Catfish Angler Forum at USCA banner

Cured Chicken Liver without Borax!

10K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  Tim Baker 
#1 ·
Hello all!

I wanted to make some Cured Chicken liver without using Borax just to see how well it would work. I have to say it works pretty good! I made a video of how I made it and show that it works! I still have a lot left to use so hopefully I will be able to catch a bigger fish to prove it works on bigger fish LOL!

Ingredients:

Pickling Salt - avoid anything with Iodine
Garlic Powder
Chicken Liver - avoid Tyson or others with blood thinner in it which will hurt the curing process

First thing you need to do is separate the liver from the blood mixture. Simply pour it in a bowl and then use tongs to move it to a plate. Shake as much garlic powder as you want onto the liver then put it back into its container. Let it sit for a day or two to absorb the garlic powder. Then remove it from its container and salt it heavily. Place it on a drying rack that is off the ground to dry for several days. Be sure to flip it and salt it every single day. If its good natural chicken liver it will turn into leather which can be cast hard. Once it sits in the water a minute or so it turns soft again but not soft enough to fall off the hook. The liver will cure faster in heat (summer time). If in the winter you will need to heat the room you are in. I have a wood stove for heating the garage and the fire zaps moisture out of the air too. It helped cure the liver good in about 4 days.

Video:
[video]https://youtu.be/abb_yUXpmuM[/video]
 
See less See more
#5 ·
Great video! couple questions... How do you store it when your finished, is it like jerky where you can just bag it and leave it in the cabinet or do you keep it refrigerated? Also how long does it last? Seems like a great idea for winter time when bait is scarce!
 
#6 ·
I do something similar but I use chicken hearts instead. I'll use 1 part curing salt, and 2 parts powdered egg cure in different scents. I usually have both Shrimp and Egg Cure left in small amounts, so I'll mix them and use on the chicken hearts.

They turn out way better than livers. Especially if you can put them someplace with warm flowing air to really dehydrate them properly. They end up like a firm, but somewhat moist jerky consistency. Stays on a hook great, and can usually last for a few fish. The things seem to last forever in a zip lock bag in the back of the fridge. I've left some out at least a solid week sealed up in a half size peanut butter jar and they still kept, and worked.
 
#7 ·
I do something similar but I use chicken hearts instead. I'll use 1 part curing salt, and 2 parts powdered egg cure in different scents. I usually have both Shrimp and Egg Cure left in small amounts, so I'll mix them and use on the chicken hearts.

They turn out way better than livers. Especially if you can put them someplace with warm flowing air to really dehydrate them properly. They end up like a firm, but somewhat moist jerky consistency. Stays on a hook great, and can usually last for a few fish. The things seem to last forever in a zip lock bag in the back of the fridge. I've left some out at least a solid week sealed up in a half size peanut butter jar and they still kept, and worked.
Nice! I didn't measure anything. Just salted the liver on both sides until it became leather. I store mine in bags in a small plastic container.
 
#8 ·
Great video! couple questions... How do you store it when your finished, is it like jerky where you can just bag it and leave it in the cabinet or do you keep it refrigerated? Also how long does it last? Seems like a great idea for winter time when bait is scarce!
I just bag it up and put it in a plastic container. I left it out (in bag/container) and it didn't hurt it. I don't know how long it lasts but like any cured meat it should be a good while.

It's like jerky until it hits the water. Then it softens up. Not enough to fall off the hook. I can recast it if needed.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top