Things I Use for Dry Curing

Deli Slicer

I know its $$$, but it was worth every penny.

This is an investment into a passion for meat curing – it really does define dry-cured meats these days. You really can’t get the consistent and uniform wafer thin-slicing without a deli slicer.

Seriously, it’s down to whether you get one now or later. For everything from prosciutto, bresaola, bacon, salami and heaps more – I love using my deli slicer.

Here are some I highly recommend that are home use/ semi-commercial for $200-$300. Honestly, well worth the investment.

Read about the best here.

Digital Scales

The most used a bit of equipment when I cure meat with equilibrium curing, since this works out all the nitty-gritty of an equilibrium cure.

Here are some options for digital scales (& spice grinders) either budget or an investment type.

Prosciutto Knife

It’s better than most knives for thin slicing, the prosciutto knife was a pivotal moment in my 15 years of meat curing.

Thin blade, Granton/teardrop style, quick to touch up/sharpen and super sharp. Here is a right up on top picks I did.

Spice Grinder

Getting a finer dry cure mix makes all the difference. It’s basically a coffee grinder or you can use a mortar & pestle with a bit of arm work. Choose your chunkiness of spice coating as well.

Here is the page on grinders/scales too.

Sausage Casings

When you making fresh sausage or dry-cured salami, you want quality casing that doesn’t tear easily.

This range is reliable and you probably know, you can pack it in salt and it will last a year easily.

Decent Hog Casings = here (salami kind of size, up to 25lbs of meat mass)

Something different: Snack Stick Collagen – Mahogany Smoked Casing (19mm though)

Cheese/Muslin Cloth

Super useful for preventing the surface from drying out as much. It depends on the project but anything oval or long I like to use this cloth a lot.

Check it out

Pellet Tube Smoker

I go on about these smokers a lot! But they are simple and I use them for bacon, other cold smoked ‘meat’ of many types, cheese and veggies. Fill with wood pellets, light and you have many hours of cold smoke.

I wrote a full post on cold smoking here. For some recommendation, a whole write up I did here.

Need a decent butane torch like this too. It just doesn’t work with a regular lighter

Pink Curing Salt

For uncooked meat curing of whole muscle (dry cured salami) or salami – I like to use pink curing salt.

I like this brand, because it’s resealable.

No.2 Pink Curing Salt (for over 30 days dry curing of meat @ a rate of 0.25% of the total meat weight) – if you haven’t got into equilibrium meat curing, here is a write up on it.

Butcher Twine

Useful since it has a no-slip aspect to it, so you can get tightness, minimizing the air pockets. Tighter the better of course.

Check out this stuff, it’s awesome and compost it/biodegradable.

Ruhlman – Salumi

I’ve read a bunch of books on meat curing especially dry curing. This is half instructions, half inspiration and half recipes using the meat curing you make.

It’s inspiring compared to some of the other ‘dry‘ style theory books on dry-curing books. From breaking down a pig the classic Italian way to providing simplification of the many thousands of variations that exist in Italian meat curing.

Check it out here.