Recipes

Recipes using Honey Cure

Honey Cure Ham
Chicken Jerky
Beef or Wild Game Jerky

 

Honey Cure Ham

Ham made with Bradley Cure Mix will have the same delightful pink color of the commercially produced products, but it will taste better than the ham available at the grocery store.
Any lean cut of pork can be used to make the ham:
Use pork sirloin, pork shoulder, loin, or the rear leg (fresh ham).  However, the meat should not be more than about 2 inches (5 cm) thick.  The width and length are not important, but the hunks or slabs of pork need to be small enough to fit in the curing containers and smoker.  If the meat is more than about 2 inches (5 cm) thick, the curing time will be excessive.

CURE MIX FOR 5 LBS. (2.25 KG) OF PORK

• 3 Tbsp (45 ml) Bradley Honey Cure
(Do not use more than this amount.)
• 1 tsp. (5 ml) teaspoons onion granules or onion powder
• 1 tsp. (5 ml) garlic granules or garlic powder
• 1 tsp. (5 ml) white pepper
• honey (optional) 1 to 3 Tbsp.

Note: If the meat weighs either more or less than 5 pounds (2.25 kg), the amount of cure mix applied must be proportional to that weight.  For example, if the weight of the meat is 2 1/2 pounds (1.15 kg), then each ingredient, including the Bradley Cure, needs to be cut in half.
Blending and applying the curing mix

1. Weigh the pork.  If more than one curing container will be used, calculate separately the total weight of the meat that will be placed in each container.  Refrigerate the meat while the cure mix is being prepared.  (Any plastic food container with a tight-fitting lid -- or a strong plastic bag -- can be used as a curing container.) 
2. Prepare, calculate, and measure the required amount of curing mixture for each container.  Mix this curing blend until it is uniform. 
3. Place the meat in the curing container(s).  Rub the cure mix on all surfaces evenly.  Cover, and refrigerate.  The refrigerator temperature should be set between 34º and 40º F (2.2º to 4.4º C).
4. Overhaul the pieces of meat after about 12 hours of curing.  (Overhaul means to rub the surfaces of the meat to redistribute the cure.)  Be sure to wet the meat with any liquid that may have accumulated in the bottom of the curing container.
5. Overhaul the meat about every other day until the required curing time has elapsed.  (Cure one week per inch: If the thickest piece is 1 inch, cure 1 week; if the thickest piece is two inches, cure the whole batch 2 weeks.)
6. When the curing is finished, rinse each piece of pork very well in lukewarm water.  Drain in a colander, and blot with a paper towel. Refrigerate overnight.

Smoking the ham

1. The next morning, dry the surface of the meat inside of a smoker heated to about 140º F (60º C).  If a smoker is used, make sure that the damper is fully open.  Do not use smoke.  Drying the surface will require one or two hours. 
2. When the surface is dry, cold smoke the pork for 3 hours.  If your smoke chamber temperature is higher than 85º F (about 30º C), the smoking time might have to shortened to prevent excessive drying.
3. Raise the smoke chamber temperature to about 150º F (65º C).  Smoke about 2 or 3 hours more until the surface of the ham takes on an attractive reddish-brown color.  Remove the meat from the smoke chamber.

Cooking the ham

After removing the ham from the smoker, it may be cooked using one of several methods, or it may be refrigerated or frozen and cooked later.  If it is to be refrigerated or frozen, cool it at room temperature for an hour or so and refrigerate it – uncovered – overnight; the next morning it may be wrapped and, if you desire, frozen.
Below are some suggestions for cooking the ham.  (Ham is fully cooked when the internal temperature is at least 160º F (71.1º C). 

• Leave the meat in the smoker and hot smoke it until it is done. 
• Wrap each piece of ham in plastic food wrap and cook in a steamer.  This is an excellent method to cook the ham; the juices are retained by the plastic wrap. (A steamer may be improvised by using a large pan with an elevated rack inside; cover with a lid.)
• Bake it in an oven.
• Slice it and fry it.

Note: If the salt taste is too mild, add about 1 teaspoon of salt to the ingredients list the next time you make this product,.  If the salt taste is too strong, reduce the amount of Bradley Cure by about 1 teaspoon.

Spicy ham

You can put your own signature on ham by adding your favorite spice to the curing blend.  Many people like a slight clove flavor to the ham; add some powdered cloves to the curing blend.  Allspice flavored ham has a special appeal for some.  A few people like the taste of cinnamon with pork.  Use your imagination; you might make a great discovery!

Maple or brown sugar flavored ham

Use the Bradley Demerara Cure or the Bradley Maple Cure (together with additional brown sugar or maple syrup, if you desire) to make ham with a different flavor.

Instructions prepared by Warren R. Anderson, author of Mastering the Craft of Smoking Food.

Chicken Jerky

Skinned and boned thighs of the chicken are the best material for making chicken jerky.  It is very easy to remove the bone from a chicken thigh.  First, lay the thigh skin-side-down on a cutting board.  Locate the bone with your fingers, and make a long slit through the flesh that is on top of the bone.  Stroke along the bone with the tip of the knife.  The flesh will gradually “peel” away from the bone.  Remove the skin. 

Preparing the meat

Prepare the thighs as indicated above.  Rinse in cold water and drain.
Slice the flesh with the grain, or butterfly the meat. 
The slices or butterflies should be not more than
1/4 inch (6 mm) thick. 

SEASONING FOR 5 LBS. (2.25 KG) OF SLICED Chicken 

• 3 Tbsp. (45 ml) Bradley Honey Cure (Do not use more than this amount.)
• 4 tsp. (20 ml) pepper, black
  
• 1 tsp. (5 ml) hickory smoke flavor (optional)
• 1 tsp. (5 ml) cayenne
• 1 tsp. (5 ml) onion powder
• 1 tsp. (5 ml) poultry seasoning
• 6 Tbsp. (90 ml) soy sauce
• 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) white cranberry-apple juice or white cranberry-peach juice
• 4 cups (960 ml) cold water

Note: If the meat weighs either more or less than 5 pounds (2.25 kg), the amount of cure mix applied must be proportional to that weight.  For example, if the weight of the meat is 2 1/2 pounds (1.15 kg), then each ingredient, including the Bradley Cure, needs to be cut in half.

1. Stir the seasoning blend well until all ingredients are dissolved.  Chill the mixture well.  Add the meat strips and stir them from time to time, especially during the first few hours of curing.  Refrigerate overnight. 
2. During the morning of the second day, use a colander (or the like) to drain the curing liquid from the meat.  Do not rinse! 

Drying and smoking the jerky

1. Hang the strips, place the strips on smoker racks, or lay the strips in wire-mesh smoking baskets.  (Wire-mesh baskets are preferable; hanging the strips will allow more of the product to be processed, but the use of baskets makes processing easier and faster.)  To facilitate drying, the smoker chimney damper should be fully open.
2. Dry at 140º F (60º C) with no smoke until the surface is dry.  This will require at least one hour.  If the strips are on wire mesh, turn them over after 30 to 45 minutes to prevent sticking. 
3. Raise temperature to 160º F (71º C), and smoke for 2 or 3 hours.
4. Raise the temperature to 185° F (85° C) and continue to dry with no smoke until done.  This final drying and cooking step will require about three hours.  When the chicken jerky is done, it will be about half the thickness of the raw jerky, and it will appear to have lost about 50% of its weight.  The jerky will not snap when it is bent, but a few of the muscle fibers will fray.  If the jerky is dried until it snaps when it is bent, the jerky will have a longer shelf life, but it will not be as tasty.  Let the jerky cool to room temperature, and either freeze or refrigerate it. 

Note: If the salt taste is too mild, the next time you make this product, add about 1 teaspoon of salt to the ingredients list.  If the salt taste is too strong, reduce the amount of Bradley Cure by about 1 teaspoon.

 

Beef or Wild Game Jerky

The basic processing directions for making either product are the same.  Only the seasoning is different.  Beef is suggested, but any meat can be used.  Pork, or any meat that may contain trichinae, should be heated until the internal temperature is at least 160° F (71° C).
Lean meat, such as beef bottom round or top round, is preferable because fatty meat processed into jerky turns rancid quickly.  Keep in mind that there will be a 40% to 50% weight loss when making jerky.  Ten pounds (4.5 kg) of raw meat will become 5 to 6 pounds (2.25 to 2.75 kg)
of jerky.
The following jerky seasoning formulas are not true marinades, and they are not true brines either.  They are somewhere in-between.  Nevertheless, these cures work very well for jerky, and they can be used as models to make countless other jerky seasoning formulas. 

SEASONING FOR 5 LBS. (2.25 KG) OF SLICED MEAT

• 3 Tbsp. (45 ml) Bradley Cure -- any flavour
(Do not use more than this amount.)
• 4 tsp. (20 ml) ginger powder
• 4 tsp. (20 ml) garlic powder
• 4 tsp. (20 ml) pepper, black
• 1 tsp. (5 ml) liquid honey marinade
• 1 1/2 cup (360 ml) orange juice
• 6 Tbsp. (90 ml) soy sauce
• 1/2 Cup (960 ml) cold water

Note: If the meat weighs either more or less than 5 pounds (2.25 kg), the amount of cure mix applied must be proportional to that weight.  For example, if the weight of the meat is 2 1/2 pounds (1.15 kg), then each ingredient, including the Bradley Cure, needs to be cut in half.

Preparation and seasoning

1. Begin with hunks of meat, rather than with meat that has been cut into steaks or chops.  (Steaks and chops are cut across the grain of the meat.  This makes them unsuitable for jerky.)  Chill the meat thoroughly.  Cold meat is easier to cut, and bacterial growth is retarded. 
2. Trim the fat from the meat.  It is impossible to remove the streaks of fat that are marbled into the meat, but you should remove all fat that can be removed easily. 
3. Use a long slicing knife or an electric meat slicer to slice 1/4 inch (7 mm) thick strips.  The strips should be 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) wide.  The meat must be cut with the grain, not across the grain.  If the meat is cut across the grain, it will be too fragile after it dries.  You can determine if the strip has been correctly cut with the grain by pulling on the ends of the strip.  If it has been properly cut with the grain, the strip will stretch; if not, the muscle fibers will separate, and the strip will tear. 
4. Chill the meat again while preparing the seasoning mixture.
5. Immediately after these instructions on how to process jerky, there are two jerky recipes: California Jerky and Wild West Jerky.  Select and prepare one of these seasoning blends.  Stir the seasoning blend well until all ingredients are dissolved.  Chill the mixture well.  Add the meat strips and stir them from time to time, especially during the first few hours of curing.  Refrigerate overnight. 
6. During the morning of the second day, use a colander (or the like) to drain the curing liquid from the meat.  Do not rinse! 

Drying and smoking the jerky

1. Hang the strips, place the strips on smoker racks, or lay the strips in wire-mesh smoking baskets.  (Wire-mesh baskets are preferable; hanging the strips will allow more of the product to be processed, but the use of baskets makes processing easier and faster.)  A thermometer is not required for beef, pork, or any other kind of meat if the suggested high temperatures and long processing times are followed.  You may use a common smoker with a heat source inside.  To facilitate drying, the smoker chimney damper should be fully open.
2. Dry at 140º F (60º C) with no smoke until the surface is dry.  This will require at least one hour.  If the strips are on wire mesh, turn them over after 30 to 45 minutes to prevent sticking. 
3. Raise temperature to 160º F (71º C), and smoke for 2 or 3 hours.
4. Raise temperature to 175º F (80º C) -- for poultry, raise the temperature to 185° F (85° C) -- and continue to dry with no smoke until done.  This final drying and cooking step will require about three hours.  When the jerky is done, it will be about half the thickness of the raw jerky, and it will appear to have lost about 50% of its weight.  The jerky will not snap when it is bent, but a few of the muscle fibers will fray.  If the jerky is dried until it snaps when it is bent, the jerky will have a longer shelf life, but it will not be as tasty.  Let the jerky cool to room temperature, and either freeze or refrigerate it. 

Note: If the salt taste is too mild, the next time you make this product, add about 1 teaspoon of salt to the ingredients list.  If the salt taste is too strong, reduce the amount of Bradley Cure by about 1 teaspoon.

Instructions prepared by Warren R. Anderson, author of Mastering the Craft of Smoking Food.