The Cure

The Cure

I just finished curing a bunch of stuff and thought I would share my successes with you.

Curing is one of the oldest ways to flavor and preserve meats and seafood. Along with smoking, salt (and sugar) cures have been used for hundreds of years, back to ancient Roman times. Salt cures are pretty easy, using a mix of salt, sugar and spices all you need is quality meats and time.

I made some cured and smoked beef brisket. To do this, I rubbed and rested the briskets overnight. The rub recipe is below. Then I hot smoked at 200 F for 12 hours. It had a wonderful smoke flavor and “bark” or outer crust, and a nice smoke ring. Really delicious.

Next, I corned the rest of the brisket. This soaks for five days in the corning brine, and then is simmered until fork tender. We had fun with this, sandwiches, corned beef and cabbage, and corned beef hash to name a few.

Finally, I cured some pork belly using the basic cure recipe below. It cured for two weeks and is hanging in the cooler for another two weeks. If I cold smoked this, it would be bacon, but we use it un-smoked in a number of recipes.

All I can say is, if you love to cook, try a cure. They are easy, deeply satisfying ways to work a little culinary magic!

Ciao,
Chef Kurt

BASIC CURE
1 pound kosher salt
½ pound sugar
3 ounces pink salt (for color and preserving qualities)

CORNED BEEF BRINE
1 gallon water
1 3/4 cups kosher salt
½ cup sugar
1 ounce pink salt
3 garlic cloves
2 Tablespoons pickling spice

For one beef brisket, about 5 lbs.

Bring all to a boil, cool completely, brine beef for five days covered in liquid. Drain, cover with cold water and simmer until fork tender.

BBQ RUB
4 Tablespoons paprika
3 Tablespoons kosher salt
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon each ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, ground coriander, brown sugar, oregano, ground white pepper, dried thyme