I bought a saw and mincer.

[DaavG]

What animal fat are you using - beef? Never seen yellow fat only white brisket fat.

[Treeman]

What animal fat are you using - beef? Never seen yellow fat only white brisket fat.

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Beef fat, yes. I did some research and found it to be the healthier and also tastier fat found on beef, but also the reason why pork fat is more popular - especially where the fat may be visible. Beef fat it appears leans towards white - off white, yellow and is therefore less appealing when it must show as specks.
Pork also has greater taste.
So in short, it appears that beef fat is known to be yellow on occasion.
In healthy cattle, yellow fat color occurs when cattle graze green pasture. This results from the ingestion and absorption of yellow pigments that are present in plants. These pigments have been identified as carotenoids, with beta-carotene being the major component responsible for fat color in cattle.

[Treeman]

My first cured meat - brined or pickled. Warthog leg cured for 7 days and then cooked in tinfoil - I tried browning it on a grill over coals but that spoiled the appearance which was too pale.
pickled by David Frank Allen, on Flickr

The young pigs with white meat do not color as well as expected, the meat is a cooked meat color and not that preserved pink color. Also the outside was pale and not crisp or "finished" in appearance.
I now need help on getting the appearance better.

[Ds J]

Add saltpeter for the traditional pink colour. I don't know how much, just that it is the magic ingredient.

[Tripodmvr]

Why is cured meat red?
Nitric oxide binds to myoglobin and changes fresh meat color to a bright red known as nitroslymyoglobin. Subsequent heating of meat containing the NO-myoglobin complex causes chemical reactions and changes myoglobin to a compound known as nitrosylhemochrome. This produces the characteristic pink color of cured meats.

[Tripodmvr]

What is a substitute for sodium nitrate?
Sodium Nitrate and Sodium Nitrite Substitutes

You can use saltpeter, or potassium nitrate, to cure meats that will be cooked before serving, such as bacon. Similar to curing salt, saltpeter draws water out of cells, creating an inhospitable environment for bacteria.

[Ds J]

Saltpeter, not sulphur. Edited my mistake.

Add saltpeter for the traditional pink colour. I don't know how much, just that it is the magic ingredient.

[Tripodmvr]

Old recipe

[Treeman]

yes the Nitrates and Nitrites - the one functions at lower temperatures than the other and Nitrate produces Nitrite when it reacts with the bad things in meat.

I used a bought brining mix, Crown Meat Meister and followed instructions, hence the confusion at the lack of pink but too salty.
DsJ, Tripodmvr, I have a digital copy of a incredible book if either of you are big readers - 400 + pages. The book is simply one of the most in depth yet simple books I have ever read on an subject.
 pdfcoffee.com_home-production-of-quality-meats-and-sausages-3-pdf-free.pdf

I have actually not even read as good a reloading guide as this guys work, it really is well presented.

[oafpatroll]

Pls can I put my hand up for a copy. Something I'm really interested in exploring.

[Tripodmvr]

Treeman, need some guidance as to finding that publication on the website. I do not see a search function.

[oafpatroll]

Thanks for the book treeman, it's a rabbit hole I look forward to exploring.

[Tripodmvr]

Thanks for the book treeman, it's a rabbit hole I look forward to exploring.

A big thank you from me as well.

[Treeman]

Thanks for the book treeman, it's a rabbit hole I look forward to exploring.
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A big thank you from me as well.

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I found it amazing the temperatures and range of temps that all the nasties live at, and how nitrates work. The man certainly knows his subject.

[DaavG]

The 2 books I purchased were:
The River Cottage Curing and Smoking Handbook - simpler approach
Charcuterie : The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing - this is really good.