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[Weatherby]

This topic has probably been discussed many times before...but I cant figure out what im doing wrong. I am using pautzke fire cure,and a batch of pro cure. I left my eggs in the brine for about 8 hours and they milked out.....but got hard and some eggs looked a little shriveld. Am I doing something wrong? or is that just a part of the process? The eggs arnt plump and round like I would like them to be. Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks

[NiceFish]

Are you following the directions?
I use fire cure more often now, I just sprinkle a generous amount and roll the eggs around in it and let it sit for 2-3 days in the fridge while turning it around a few times.

I haven't had good luck with pro cure sitting for a long time, so I usually "brine" the eggs for about 1-2 hours then remove them and air dry for a bit to get desired texture

[strobes]

i use pro cure.  i cut the skiens into about ping pong size.  i then lay them out with the eggs facing up and sprinkle the pro cure onto them.  i then put them in a bucket, sprinkle more pro cure in and lightly mix them around until all the eggs are covered.  i let them sit for between 2 to 4 hours mixing them around every so often.  after that i take them out of the juice and lay them out again, sprinkle borax on them and roll them around until they are lightly coated in borax then put them in freezer bags and freeze them.

[dennyman]

One thing I noticed in your original statement is that you used two different cures, and it looks like at the same time. When getting used to curing eggs, I would choose one specific manufacturer, follow the directions as per the label and you should get good results. If you start mixing stuff up, especially when you are just learning to cure eggs, you might get some undesireable results. Nothing wrong with that, just part of the learning curve as you try to find an egg cure that works for you.

[Damien]

I just did a couple skeins of pink roe.

Dried them thoroughly.  4 tablespoons of Kosher salt, few drops of red food colouring and into a ziplock bag.

In the fridge they went for a couple days.  Felt GREAT, firm yet still fully plump.  Into the freezer they went.  Cant wait to try them out.

[silver ghost]

I've tried several types of commercial cures. Flame orange procure is THE WORST by the way, but others seem to work quite well. Make sure you drain the juice and let them harden further, this is important. Putting borax on them like the other guys said is great too.

Alternatively - and you'll be surprised how well it actually works - mix equal parts borax, brown sugar, and coarse salt. Leave the skeins covered in this crap In a container overnight, then shake off the excess and bag it with a bunch of borax. Makes firm, stays-on-forever roe that looks great and maintains natural color well

[glx]

I use Pro-Cures Wizard, Double Neon Red.  I cut my skeins into bait size pieces and place in a large zip lock bag.  I then add cure to the eggs, making sure all the eggs are covered.  Roll the eggs around in the bag to ensure cure is through out.  I then leave the eggs in there for about 1-2 hours or so.  Shake the bag gently every so often.  I then dump the eggs out on paper towls which absorbs the excess juice that has formed.  I dump borax into bag and place the roe in the borax.  Shake the eggs around in the bag.  If the eggs and borax look to wet, add more borax.  This procedure doenst give the most durable roe for constant casting but I have certainly caught lots of fish on it. 

[Sterling C]

This topic has probably been discussed many times before...but I cant figure out what im doing wrong. I am using pautzke fire cure,and a batch of pro cure. I left my eggs in the brine for about 8 hours and they milked out.....but got hard and some eggs looked a little shriveld. Am I doing something wrong? or is that just a part of the process? The eggs arnt plump and round like I would like them to be. Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9OB9CtMY1w

I cut mine into twonie sized pieces before curing but either way will work.

Make sure you start out with high quality eggs. Bleed your fish right away, once it has bled out remove the eggs into a zoplock and get them cooled asap if you can`t cure them immediately. Never expose your uncured eggs to water. As the old saying goes. Garbage in, garbage out.

[Weatherby]

One thing I noticed in your original statement is that you used two different cures, and it looks like at the same time. When getting used to curing eggs, I would choose one specific manufacturer, follow the directions as per the label and you should get good results. If you start mixing stuff up, especially when you are just learning to cure eggs, you might get some undesireable results. Nothing wrong with that, just part of the learning curve as you try to find an egg cure that works for you.

Hey Dennyman...... I used the 2 different cures,in the 2 seperate batches...no mixing involved here

[Weatherby]

What were the eggs like that you started with?  Did you actually make up the brine that the directions say or are you just talking about the juice that the eggs  create once mixed with the powder?  If you mean the juice then 8 hours is fine. Its says to leave them in the fridge for a few days, Ive been lazy and left them for a week before and it was fine. I wouldnt bother with the brine method, the other way is easier

hey Fin .....I used the powder method. The brine I was refering to is just the juice that milks from the eggs. The eggs I started with sat in the fridge for 2 days before I cured them up......but they still smelled and looked good.

[FlyFishin Magician]

I'm no expert by any means (talk to Stratocaster), but part of the problem may be that your taking the eggs out of the juice too early?  I find that the eggs resorb the juice approx. 24 hours after the cure is added (Pautzke's).  One thing is to be careful using sulphite based cures - too much will burn the eggs causing them to shrivel up.  Anyway, I would recommend sticking with a particular brand and following the instructions.  Good luck.

[Stratocaster]

The roe will re-absorb all the liquid if you leave it alone long enough (about 1 or 2 days).  It will then look plump and full like you expect.  Its also a good time to add a bit of scent in as well   I've never had a problem with burning eggs using Pautzke's.  Just make sure you don't overdo it and you will be fine.  I don't borax my eggs until I'm ready to use them.  If I can't use my eggs within a couple of weeks, I will put them in the freezer (cured of course).

[Athezone]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9OB9CtMY1w

I cut mine into twonie sized pieces before curing but either way will work.

Make sure you start out with high quality eggs. Bleed your fish right away, once it has bled out remove the eggs into a zoplock and get them cooled asap if you can`t cure them immediately. Never expose your uncured eggs to water. As the old saying goes. Garbage in, garbage out.
[/quote

Sterling's right, never put your eggs in water, just clean them up quickly and plop them into a zip lock baggie and keep them cool. Water deteriorates them quickly. I'm no expert on egg curing but I will just quickly add how I have been doing my eggs for the last 20 or so years. I use a variety of colours but the last batch I did I used double redd hot pro-cure. I take an empty 4 litre ice cream pail and pour in good amount of pro-cure, add about a cup and a half of water and mix it up well.

The eggs I just did were all spring eggs so I cut the skeins to about 4 inch pieces and into the mix they go. Be sure not to add to much pro-cure or leave them in to long as they will burn and harden. Once you've filled the container up put the lid on and keep them in there for about 2 to 3 hours, giving them a good shake every 20, 30 minutes. I'm sure other's do it better or at least differently than me but after I take the eggs out I just lay them on newspaper and let them sit for about half an hour, flipping them once to get both sides relatively dry.

Then with a freezer bag I plop them in and make sure they're coated thoroughly with borax by shaking them all around. Once I'm happy with their coating I place them in plastic containers being sure to place a layer of borax between each level. There is nothing better than having great looking roe and the eggs I just did look like X-mas Candy and  the fish agree whole-heartedly. I now have 50 LBS, 25 two LB. containers all done up
for future fishing and the missus can have her kitchen back.

Like I said others probably have very different methods but I find this way is quick, easy and relatively painless in regard to how the kitchen looks afterward. The wife doesn't like her domain done in double redd hot.

[Athezone]

Sterling's right, never put your eggs in water, just clean them up quickly and plop them into a zip lock baggie and keep them cool. Water deteriorates them quickly. I'm no expert on egg curing but I will just quickly add how I have been doing my eggs for the last 20 or so years. I use a variety of colours but the last batch I did I used double redd hot pro-cure. I take an empty 4 litre ice cream pail and pour in good amount of pro-cure, add about a cup and a half of water and mix it up well.

The eggs I just did were all spring eggs so I cut the skeins to about 4 inch pieces and into the mix they go. Be sure not to add to much pro-cure or leave them in to long as they will burn and harden. Once you've filled the container up put the lid on and keep them in there for about 2 to 3 hours, giving them a good shake every 20, 30 minutes. I'm sure other's do it better or at least differently than me but after I take the eggs out I just lay them on newspaper and let them sit for about half an hour, flipping them once to get both sides relatively dry.

Then with a freezer bag I plop them in and make sure they're coated thoroughly with borax by shaking them all around. Once I'm happy with their coating I place them in plastic containers being sure to place a layer of borax between each level. There is nothing better than having great looking roe and the eggs I just did look like X-mas Candy and  the fish agree whole-heartedly. I now have 50 LBS, 25 two LB. containers all done up
for future fishing and the missus can have her kitchen back.

Like I said others probably have very different methods but I find this way is quick, easy and relatively painless in regard to how the kitchen looks afterward. The wife doesn't like her domain done in double redd hot.