Hello Clara. Making salo at home is a wonderful project, and I would be delighted to walk you through the proportions and technique.
For 1 kilogram of pure pork back fat, the standard amount for traditional dry curing is roughly 80 to 100 grams of coarse salt (about 3 to 4 level tablespoons). Pure fat has a unique characteristic: it contains very little moisture, so it will only absorb the exact amount of salt it needs to cure properly. Because of this, it is very difficult to over-salt pure fat.
However, if your piece contains visible streaks of meat, you should be slightly more measured. Unlike pure fat, meat absorbs salt very quickly and can easily become overly salty. If your slab has meat layers, I suggest weighing out roughly 25 to 30 grams of salt per kilogram (about 2.5 to 3% of the total weight) for a balanced flavor.
A few helpful tips to ensure your curing process is successful:
1. Always use coarse, non-iodized rock salt or coarse kosher salt. Fine iodized table salt dissolves too fast and can impart a bitter aftertaste or discolor the fat.
2. You can mix your salt with traditional seasonings such as freshly cracked black pepper, minced garlic, crushed bay leaves, and sweet paprika.
3. Rub the salt mixture evenly across all sides of the fat, place it in a glass or food-grade container, and keep it in the refrigerator for about 4 to 5 days.
4. After curing, gently scrape away the excess salt from the surface with the back of a knife. Wrap the salo tightly in parchment paper and keep it in the freezer. Freezing makes it easy to slice paper-thin when you are ready to serve.
I hope this thorough guide helps you achieve fantastic results. Please let me know if you need any further advice on the process.
