Equilibrium Ham 🐖 Brine

[Bowfineater]

I was searching for information about equilibrium brines.  Was reading the comments on a post on Chef Steps, and found a link to a equilibrium brine calculator.  Lots of useful information to read on there and the guy also made a equilibrium cure calculator.

https://genuineideas.com/ArticlesIndex/nitritecuringcalculator.html

Equilibrium Brine/Cure

3.81 lbs                    2 pork chops + shank
12 cups                    Water
192 grams                Salt      4%
96  grams                  Sugar
9.2 grams                  Cure #1  125 ppm

Left the meat in the brine for 12 days, rinsed off, let sit in fridge overnight

Smoked using 3.49 oz of hickory cut into small pieces shown in picture

Smoked using the bacon procedure by smokin it

150F        2 hours
175F        4 hours
200F        Till 155F


Turned out pretty good, I will try 3 % salt next time, more sugar, I think I would like to try dextrose, I know that dextrose is used in sausage because it’s easy for the bacteria to eat it, and it helps with a little tang.