The Potting Shed

Two small bowls side by side, one of fine white table salt and one of pink curing salt, on a dark worktop.

Curing salt vs table salt: what each one does in a bacon cure

Table salt seasons and draws out moisture; curing salt adds sodium nitrite that protects the pork through the cure and gives bacon its colour and flavour.

A lean beef roasting joint and a thin-cut frying steak on a butcher's board with a sharp knife.

Which cut of beef for biltong and jerky? Lean cuts, frying steak and what to avoid

Biltong wants a tender inexpensive steak or roasting joint, jerky wants thin-cut frying steak or brisket, and both want the leanest beef you can find.

Strips of dried beef jerky cooling on a wire rack beside a glass storage jar.

Is homemade jerky safe? Drying, temperature and storage for oven-dried beef

Homemade jerky is safe with fresh lean beef, thin slices, a low oven that lets moisture escape and honest drying. How to judge it and how to store it.

Lean raw beef sliced into thin strips on a board beside bowls of coriander seed, cracked pepper and coarse salt.

Halal biltong and jerky at home: choosing the meat and what is in the kit seasonings

Our kits are not halal certified. They contain dried spices and salt, with cider vinegar in the biltong, and the beef you choose is what decides the question.

An oven door propped slightly open with a tea towel while strips of spiced beef dry on a rack inside.

What temperature should biltong dry at? Oven, box and dehydrator settings

A dehydrator at 65 degrees for ten to twelve hours, an oven on its lowest setting with the door ajar, or a box at room temperature with airflow.

Strips of spiced beef hanging from skewers to dry, with a wooden board of coriander seed and black pepper below.

Biltong box vs dehydrator vs oven: three ways to dry biltong at home compared

The oven gets you biltong in a couple of hours, a dehydrator runs low and steady for ten to twelve, and a box is the traditional slow air-dry over days.

Home-cured streaky bacon rashers laid out on greaseproof paper next to a whole cured pork belly piece.

How long does home-cured bacon keep? Fridge, freezer and the signs it has turned

Refrigerate home-cured bacon and use it within the booklet's timeframe, or freeze it sliced. How to store it, how to freeze it well and when to bin it.

A small open tub of pink curing salt beside a bowl of coarse sea salt on a slate surface.

What is Prague Powder #1 (pink curing salt), and how does it compare to a bacon kit cure?

Prague Powder #1 is a salt and sodium nitrite blend dyed pink so it is not mistaken for table salt, used for short cures such as bacon.

Rashers of dry cured streaky bacon on a wooden board beside a small dish of curing salt.

Can you cure bacon without nitrites? Why our kit uses them and what the alternatives really are

Salt-only cures exist but give a different product, and most shop uncured bacon uses celery nitrate. What our cure contains and why we chose it.

A piece of pork belly coated in dry curing salt resting in a dish on a marble worktop.

Is it safe to cure bacon at home? What the cure does and the rules that keep it safe

Home curing is safe with fresh pork, the full cure, the fridge throughout and proper cooking. What the salt and nitrite do, and how to tell it has worked.

A board of home cured bacon and strips of beef jerky beside bottles of homemade chilli sauce on a kitchen worktop.

40th birthday gifts for him: kits for the man who has stopped wanting stuff

At forty the scarce things are time and space, so give a project rather than an object: meat, gin and chilli sauce kits, and what to buy alongside.

Home cured streaky bacon rashers on a wooden board beside a jar of infusing gin botanicals in a bright kitchen.

Gifts for the dad who has everything: a project, not another gadget

Three make-your-own kits for the dad who buys his own things, with the one extra ingredient to add to each so he can start the weekend he opens it.

Rashers of home dry-cured streaky bacon on a wooden board beside a sharp knife in a farmhouse kitchen.

Christmas morning bacon: cure it in time for the big breakfast

Start about a week ahead and you can serve home dry-cured bacon on Christmas morning. The timeline, the pork to buy, air drying and how to slice it.

Strips of home-dried beef jerky and biltong on a wooden board with whole coriander seeds and black peppercorns scattered around.

Gifts for biltong and jerky fans who eat it faster than you can buy it

Which dried meat kit suits which fan, what gear to add, and the three things that decide whether the first batch works.

Thin carved slices of homemade doner kebab on a board with a bowl of yoghurt and mint sauce and a scattering of spices.

How long does a kebab seasoning kit keep, and can you prep the meat ahead?

The kit keeps 18 months from packing because everything in it is dried. How to store the opened blend, and how far ahead you can season and shape the lamb.

A slab of home dry cured streaky bacon on a wooden board with a few cut rashers and scattered juniper berries and peppercorns.

How long does a bacon curing kit keep, and how long does the bacon last?

The bacon kit keeps 18 months from packing as a dry store item. The bacon you cure is fresh pork: fridge, freezer, and the signs that a batch has turned.

A doner kebab loaf being carved thin on a wooden board beside bottles of homemade chilli sauce and a curing joint of pork belly.

Gifts for men who cook: ingredients for a project, not another gadget

Why gadgets miss with a confident home cook, three project kits that land, six non-kit ideas and three questions that match the gift to the man.

A dry-cured pork belly, a bottle of homemade country wine and strips of biltong laid out on a rustic wooden kitchen table.

Gifts for grandad who says he has everything

Why the everything-grandad is hard to buy for, what actually lands, three making kits that suit him and how to stop the gift sitting in a cupboard.

A bacon sandwich on soft white bread cut in half on a wooden board beside a cast iron frying pan.

The perfect bacon sandwich, with bacon you cured yourself

Why dry-cured bacon makes a better sandwich, how thick to slice it, how to cook it properly, and which bread, butter and sauce to use.

Strips of dark homemade biltong in an open glass storage jar on a wooden board with coriander seeds and cracked black pepper.

How to store biltong: keeping it dry, safe and chewy

Airtight, cool and properly dry: how to store homemade biltong so it keeps for a fortnight, how to tell when it is dry enough, and what to do if it goes damp.

A cured pork belly and strips of drying beef on a wire rack in a cool kitchen setting.

Meat curing at home: the food safety basics every beginner should know

Fresh meat, exact cure quantities, constant refrigeration and cooking bacon through. What curing does, where nitrites fit in, and how dried meats differ.