This Corned Pork recipe cures pork, or corns it just the same as a corned beef. The meat is chopped into bite-size chunks, about 1 to 2 inches. Which reduces the cure time to about 3 days. Brined with Sure Cure or Prague Powder #1 and a homemade pickling spice that is really going to add an elegant aroma and flavor. There's just nothing like it.What a beautiful smell to fill the house, too. Leaving you anticipating the Belly Smile! It's an incredible Sunday evening meal, or used to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a boiled dinner using corned pork instead of corned beef. If not making the boiled dinner, save the broth for gravies or soups, like the Canadian split pea soup.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 5 lbs Pork Shoulder
Corning Brine
- 16 C Water
- 1/2 C Brown Sugar & Sea Salt - each
- 5 Cloves Garlic
- 2 tsp Sure Cure or Prague Powder #1 - see notes
Pickling Spice
- 2 tsp Black Peppercorn, Mustard seeds, Coriander seeds, Dill seeds, & Whole Allspice Berries - each
- 1 tsp Red Chili Flakes
- 1/4 tsp Cinnamon, Clove, Ginger, Mace & ground Bay Leaf - each, all grounded
Instructions
- Brining: Combine all the ingredients together for the Corning Brine into a large pot. Optionally place the pickling spices in a sachet bag to brine with the meat or include in the brine itself.Trim away any excess fat from the meat. This can be placed into freezer bags and saved to render out for other recipes. Dice the meat into bite size pieces, about 1-2 inch chunks. Add it to the brine and refrigerate for 3 days. Give it a stir once a day.
- Slow Cooked Corned Pork: Strain the pork with the pickling spice, discarding the brine.Place the pork along with strained pickling spice into a large pot and fill with 16 C of fresh water. Cover and set to a medium-low heat (9 position). After 2 hours, skim the scum off, give it a mix, and continue to cook for a total of 4–5 hours. Gently mix occasionally.
- Straining the Broth: Scoop out the meat, and dunk it or gently shake off any spices that will stick to the meat, and let it rest. Strain out the broth, discarding the pickling spice, and place the broth back into the pot. You can optionally simmer any vegetables you want to serve with the corned pork for a boiled dinner or cool the broth and save it for other recipes. You can also reduce the broth to concentrate the flavors before cooling and saving for other recipes.
Notes
Sure Cure PPM: This brine solution cures 5 lbs of meat at a nitrite level of 124 ppm. Generally, corned pork or corned beef is within the range of 150-200 ppm. For a lighter cure, use 2 tsp of Prague Powder #1 or Sure Cure, which will yield about 124 ppm. The maximum for this recipe is 3 tsp, which places it at 200 ppm or just a bit below and, in my opinion, is too strong. Around 2 to 2 1/2 tsp is good. With 2 tsp offering up a nice and light cure. While 2 1/2 tsp yielding a slightly heavier cure. Ensure that you are using Sure Cure or Prague Powder #1 at 6.25% and not any other form of nitrites.
If a saltier taste is desired, the salt can be increased to 3/4 C. Same with the Sugar, if a sweeter taste is desired.