Did cure reach the center? Help please

[Greenenvey]

Hi guys I'm making dried beef, can you tell me if it looks like the cure reached the center? It's pink and I don't know if its sapose to be brownish like the ring around the outside?

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[Greenenvey]

Still trying to get the pic

[Greenenvey]

Anyone??? 😀

[SuperDave]

Laura,
That looks scary to me.  I wouldn't expect the outside ring to look like that and I'd expect it to all look uniform.  I've always cured in a wet brine so don't have dry brine past experience.  Did you use a #2 cure salt or #1?

[Greenenvey]

really??? I used mortons tender quick!! that's what the recipie called for...
this is the link were I got the recipie from, I hope its ok to share this link? scroll down to the pics were its been cured and I think it looks like mine? http://www.smoked-meat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22210

[SuperDave]

Like I mentioned, I have no experience with the dry cure method but thought the brown ring looked weird.  In the link you listed I noticed that the sliced and sealed packages didn't show any sign of the brown. 

[Greenenvey]

oh I know , I don't have any experience with it either... but I think it looked a lot like the pics before they smoked and sliced it? believe me I don't want to be doing something wrong either lol... hopefully someone that cures with this method will chime in before is time to smoke this.

[SconnieQ]

I don't know about making dried beef, but your picture looks just like theirs, with the brown ring and everything. The brown ring is odd, but I would say to go for it, since theirs had it too. Maybe the brown sugar made the brown ring?

[Greenenvey]

I never  thought  about the brown ring being caused  by the brown sugar, that's a Google possibility.

[BedouinBob]

Laura, it looks to me like it didn't penetrate to the center. It is also a bit weird that it is so brown. It looks like from your picture that there is no off looking mold on the meat. It also looks like you don't have anything to encase the meat. Normally when I have seen this done, the meat is encased in beef bung or other casing. Umai Dry Bags also makes a membrane for sausage, dry aging, and dry curing. It keeps the bad bugs out and lets the moisture out, which is what you are going for. I assume that it doesn't smell "off" which is a sure sign that something is going awry.

[Greenenvey]

hi, thanks for your info. no nothing smells off, ive kept it at a constant 38 degress in the fridge. I did a fry test last night to test the saltiness and I seemed fine. its in the smoker now... the dry beef we do around here is not in any type of casing? ive never seen it done like that!

[BedouinBob]

I highly recommend the Umai bags. Keeps the bad bugs out.... 

[Greenenvey]

OK thank you , I'll diffently  check them out!,

[DivotMaker]

Laura, the pic you posted looks a lot like the one on the link, pre-smoke.  The pink texture of yours looks cured (translucent), too.  Have you smoked it yet?

[Greenenvey]

I did smoke it, it turned out Flippin fantastic lol..we sliced it thinow and here is some chipped beep we madecided with it.