How to cure chicken liver is easy. It takes a few household items most people have in the kitchen. The reasons to cure chicken liver are it makes it tougher and preserves the liver.
Chicken liver is hard to keep on the hook without some help. It is soft and tears or slips off the hook when casting. Using chicken liver that has been cured is tough and stays on the hook. It will stay on the hook for you.
Chicken liver rots and stinks quickly. If you cure your chicken liver it keeps for weeks in the fridge. You do not have to throw away bait you did not use. People fishing for catfish a lot. Have the option to buy in bulk and cure the liver. This saves you money.
How to Cure Chicken Liver
First, you gather all the supplies. Besides, the liver, you need salt and Borax as ingredients. A wire rack to place the liver on to cure. You need a place to work also. The house is not a wise choice. Use the garage or do it outdoors. The process is a bit messy and the liver does smell.
There are commercial products for curing chicken liver. Pro-Cure makes one and many scents for fishing. You add more flavor and scent using the products.
Place the chicken liver on a piece of cardboard and spread it out. Salt the liver with a fair amount. You do not coat it with salt but give a good amount. Flip the liver and salt the other side. The salt affects the flavor so do not go overboard.
Take Borax and apply it liberally to the liver. Flip again and coat the other side also. Place the liver in a container and add more Borax. At this time, allow the liver to sit in the fridge for an hour to a day.
Step 2
After it has sat in the container for some time. Take chicken liver and place it on a rack to cure. This step is best done on hotter days and in the sun. The bugs will not be a problem with the borax. It keeps them away or kills them. Spread the liver out on the rack. Sprinkle on more Borax.
After a few hours check the liver. When it is tacky to the touch flip and repeat the borax. Using the rack allows air to flow making it cure faster. The temperature and weather affect the time. In the best conditions, it will take a day in the sun. At worst you are looking at three days.
This process makes the liver tougher and prevents it from rotting. It will feel like soft beef jerky. In the fridge, it will last up to a month. Freezing makes it last 6-9 months.
Conclusion
Curing chicken liver is easy. It makes the bait last and stays on the hook better. The actual amount of time working on it is not long. But you do have to allow it to sit for hours in between the steps. Plus it is a bit messy.
There are other baits that are less messy but may or may not be as effective. Another option is making boilies to use on a hair rig setup. This is a recipe for boilies that is easy.