MyGourmet membership enables you to save your favorite recipes, have a direct access to the best gourmet suppliers near your home and your own blog. And it only takes 2 clics!
This is a classic method for preserving pork belly with salt. Other cuts of meat can also be preserved with this method. The resulting product is still raw and must be cooked before eating./Curing salt is primarily a combination of a curing agent, nowadays usually sodium nitrite, and salt. Depending on the particular mix, sugar, dextrose, propylene glycol, coloring, flavorings, and spices may be added. Some curing salts also contain additional curing agents, such as sodium nitrate. The purpose of the curing agent is to prevent the formation of botulism and to fix the pink color of the meat. The plain curing agents are toxic and used in very small quantities. To simplify measuring, curing agents are generally added to salt, as previously described. Typically, 125 grams of curing salt is sufficient for 50 kilograms of meat. This is the case when the curing salt is added directly to the meat, as in making sausage. Larger quantities are used for brines and dry rubs.
Combine the salts, sugar, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaf, thyme, and juniper berries. Rub the meat with the salt mixture. Place a layer of the salt mixture in the bottom of a non-reactive container. Place the pork on top of the salt and pack the remaining salt around the pork.
2
Refrigerate for 4 days for each inch of thickness of the pork. The pork will exude liquid that will collect in the bottom of the container.
3
Halfway through the curing period, stir the meat and the salt a bit.
4
When the curing time is complete, rinse the meat thoroughly, wrap tightly, and refrigerate until needed.
Prep time 
