check out smokai, awesome smoke generator for how and cold smoking - cheers Tom! eatcuredmeat.com/smokai-cold-hot-smoke-generator-review-in-detail/

[@charliecarpenter2840]

Thanks for all the effort you have put into this, excellent info and a great place to start. I make biltong slightly differently but the principles are the same , making my first foray into larger pieces. Bought a couple of roasting joints tonight, one pork, one beef. I'll be trying your equilibrium cure method while I set up the drying fridge.

[@eatcuredmeat]

Awesome and thanks! Yeah Biiktong is amazing for hunting and snacking!

[@KaylaDixon-q7m]

I’m so excited to learn that I can make my own cured meats in my fridge. I want to live on my own homestead one day but live in an apartment right now. We want to raise cows so learning this skill now will definitely help me later.

[@eatcuredmeat]

Thanks, I've got a ton of videos coming, just need to record them. Remember for thousands of years, they didnt even have fridges to do it! Do it, savor the struggle! :-) Tom

[@Dan-wt8vn]

I complement you on your style and detail. Your efforts are appreciated.

[@eatcuredmeat]

Wow thank you, those are words of encouragement :-) Tom

[@braccialpainforgains5223]

Thanx so much for the in depth explanation for curing and drying!

[@eatcuredmeat]

Hey thanks for the encouragement, way more to publish

[@shanewall4470]

Brilliant video! Too much useful info to absorb in just one viewing!

[@eatcuredmeat]

thanks! too much better then not enough 🙂

[@stevetreat616]

Excellent video, well done. The pacing of your narration was very good for this instructional video. I look forward to reviewing more of the information on your web site.

[@eatcuredmeat]

Thanks appreciated!

[@franks4973]

You gave me an idea. I make American style bacon in my fridge then smoke. Since smoke is protective I could cool smoke it for 30 minutes, then dry rub and put in fridge for a week. Then pull it out and smoke the rest of the way.

[@eatcuredmeat]

Yes, I've done a cold smoke then hot smoke too. Get a good pellicle on the meat first, and more smoke vapor will stick to it.

[@conkshell9445]

When we did cold smoked Marlin, we brined for 5 days, smoke for 5 days. Our oroduct won (via a travellng chef) a prize on the continent. We left a piece uncovered for two weeks ..even in Jamaica's climate, it was not "attacked".

[@eatcuredmeat]

Awesome salt + cold smoke - a few thousands of years proven history! Cheers T

[@CountCristo]

Really good video thanks Maybe a bit outside scope - but as someone with a penicillin allergy do you think that would be a concern?

[@eatcuredmeat]

Dont have qualification to answer that my friend! All the best Tom

[@CountCristo]

@ totally fair enough thanks anyway :) I’ll find out another way

[@krein6121]

Thanks mate

[@eatcuredmeat]

Thank you to for your interest ! Tom

[@musicofDK]

I mean you started with “salt and fridge”….then half-way through talking about humidifier and penicillin at the end.

[@eatcuredmeat]

OK

[@shahatey]

"ok" 😳!? Hahaha... 🤣😅😂 What a flog 😅😂

[@RussellAldrich-xt9rq]

I love cured meats of all kinds! I subscribed after first video, so much to learn. So here’s a question, maybe a dumb one. With the bacon specifically, is it slice and eat or do you still need the cook it?

[@eatcuredmeat]

Thanks appreciated! Got alot ore videos on the way, when I get the time to edit. It depends! If making a dry cured pancetta (not bacon), then drying to 30%+ - slicing wafer and eating is good to go. Dry cured bacon is often not dried out as much, because you want some water/moisture left in it - it's cooked. Technically, you could jus tkeep drying the bacon, then slice and eat too. Cheers, Tom

[@JonathanEacher]

Excellent tutorial 🎉 Thank you

[@eatcuredmeat]

thanks so much! encouragement, more videos to come. I prefer going into the detail rather then skipping the meat! :-) Tom

[@JonathanEacher]

​@eatcuredmeat it was very helpful. Personally the details allow me to really understand and therefore change methods to suit my own preference 🎉

[@supercool25]

Anyone else watching videos like this in case the apocalypse starts

[@eatcuredmeat]

Better can those skills sorted, before you don't have youtube access anymore :-) Thanks for watching, Tom

[@Deliverance-Childrens-Bread]

119 ministries KZbin watch the video called the Sabbath day. Test everything

[@eazyrider6122]

Dry cure meat has been arojnd forever without all that tech stuff. Do it in spring Autum and winter and save your money. At these times of the year i can just hang mine up in my wooden smoke box and if its getting over 15 deg i just chuck in a couple of 2 litre frozen ice bottles. They will last 2 days. Humidity is good in there as well .

[@eatcuredmeat]

👍 great ! Good to have a climate that suits. For doing large diameter soppresatta salami, and big chunks. I like to have a controlled environment for consistent outcomes so I don't waste the effort. Even the 80,000 prosciutto factory I visited in itsly lost 2 or 3 % fron hanging in the open. Cheer T

[@The_Hairy_Farmer]

Enjoyed the video mate! As I am on a carnivore diet, what are the consequences of me dropping everything but salt? Also, can I flavour my cures with whiskey/brandy/rum etc.?

[@eatcuredmeat]

Hey thanks, Im not a dietian, but yeah use booze for flavor if you want! smoky burbon!

[@TheDrunkenBBQ]

This is awesome my friend. I’ve tried 2x curing a ham (first time it turnes green and 2nd time the smoker caught fire, oops). Seeing this i have to try it again, would be a great video for my channel too🔥👍

[@eatcuredmeat]

Heya, drying curing and ham smoking/cooking very different! Good luck cheers Tom

[@annette_138]

😂 Did it become charred?

[@JoeJohnson1]

This is really fascinating. Thanks for the info. You posted that we shouldn't use aged red meat. Does it not work, or should we use a different process. I just bought a whole cow and had the belly set aside just for beef bacon. But it was aged three weeks.

[@eatcuredmeat]

I've done with wet aged venison, which was then frozen. It's all about unwanted bacteria my friend. 3 weeks, is plenty of time for bacteria to start off and it depends on aging environment, of course it would have been in a chiller. Can't make those calls for you, if it was me I would make hot smoked beef bacon, not cold smoked. Cheers Tom

[@JoeJohnson1]

@@eatcuredmeat Thanks Tom. Same internal temp as pork, 155ish?

[@T.RexUAPS]

Love the detail and love you put on explaining 🦖

[@eatcuredmeat]

appreicated ;-)

[@blazingarrows6117]

You have gained a sub.

[@eatcuredmeat]

thanks !

[@dgeorget2372]

Very informative. Thank you so much.

[@eatcuredmeat]

Thank you! Very encouraging - Tom

[@gippslandmedia]

Have been looking at getting your bacon course. Do you nitrates in any of your courses?

[@eatcuredmeat]

I go over it, its optional and up to you. Cheers Tom

[@AircomfortMechanical]

Thank you Great video very informative

[@eatcuredmeat]

Thanks, encouraging - Have some videos in the pipeline....

[@kyler565]

For someone that doesnt eat pig. Can you substitute beef cuts?

[@eatcuredmeat]

Definitely, I 've any red met works like venison, elk etc..

[@damielswatske1368]

I have a question for you sir I had a 5 lb pork loin and I did read that one teaspoon of number 2 curing salt would do the trick Plus Salt I hope that is the truth just checking with you thank you for the video

[@eatcuredmeat]

Hey Daniel, I put together a equilibrium curing calc on my site - you can get to it from the top of each page - eatcuredmeat.com/meat-curing-calculator-tool-equilibrium-curing-brining/ It depends on if you are wet or drying curing - here is dry curing Meat Weight 5 lb Salt 2% Pink Curing Salt 5.67 g or 0.2 oz Sea Salt 45.36 g or 1.6 oz

[@standom2390]

Hi, do you know how to cure with ONLY salt and fat? I am highly allergic to plant matter, i am on PKD-carnivore.

[@eatcuredmeat]

Yes, just use salt and good quality pork fat. Cheers Tom

[@KevinLappao]

Make an essay about that thanks

[@eatcuredmeat]

Already have, Check out the essay here - eatcuredmeat.com/how-to-cure-meat-at-home-complete-illustrated-guide/

[@theeclecticnurse2485]

Very cool. Glad to find your channel. Can you dry cure pork fat? I have a bunch in my freezer that I was going to render for soap lard, but the hogs were lean (grass fed and finished Hampshires). Hubby says it has to come out of the freezer.

[@eatcuredmeat]

Thanks! For sure, Lardo, Salt Pork or Spanish Tocino Salado 1 pound chunks it cured in about 6 months (dark place important), then weight loss of 30-40%. All the best Tom

[@Stape97]

Thank you. Can i dry cure chicken breasts or chicken thighs? You said in video only about pork and red meat.

[@eatcuredmeat]

for dry curing, ie not cooking i wouldnt chicken can easily carry or have alot more bacteria and unwanted bugs. Although, I've heard some parts of the world they eat raw sashimi chicken! would have to be super fresh! cheers T

[@Stape97]

@@eatcuredmeat thanks

[@petripat5979]

Great video 👍

[@eatcuredmeat]

thanks, motivating!!! :-)

[@jerryhaskell3568]

Wow I didn't realize that our ancestors had to go through so much I thought it was just salt

[@eatcuredmeat]

It was, now a bit of science might make things more consistent and safer and tastier!

[@joebird1400]

It is

[@joebird1400]

Just salt

[@rubygray7749]

I assume that when you give figures for "pounds per day", you mean, "days per pound". This is confusing.

[@eatcuredmeat]

Yep sounds good, these free videos I put out can be challenging! Cheers Tom

[@johanswart8116]

Looks very complicated. Lol will stick with making biltong and drywors. Geeetings from south africa.

[@eatcuredmeat]

No worries, good luck. Consistency and longer dry curing take patience and effort. I reckon results are definitely worth it though. Anyone who want to have a crack, needs to know that. cheers T

[@zannaB60]

Can these meats be dry cured outside of a refrigerator, like by salting then hanging as was done by our ancestors forever? I have seen folks do it successfully on KZbin. Just asking .

[@eatcuredmeat]

Yeah of course, leaves more to luck, since you can't control environment much. But If you have conditions for sure, I'm pretty sure I said something in this video about that

[@T.RexUAPS]

Costa Rica says Hello!

[@eatcuredmeat]

Helllo! from NZ!

[@K3rmitDaFr4g91]

You think this would work for squirrel?

[@eatcuredmeat]

I guess any meat, though with weight loss you wont en up with much! Some wild game I have cured like wild mallard duck or wild Canada Goose, was too strong in game-flavor for me! But you could offset with herbs/spices etc if it is. I google it, sounds like rabbit flavoured!

[@harrykuheim6107]

This info was an ordinary part of life before refrigeration...You got some Pork, Salt, and Smoke...Hang it...every Granda Pa Farmer knew how to do it...I'll bet a Real Old Smoked Virginy Ham was good...

[@eatcuredmeat]

Definitely, quality knowledge passed down, like Roman Empire to Italians for a couple of thousand years. The Czech/Slovak, Germans etc.. brought so much curing/smoking knowledge to USA too. I wonder what food illness stats were like back in the day also, impossible to know. Guess that took it seriously also since it was kinda survival

[@andersyuran7725]

In Europe this is not dry curing. Its curing in its own brine

[@eatcuredmeat]

Cool thanks!

[@filizhunters4452]

Stopped listening you talk slow and drag on

[@eatcuredmeat]

no worries, this craft does require patience

[@filizhunters4452]

@@eatcuredmeatactually, not everyone can be a speaker