Salt curing pork (and other meats)

My Granddaddy done it, but I was younger and not interested. I recently put 3 hogs in the freezer. All of the fat back is blocked. I would like to salt cure it. On line had tons of tips and info good and bad. But from some folks that actually made it, can you give me some tips on what you did. I want to try this on fat back before I try it on ham. I did slice some the other day and just covered with salt for 3 days before cooking. It fried up good and salty, but it's not cured.

I've not done fatback specifically, but I've done bacon a few times. I cure it in the crisper drawers in the bottom of my fridge. Mix your salt cure with whatever spices you want to use and cover the meat. I turned it over every day for about a week and tested it for firmness. Once the moisture is drawn out, rinse it off and dry it and cold smoke it.

I've got a chunk of hog jowl that I cured into bacon (it's called guanciale in Italy) that is almost 2 years old and has never been refrigerated.

Fatback can be salt cured between 38 and 42 degrees. average piece takes about 2 weeks. It is harder in a refrigerator because of the humidity. Air needs to be dry as possible to cure the meat. Also Fatback is not smoked traditionally , side meat that is cure is smoked to be bacon.

I did it the old way. Made a salt box. Let the meat cool and rub with salt. Put in the box, covered with more salt, and hoped for cool weather. Work fine most of the time.

I think it would be much better with controlled temps.

skiff23 said:

Fatback can be salt cured between 38 and 42 degrees. average piece takes about 2 weeks. It is harder in a refrigerator because of the humidity. Air needs to be dry as possible to cure the meat. Also Fatback is not smoked traditionally , side meat that is cure is smoked to be bacon.

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It is hard to get these temps consistently for 2 weeks anymore !!! Well...it is hard to cure a ham now days because we don't have the cold temps we had years ago in a manner you can plan 2 weeks out !! Streaked lean and bacon, like was done mentioned, folks have adapted to new ways because of such !!
OP...you said it was blocked ?? It is entirely too early in the year in my opinion to be killing a hog and trying to cure anything in a uncontrolled environment.

greg_n_clayton said:

It is hard to get these temps consistently for 2 weeks anymore !!! Well...it is hard to cure a ham now days because we don't have the cold temps we had years ago in a manner you can plan 2 weeks out !! Streaked lean and bacon, like was done mentioned, folks have adapted to new ways because of such !!
OP...you said it was blocked ?? It is entirely too early in the year in my opinion to be killing a hog and trying to cure anything in a uncontrolled environment.

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Yes this fatback is currently blocked and in the freezer. These were not backyard kills due to weather. When it's colder, I do want to try salt curing some. Part of the reasons I'm looking into this now.

Not what I would call true salt cured (from the old ways).................but I ran some through a slicer at about 1/8 inch thick. Used pickling salt (all I had at the time) and lightly covered, vacuum sealed to get air tight, then wrapped in black plastic to keep light off, sit in fridge from the 26th until today. Fried up crispy, turned out really good. Just enough salt on it, but not too salty. 20 more pounds will be will be done the same way tonight. May try to let these sit a few more days, but then they will hit the freezer. Im just not too sure that I want to try to to leave anything from a hog or chicken that is uncooked for two weeks on the fridge.

As far as temps. If you have 3-4 nights that stay in the 30 * range and does not get above 50* with the meat box in cool dark place the meat will take the salt. Cool the meat good before it us put in the salt cox and it will not spoil under there conditions. Cover in the box good with salt. The salt will stay cool and make sure flies can not get to it. It will cure. I lost my meat a few years ago from a neighbor coming by and wanting to look . I did not know it. He would open the box and look when it was warm. He allowed flies in and the multiplied . When my time was up to remove the meat , I open a box full of flies and bad meat. Just saying....