this is a 2 1/2 lb lion dry cured with TQ and a few spices
it has been in the fridge for 10 days being flipped every couple days
here are the pics.

i will soak, slice and test fry a piece later
i should smoke it this afternoon. any tips?
i think i will use apple/ cherry and take it to 160*
? temps?
? estimated time on smoker?

does this look right to you
i sliced it in half and expected the color to be more uniform. this is my first shot so i just don't know what to expect.

Looks perfect... except..why'd ya slice it that way? Normally you do "rounds"- across the grain. Might make for some funky curling going on in the pan...no effect on flavor of course.

Since you sliced it that way, perhaps only a couple hours at 225° should get you close to "ready to eat" CB...160° internal

yep it looks right to me...
I did not know they had lions in Idaho... :noidea::thumb:
Can't wait to see it all done!!!

and why would anybody kill a baby lion only 2.5 lbs

I was so excited about the "loin" my fingers wouldn't spell right. Sorry, not a baby lion killer!

rich i cut it in half and then stood it up so as to be able to get a better pic
the pic does look funny but it is now 2 1 1/4 pound pieces
i cut it right through the middle to see if it cured all the way

Looks about perfect preacher as to the color. The fruitwood a great choice I think.

thanks shooter and i liked your CB post it was helpful

Good luck and you seem on the right track. After reading this and getting $32 of loin on sale for basically $12, I figured I needed to get off my butt and finally try this as well.

You're way ahead of me :bounce: :thumb:

Looks good so far Preach! When do ya suppose we'll be eatin breakfast?

That looks fine. Just make sure to post the finished pics.

rich i cut it in half and then stood it up so as to be able to get a better pic
the pic does look funny but it is now 2 1 1/4 pound pieces
i cut it right through the middle to see if it cured all the way

You could have cut it thru the middle across the grain and ascertained the same information. Regardless... nice work, sir!
Put a bit-o-smoke on it and revel in the joy of home made bacon!

sir rich I did cut it in the middle cross grain sorry the pics and explaination were lacking

here are the finished pics smoked and sliced

Damn fine job ya did there young man...:thumb:

sir rich I did cut it in the middle cross grain sorry the pics and explaination were lacking

here are the finished pics smoked and sliced

Well I'll be dam...err sorry Preacher... umm hornswaggled. Looked like ya split it bi-laterally there. Either way as I said...good work. I'm thinking- poi-nts

Looks great to me from here. Send a pound or so down my way. LOL

It looked good to me. I have done two now. Seem to do one everymonth. Last one lasted three days. Heck i got to eat it twice. I got lucky sams had them 1.59 and still had 2 weeks on the sale date. When i got it in the smoker it was one day over. Still tasted fresh and juicy. My mom almost bought one the other day but it was 2 days short of the sales day. Ant leaving that thing in the fridge for 10 days. does this look right to you
i sliced it in half and expected the color to be more uniform. this is my first shot so i just don't know what to expect.

preacher - what everyone else said - that's perfect.
You don't get the totally even colour until it's cooked. but as long as you've got no obviously brown parts, it'll be fully cured.

Tim, if a lion's 2 days short of it's sell by date and you then slap cure on it - it'll be absolutely fine.
Hell I tend to forget I've got the stuff in the fridge, freeze it on sell by date, defrost later and then cure. Still fine :-)

The cure process is pretty draconian when it comes to killing bacteria, if it's been kept cool and isn't out of date - it'll be fine.
Bear in mind that supermarkets have to err quite heavily on the side of safety. So sell by date is always well within the actual storage time.
(used to work in a company that tested foodstuffs for storage and bacteria growth, man you never want to smell an exploded container of brewers yeast first thing in the morning lol)

thanks C A the family has eaten the half that i kept out. the other half is in the freezer. and enjoyed it it wass fun and easy i will certianly do it again.