Let us know how the calculator's time estimate works for you (make sure to let us know all the conditions). It is a US federal crime to publish or distribute anything on this website without permission. Pink Salt #1, Tinted Cure Mix (TCM), Tinted Curing Powder (TCP), Prague powder #1, InstaCure #1, Modern cure. You should not attempt to cure meat at home without a curing salt. Some fats may get gelatinous, particularly on ham. Products like salami, air dried hams such as prosciutto or serrano ham. Don't tell me you can't find Morton's. Another benefit of wet cures is that you can leave the meat in the cure a bit longer than the prescribed time. I prefer wet cures because submerging the meat in liquid makes it easier to control the amount of salt in the meat. You also need to scrub the meat with warm water. "I like to say there should be no rules in the bedroom or kitchen. Some cooks go so far as to mix the curing liquid, bring it to a boil to decontaminate the salt, sugar, etc., and pour the hot water into the curing vessel to pasteurize it. Pink curing salt #2 and Insta Cure #2), Morton Tender Quick, and good old Saltpeter. of sodium nitrite with .64 oz. Contact Us. There are recipes for "curing" that don't use nitrites, so technically they are not really cures, and they cannot kill bot so they must never be submerged in wet cures. So the trick is to create a cure that has the right amount of nitrite and liquid so that the nitrite will penetrate all the way to the center of the meat, preserve the meat, and fight off bacteria without allowing it to suck in too much salt or too much nitrite. Hell, it reminds me of my favorite … Now find the center. Click here to read how we test, about our medals, and what they mean, Click here for our article on this breakthrough tool, Click here to read our detailed review and to order, Click here to read our detailed review and the raves from people who own them, Click here for our review on this unique smoker, Click here for our review of this superb smoker, Click here for our review of this unique device, Click here for more about what makes this grill special, Click here for more about what makes these grates so special, Click here to read our detailed review of the PK 360, Click here to order directly and get an exclusive AmazingRibs.com deal, Click here to read our detailed review and to order, Killer Tested Barbecue And Grilling Recipes, How To Cure Meats: Bacon, Ham, Corned Beef, Pastrami, More, AmazingRibs.com science advisor Prof. Greg Blonder, Prof. Blonder, has written about the subject of nitrite toxicity in detail here, nitrites and nitrates and the cancer scare of the 1970s here, the process that causes the pink smoke ring in smoked meats, I have written about the dangers at length in an article on cold smoking, Prof. Blonder explains this phenomenon in a detailed article on his website here, I discuss this phenomenon in my article on marinades, Meathead, The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling, The New Data About Nitrites, Nitrates And Cured Meats, A Smoked Pastrami Recipe That's Close To Katz's, How to Make Smoked Bacon at Home - It Is So Much Better Than Store Bought, How To Make A Cured Smoked Ham From Scratch, Hamming it Up: A Survey of the World's Great Hams And How To Cook Them, Click here to learn more about benefits to membership, Government regulations limit sodium nitrite (NaNO, Prague Powder #1 = 6% sodium nitrite (NaNO, 1 tablespoon Prague Powder #1 weighs ≈ 14 grams (depending on the spoon design) and contains about 0.8 gm sodium nitrite, 1 tablespoon Prague Powder #1 mixed with 1.5 gallons water ≈ (0.06 x 14 gm/1.5 * 3,800 gm) ≈ 150 ppm. This addition is good for curing meats over long periods. It is widely believed that USDA has set the limit of 200 ppm for cured meats, but this is a myth. Then and add the distilled water, kosher salt, and Prague Powder #1. Dry curing is how they make prosciutto, Iberico ham, Serrano ham, and American Country ham. When submerged in a wet cure, the salt concentration is the same all around the surface and the laws of equilibrium keep the meat the same salinity throughout if you keep it in the cure long enough. That's one reason why prosciutto is so expensive. Dry thoroughly. And while it is in the cure, stir it around daily so any meat in contact with the container will get exposed to the cure. That means a good microscope, and anlytical tools. And with their WiFi capabilities you can control and monitor Davy Crocket from your smart phone or laptop. Today there are three common methods of curing meat: Injecting, dry curing, and wet curing. You may see other recipes out there, but if they are for dry cures there is no comparison (read the rest of this page to understand the diff). People often ask if they can cure meats without nitrites and just increase the salt. If the wait is too long, you can speed it up by injecting the cure. Salt also slows oxidation of the meat so the fat doesn't go rancid quickly. For more on the topic, here is an article by Prof. Blonder. Dry curing should be left for licensed pros. Pink curing salt #2 and Insta Cure #2), Morton Tender Quick, and good old Saltpeter. But nitrates can also form nitrosamines, a compound that is a carcinogen in animals, but its effect on humans is still ill defined. Enhances the flavor of the finished product, Gives the finished cooked product a pink “cured” color. Then rinse thoroughly and dry with paper towels. GDPR requires that we be willing to delete any info we have about an EU resident if you request it. You must make sure the container the meat will be in is superclean. And yes, I know my endorsement of wet cures. The long curing process often results in oxidized rancid fat, a funky flavor that, like funky cheese, some people love and some people hate. Notice that the gray is exactly the shape of the slab. We extend this right to anyone, EU resident or not. In our cure recipes, we make sure you are well within safe limits. We always liked Grilla. In practice you may be able to go longer but we do not recommend it. If you have questions related to barbecue or grilling, please post them to the comments section at the bottom of any page. Called curing salts as a group, they are why bacon, hot dogs, hams, and corned beef are pink and why they have a distinctive tangy cured meat flavor. So making the process anaerobic protects you from all the bad guys except bot, and the nitrite knocks bot out. Cure can come in several forms, but LEM Cure is the same as Cure # 1 - it is a mixture of salt and sodium nitrite (6.25%). This recipe is as old as the hills. Use the griddle for bacon, eggs, and home fries. The shop in Rome shown here is full of cool looking artisinal cured moldy meats that have all been properly produced. Insta Cure #1 and Insta Cure … cure, Sure Cure, Fast Cure, or Speed Cure. Injecting. Wet cures also hide the meat from oxygen, inhibiting most bacteria and preventing rancidity. Scrub it with hot water and soap, and then thoroughly rinse out the soap. Curing meat is a preservation process going way back to ancient civilizations long before refrigeration. It can be compared … Your containers must be rated "food safe", clean, and non-reactive. Do you have PS Seasonings and Cure, but only want to make a couple pounds of meat? Our talented team of paid moderators will be with you shortly. Use only 1 oz. Most bacteria cannot grow at temps below 38°F, so it is crucial that you keep everything chilled below 38°F and above freezing of 32°F. Bubbles are a sure sign that something is alive in there. Mortons quick curing salt is completely different. Wet curing means submerging the meat in a chilled liquid with nitrites and/or nitrates and flavorings. Typically, fresh sausage is fried in a skillet or grilled and can be made with or without casings. Many merchants pay us a small referral fee when you click our links and purchase from them. He is also the author of "Meathead, The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling", a New York Times Best Seller and named one of the "100 Best Cookbooks of All Time" by Southern Living. Adding more or less sugar, spice, and everything nice only impacts taste on the surface, not safety, so you have room here to improvise. There are many recipes for cold smoking meat. We go a step further. Seasoning & Cure Measurements - 1lb Increment: Seasoning Flavor Seasoning Cure … What happens is that the salt in the outermost layers of the meat moves into the water. #1 is good for short cures and meats that will be cooked and then eaten. On a commercial scale, it requires a lot of space and cooling. The internal temperature must reach 165° during the cooking cycle. (1 oz. The longer it is in the cure the greater the risk of contamination. You should not try to combine our curing recipes with others. Fresh sausage is simply meat with your choice of sausage seasoning. Even if you could eat that much, salt, not nitrite, probably would be the killer. It is imperative you use the right amount. One of the problems is that a single needle injector tends to create pockets of cure and pockets of no cure. This increases nitric oxide formation and, as we explain in. This baby will cook circles around the cheap offset sideways barrel smokers because temperature control is so much easier. They lack certain enzymes and their digestive tracts harbor bacteria that convert nitrate in veggies into nitrite. of meat, mix 4 ozs. It is beautifully designed, completely portable, and much easier to set up for 2-zone cooking than any round kamado. The question is how long? The amazing Karubecue is the most innovative smoker in the world. The meat and the water will reach equilibrium and if you followed our recommendations for safe curing (like using distilled or boiled water), a rule of thumb is you can leave it in the cure for up to 25% longer than recommended. But, as I explain in my article on salt (click the link), the grain size and the air spaces between the grains plays an important role in the salinity, or the quantity of NaCl. Then find the shortest route to that spot. Many merchants pay us a small referral fee when you click our links and purchase from them. Use distilled water or boil your water and let it cool. Prague Powder #2 has 4% sodium nitrate and it is used mostly on meats that are air dried and not cooked, meats that age because nitrate slowly breaks down into nitrite over time so it remains active over months. Hot smoking is easy to do at home, and makes great tasting bacon, ham, corned beef, etc. This pasteurizes the meat. The idea that nitrites or nitrates were carcinogenic was the result of a flawed experiment in the 1970s and, although it has been debunked, the bad reputation won't go away. NOTE: There are 6 teaspoons in 1 oz of Sure Cure Wet curing takes less time than dry curing, sometimes only days. We created a conversion chart to assist you on the amount of seasoning and cure needed to make only one pound of meat. We usually grant permission and don't charge a fee. Neither will vinegar. The spores are commonly found in the environment all around you. As you can see, like the stadium, the cylinder fills in faster. It is wet (brine) immersion cured with salt, seasonings, and Prague Powder #1 (pink 6.25 % sodium nitrite in 94% table salt – aka Cure #1) and then hot smoked. And it doesn't treat the surface with flavor. The salt, saltpeter, and smoke concentrations were inconsistent and the meats often dehydrated and grew molds as they hung. They will keep for a week or two in the fridge and they freeze beautifully for a month or more. Hopefully some one with more experience will … Prague Powder #1, also referred to as Tinted Cure or Pink Curing Salt, is used for all types of meats, sausage, fish, and jerky curing. Use that distance below. It is primarily used in dry-curing … This is a vastly different chemical process. of meat. If the recipe calls for eight pounds of brisket and you have two four pound hunks, if you stack them on top of each other you have made it twice the thickness. Today hardly anybody uses saltpeter and neither should you. A few slices of cured meat on a sandwich every day, and a ham for Sunday dinner can't hurt you. It takes time for the cure to penetrate. The new Genesis II E-335 offers solid performance, a sear burner for sizzling heat and an excellent warranty. The cure dissolves and disperses in the lquid and the liquid has a uniform concentration of cure throughout as long as it is stirred occasionally. I asked the AmazingRibs.com science consultant, Prof. Greg Blonder of Boston University, and he said it is some pretty complicated math, but “enter 1/3 the thickness into the curing calculator for an estimate.”. Cure is definitely a secret to unforgettable flavor when you’re making sausage – but it should only be used in scant measurements. Set ThermoTemp's dial from 175° to 350°F and the thermostat inside will adjust the burner just like an indoor kitchen oven. Nor can we do the math for everyone who wants to try a variation on our curing recipes. Curing your own meats? The small 31.5" x 29.5" footprint makes it ideal for use where BBQ space is limited, as on a condo patio. But remember the ratios of nitrite and water are crucial, so don't increase the liquid content without increasing the other proportionally as per the conversion tables. Don't let anybody bamboozle you, even the most ancient tradition-bound old world producers are government inspected and use modern instruments to make sure they pass. Click here to read how we test, about our medals, and what they mean. What exactly are Fresh and Cured Sausages? Because nitrites decrease during curing, the residual levels, after a few days or weeks, are often 10x lower. This is the first propane smoker with a thermostat, making this baby foolproof. Put the meat in the bucket and submerge it. Special thanks to Pitmaster Club member "Smoking77" for sharing. And you don't need permission to link to us. It's hard to beat a Weber kettle, but Napoleon holds its own and adds some unique features to make the NK22CK-C a viable alternative. CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) says the maximum safe daily intake of sodium nitrite is about 0.1 milligram (mg) per kilogram (kg) of your body weight. If you cook it, during the heating process the salt redistributes itself more rapidly than at refrigerator temperatures. Prague powder #2 is a mixture of 1 part sodium nitrite, .64 parts sodium nitrate and 16 parts salt. There are plenty of curing salt-water recipes that originally instruct you to use Prague Powder, which is a salt compound used to preserve meat. © 2018 LEM Products. The Good-One Open Range is dramatically different from a traditional offset smoker. Then mix one ounce of household bleach to a gallon of water and rinse out the container with that. For meats that need a longer curing … Cure can be used in making Sausage, Jerky, Bacon or Ham. ). Although we love answering reader questions, we cannot comment on curing recipes from other websites or books, on dry cure recipes, or variations you want to try. Please do not ask us questions about large scale or commercial curing. Four-way venting means it's easy to set up for two zone cooking with more control than single vent Kamado grills. Very little remains active. This may shock you, but there is a lot of misinformation on the internet. The molecules are just too large. It is not the same thing as Himalayan pink salt or Prague Powder #2. It is b. You should not attempt to cure meat at home without a curing salt. Prague powder #1 is 1 part (6.25%) sodium nitrite to 15 parts (93.75%) salt, plus anti-caking elements. Bot doesn't grow well in the presence of air, so it forms tough shell-like spores and hibernates until conditions are right. I have a pack of pink salt here that has the same ingredients and I use it when cure #1, pink salt or prague powder is called for in a recipe. The chemical process is similar to the process that causes the pink smoke ring in smoked meats and it gives cured meat its characteristic pink color. And cooking the meat when it comes out is no guarantee of safety because the spores don't start croaking til the temp hits 250°F or so. So there you have it - that’s the difference between Fresh and Cured sausage! Salt draws water out of the meat, concentrating its flavor and making it less hospitable to microbes. The rules for this process are rigid."Meathead. Here is a brief … Curing salts go by many names, Instacure #1, Prague Powder #1, Pink Salt and many more. Keep the meat submerged. I discuss this phenomenon in my article on marinades. 2) Tell us everything we need to know to help such as the type of cooker and thermometer. Visit the Walton's Learning Center at Meatgistics and join in with the rest of the Walton's Community by asking questions and learn how to make tasty homemade meat snacks. But nitrates can also form nitrosamines, a compound that is a carcinogen in animals, but its effect on humans is still ill defined. Just click the link. Bits of fat may break loose and float, but floating mold is a bad sign. I'll discuss below where you can improvise. Meat is really a protein and fat sponge that is about 70% water (see my article on meat science). The flat top does the burgers and the fryer does the fries. If you insist on another salt you must alter the quantity. You really need accurate digital scales with equilibrium curing, the whole point is consistent salt flavor and also consistent meat curing results Here is a page I wrote with some digital scales I can … On Amazon it works on everything from grills to diapers, they never tell us what you bought, and it has zero impact on the price you pay, but has a major impact on our ability to improve this site! When you clean and butcher your harvest yourself, you reap the rewards for months... Dehydrating, Smoking, Canning, Vacuum Sealing, and Curing. Since salinity is a key part of these recipes, I have standardized on the most common kosher salt, Morton's. Please don't ask us about differences between that calculator and the one below written exclusively for this site by. They are all the same basic formulations and only these can be used interchangeably, however Cure #2 should never be substituted for Cure … Hi Betsy! These are initial levels at the end of the cure. of salt.) You can swap fruit juice for water if you want. USDA also requires 550 ppm (0.055%) of sodium ascorbate or sodium erythorbate to be added in commercial bacon production. Learn how to … First, the curing salts (our LEM seasoning blends include these salts) get the preservation process started. 3) Scrub the exterior of the ham thoroughly to remove as much bacteria as possible (don't use soap). Aluminum, cast iron, brass, and copper pots can undergo a reaction with chemicals in food, especially acids and salts, and create off flavors. Cured sausage does not become shelf-stable after the cooking cycle, so you must refrigerate or freeze after cooking. If you are doing only a small amount at home, it is by far the best way to go. If it is in contact with the bottom, flip it regularly. USDA has established regulatory limits for the addition of sodium nitrite at 120 ppm (0.012%) in wet cured bacon, 200 ppm (0.02%) for dry cured bacon, 156 ppm (0.0156%) for products such as frankfurters or cured sausages, 200 ppm (0.02%) in wet cured or injected products such as ham or pastrami, and up to 625 ppm (0.0625%) of sodium nitrite in dry-cured meat products such as country hams. Click here to learn more about benefits to membership. Unless you are an expert, you should never substitute one curing salt for another. That's why you must resist the temptation to improvise in a few key areas. Prague powder #1 is a curing mixture used in making cured meat products that require short cures and will then be cooked, such as sausages, including hot dogs, fish, and corned beef.The federal government mandates Prague salt be composed of 6.25 percent sodium nitrite and 93.75 percent table salt (sodium chloride), making Prague powder … But salt also penetrates meat. You can swap fruit juice for water if you want. This Argentinian grill will get your flame on! Use the conversions in my article on salt. Do not stack slabs of meat. Other types of Cure include Prague Powder # 1 and # 2, Instacure # 1 and # 2, and Morton’s carries several types, which typically have sugar added to them as well. You might ask, why not dry cure, in air rather than in water, but there is little oxygen deep in the center of a slab of meat, so Clostridium botulinum spores can hide and grow there. These methods have been perfected and the meats are highly prized. of cure for 25 lbs. All my recipes use Prague Powder #1 which has only 6.25% sodium nitrite, no sodium nitrate. Some people use Star San, a solution popular with brewers. The red dye is not for the meat, it turns the salt pink so you don't mistake it for regular salt or sugar in your pantry. If you’re interested in curing meat, you are probably reading recipes that call for things like sodium nitrite or sodium nitrate, Prague powder 1 or 2, or Instacure 1 or 2. But with those meats you are applying only plain salt, not a curing salt, you are applying it a short time before cooking, and you are using salt in smaller quantities just to amplify flavor. You'll never get it all, but get as much as you can. Other types of Cure include Prague Powder # 1 and # 2, Instacure # 1 and # 2, and Morton’s carries several types, which typically have sugar added to them as well. But it tends to pump a lot of water into the meat diluting its flavor. One of the most popular curing salts, Prague powder #1 contains … The science of curing is pretty cool. One problem with dry cures is that you need to put it on a rack or hang it in the fridge so air can flow around it. Members get 21 great benefits. The key difference between the two curing salts is the prague powder #2 has the additional sodium nitrate as well as sodium nitrite found in prague powder #1. There is nothing like it anywhere. It is widely available in drug stores and many groceries. You … Other than salt and nitrite, very little else added to a cure will penetrate deep into the meat. It should be in every grocery store. Nature seeks equilibrium, so it tries to make the salt concentration inside the meat the same as outside. Then you’ve got to get up again and get rid of the water. The problem is that too little curing salt will not protect the meat and too much can make you sick. For this reason you must store curing salts where children cannot get into them. At its crux is a patented firebox that burns logs above the cooking chamber and sucks heat and extremely clean blue smoke into the thermostat controlled oven. Green Mountain's portable Davy Crockett Pellet Smoker is one mean tailgating and picnic machine. It's not easy to find Prague Powder #1 in groceries, but butcher shops, sporting goods stores where they sell sausage making gear, and Amazon.com carry it. 200 ppm is the maximum recommended by food safety experts, a conservative number, and you can go over a bit because there is drip loss during cooking, but you should play by the rules to be safe. I thought it would be a good addition, so that young cooks can see how easy it is to make a basic sausage. These contain salt, sugar, sodium nitrite and sometimes sodium Erythorbate. The nitrate also preserved the pink color of the meat. The second type is a complete cure. Injection curing should be left for the pros. Prague Powder #2 has 4% sodium nitrate and it is used mostly on meats that are air dried and not cooked, meats that age because nitrate slowly breaks down into nitrite over time so it remains active over months. If you can't get it, don't substitute. All my recipes use Prague Powder #1, the most common curing salt. And remember, we only recommend products we love. Specially prepared blends of salt, sodium nitrite, and sodium nitrate are used by commercial producers and home cooks alike. It also draws moisture out of bacteria, killing them. Simple bacon can take a week and large meats like hams can take months. Dosage of Prague Powder … This calculator is designed for home use. Whatever the reason as to why you might... Get In The Game. If you absolutely refuse to buy distilled water, then you can use other water but you must bring it to a hard boil for a few minutes and then let it cool thoroughly before the meat or nitrite go in.