Mike_L (Big Mike)
TVWBB Fan
So this is my 2nd attempt. First attempt was great. 2nd attempt has me thinking.
I had a 7.5 lb pork belly. I used 8 tablespoons of Tender quick. I rubbed it on the Fat side and then picked up the belly and let the meat side grab all the salt that didn't stick. I then rubbed brown sugar on the fat side. At this point i decided to cut the belly in half. I put both in their own bag and into the fridge. That was Saturday Night. Tonight will be day 5. One of the bellies doesn't feel very firm and it was slow to give off liquid. The liquid has increased some but not a ton. The other bag has a good amount of liquid and fills firm.
Should i be concerned? Maybe not enough Tender quick got on the one side. In hindsight i should have cut it first weighed it and then distributed the tender quick per slab.
Just don't know what i need to do or if there is anything to be done or if i'm worrying for nothing.
I plan on smoking it to 150 degrees on Sunday and then try to slice by hand.
I had a 7.5 lb pork belly. I used 8 tablespoons of Tender quick. I rubbed it on the Fat side and then picked up the belly and let the meat side grab all the salt that didn't stick. I then rubbed brown sugar on the fat side. At this point i decided to cut the belly in half. I put both in their own bag and into the fridge. That was Saturday Night. Tonight will be day 5. One of the bellies doesn't feel very firm and it was slow to give off liquid. The liquid has increased some but not a ton. The other bag has a good amount of liquid and fills firm.
Should i be concerned? Maybe not enough Tender quick got on the one side. In hindsight i should have cut it first weighed it and then distributed the tender quick per slab.
Just don't know what i need to do or if there is anything to be done or if i'm worrying for nothing.
I plan on smoking it to 150 degrees on Sunday and then try to slice by hand.