Being a super keen guy on curing and smoking all kinds of stuff, I’ve spent hundred’s if not thousands of hours smoking over the years (not just meat either). As I’ve learned many of the in’s and out’s of cold smoking over 20 odd years, like everything I’m still learning. But it’s kind of become second nature too. Smokai is …
Best Cuts of Meat for Sausage Making (Diagrams & Pictures)
Cuts of meat vary a lot for making sausages or for that matter salami. Farmed or wild meat does have some key differences for making sausages and the various prime and sub-prime cuts that are available. I’ve enjoyed sausage making for decades and also become proficient at various dry-cured and hot smoked salamis. It’s a MASSIVE topic, and what I’ve …
How to Cure Ham so it’s Not Salty
The classic question that gets asked a lot is how to avoid the ham being too salty, because, after all that effort of brine curing or wet brining the ham you want the result to be perfect. Buying a big chunk of ham or using a precious piece from a pig you’ve reared – it’s a beautiful thing! Then it …
What Pork Fat to Use for Sausages (Diagrams and Details)
When you are making sausages at home, the type of fat you want to use depends sometimes on the type of fat you can get. The big assumption is that all fat is the same – but it is not quite like that. When making sausages it’s either the fresh sausage, smoked/cooked (hot smoked) sausage or a type of dry-cured …
Best Book for Sausage Making (Sausage or Salami)
If you search for the best book on sausage making, you will find a lot of books about this topic on Google, the good old algorithm. However, you want the best of the best. One answer that will give you that answer is someone who actually reads them, crazy! I want to make sure you’re getting the best book if …
Does Cured Meat Need to be Cooked?
Because cured meats come in many different types and variations, whether you have to cook them or not depends on a few things. Meat curing has fascinated me for a long time. I’ve gone across Europe (especially Italy) purely to savor the types of cured meats they have there. For example Calabrian Njuda (a spreadable pork sausage, or Parma from …
What Does Cured Meat Mean?
The meaning of cured meat seems like a pretty simple question, but due to the variations and different types of cured meat, I want to get into more detail. For instance, some cured meats like dry cured meats are ready-to-eat like prosciutto or dry cured picante salami. Then, on the other hand, you have dry cured cold smoked bacon which …
Is Cold Smoking Bacon Safe? (Detailed Answer)
Cold smoking bacon and whether it’s safe or not comes down to how you go about it. Just think about the bacon in supermarkets, most are cold smoked actually. I’ve been cold smoking bacon and other cured meats for nearly 20 years, and my blog is all about curing and cold smoking. It all started when I had some friends …
How to Smoke Bacon With a Pellet Tube Smoker
Using a pellet grill for smoking bacon is pretty straightforward when using a pellet tube smoker. However, there are some key points that I’ve learned over the years that can help make things easier and more straightforward. Of course, like most things, experience and going through the learning curve is part of the process. The bacon we normally eat at …
Can I Cure Meat Without Nitrates/Nitrites (Pink Curing Salt)
Over the years I’ve done a lot of meat curing using sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite. Another name for these is pink curing salt. A question that comes up a lot around here, is whether you need to use them to make cured meats. Curing meat also has a wide meaning, whether it’s dry cured or smoked/cooked (hot smoking). So …
What Salami Does Not Need to be Refrigerated? (And Types)
Some salami needs to be kept in the refrigerator and some do not. I have made salami for a few decades and this question people ask often wanting to take salami on a trip or holiday. Even though there are thousands of variations of salamis, most of the ones I make don’t need refrigeration because there are a dry cured …