Recipe for Curing Spare Ribs
Ingredients
Directions
Make the brine
In a large container, combine 5 pounds of common salt, 1 pound of Freeze-Em-Pickle, 2 pounds of granulated sugar, and 5 gallons of cold water to make the brine.
Cure the ribs
Submerge the spare ribs in the brine and cure for 10 to 12 days.
Maintain a cooler temperature between 36°F and 48°F during the curing process.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Common salt
- Seasons the meat and helps preserve it by drawing out moisture during the cure.
- Granulated sugar
- Balances the saltiness of the brine and adds mild sweetness to the meat.
The step that matters
Keep the brine between 36°F and 48°F. Cool temperatures slow the growth of spoilage bacteria over the long cure, keeping the meat safe and its texture firm. Warmer conditions speed spoilage and can ruin the ribs before the cure is complete.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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