How to Cure Meat in a Smoke House

Curing meat is a delicious and effective way to preserve meat and enhance its flavor at the same time. In fact, before useful kitchen appliances such as freezers and refrigerators were invented, curing meat was the primary way of preserving meat that otherwise would go bad. Although curing meat is not as easy as putting it in your refrigerator, if you have a smokehouse it's not that difficult.

Things You'll Need

• Sugar
• Salt and/or saltpeter
• Meat hooks or hangers
• Hardwood

Instructions

1. Rub sugar, salt and/or saltpeter on the meat before smoking to add and enhance the flavor and smoked qualities of the meat. A sample sugar cure mixture could include 4 lb. salt, 1 1/2 lb. white or light brown granulated sugar, and 3 oz. saltpeter. Use about 1 1/2 oz. of the mixture per 1 lb. of ham, and 1 oz. per 1 lb. of bacon. If you are curing other types of meat do research to establish proper curing mixtures and quantities.

2. Chill the meat in a cool place, around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the meat dry and cure overnight to absorb the curing ingredients.

3. Hang your meat slabs in your smokehouse so they hang freely and don't touch anything including walls and other pieces of meat. Use meat hooks, hangers or anything else to hang your meat.

4. Build a wood fire in the smokehouse out of hardwoods such as apple or oak. Do not use evergreens such as pine.

5. Open the smokehouse vent for the first day to let the moisture escape. Keep an eye on the temperature within the smokehouse, keeping it in the 80- to 90-degrees Fahrenheit range.

6. Shut the smokehouse vent for the second day of curing and keep it closed for two or three days. Continue to monitor the temperature, keeping between 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

7. Remove the cured meat from the smokehouse and hang it in a cool, dry place or refrigerate it. Keeping the meat in a temperature above 45 degrees Fahrenheit will allow the meat to continue to age.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not age ham for over a year unless it is a large piece weighing over 25 lb.

• Avoid overheating your meat. A thin layer of smoke is just as effective as a thick fog.

• Be careful when using fire in an enclosed area such as a smokehouse. Make sure the proper ventilation is available and have water or another fire extinguisher nearby in case of emergency.

References

• The Home Processor: Meat Curing and Smoking Suplies
• Sugar Mountain Home: Curing Meat
• End Times Report: Building a Smokehouse