Universal Cure Calculator.........

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1. The calculator defaults to 156 ppm but can be changed. I see stuff out there saying dry cure/should be no more than 120 ppm. How/why did you come up with default 156, which I assume is a recommended value?

Depends on what you're curing. The numbers come from the USDA.

2. Will the dry rub/cure penetrate the fat cap of a piece of pork belly or should the entire amount be put on the meat side?

I would go heavier on the meat side.

I recommend a good book such as Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages by by Stanley and Adam Marianski.

If you have specific questions—please send me a PM.

Thanks!
 
Pops brine is designed to use 1 gallon of water and up to ~10#'s of meat... This is a good lesson in, "If you're using a curing recipe, DO NOT CHANGE IT"...

I'm impressed you took the time to run it through the calculator... Most folk wouldn't even think of that...

Now for the reason.....

Along with the above note.... 1 tsp. of cure#1 is good for 5#'s of stuff.... 1 TBS. of cure #1 is good for 15#'s of stuff.... it doesn't matter if it's water or meat.... Ppm is based on weight : weight....... 1 gram in 1,000,000 grams is 1 part per million.... makes sense...

Cure #1 is 6.25% nitrite... or 62,500 Ppm... .nitrite... the rest is salt, sort of...

Now for your problem.... cut the belly into ~4" wide slabs, across grain... place in 2 gallon zip bag and add 1 gallon of Pops brine.... easy....

I have never tried curing bacon I would love to try it do you have any suggestions before I get started? Thanks you. Smokin' Vegas
 
I have never tried curing bacon I would love to try it do you have any suggestions before I get started? Thanks you. Smokin' Vegas

SV, afternoon.... I appreciate the opportunity to assist you...
The following is based on the USDA recommended values to a commercial operation that is selling to the public...
For a brine/submerged/cure... weigh the meat... weigh out about 25-50% the weight of the meat in your liquid... I prefer distilled water to avoid and "off" tastes... add the liquid and meat weights... my preference is 2% Kosher salt, 1% white sugar, and 0.19% cure#1 max. (6.25% nitrite).... That delivers ~120 Ppm nitrite... Max. recommended for immersed/brined bacon... rest in the refer for approx. 2 weeks..
For a dry rubbed belly, which I do most of the time...
Weigh the meat... Mix together 2% Kosher salt, 1% white sugar and 0.32% cure #1 max. That delivers ~200 Ppm nitrite.. Max. recommended for dry rubbed bacon... distribute evenly over the belly.. rest in a refer at 38-40 deg . F for approx. 2 weeks...
Temps 34 F and lower hinder the nitrite absorption/adsorption....
When smoking, temps above ~130 start to break down the nitrite... USDA tests have shown ~80-90% reduction in remaining nitrites, when meats were tested in the consumer refer case at retail outlets... still adding a safety factor...

Following those recommended steps will give you a pure bacon flavor... I would try a 1 or 2# belly hunk for my first try... You may as well know what "clean" pig belly bacon tastes like.. then add garlic, onion, maple, black pepper, who knows... Maybe last weeks gym socks would be good.... NOT !!!!!!!
There are many variations of makin' bacon on here... cold smoke, warm smoke... I cold smoke at <70 F... finish the cook in the oven on a wire rack... sliced.. sometimes brush maple syrup on the rashers just as they finish in the oven and let the syrup glaze the pig and have bacon candy... only lasts the afternoon...
Well now you know everything I know... good luck... enjoy.....

Dave...
 
Hi everyone,

Could you guys check my math on this and make sure I have what I need? I am making jerkey in a marinade. I am using 4 pounds of beef (1814 grams) and 4 cups (954 grams)of liquid (3c water 1c soy sauce if it matters) . With this one level teaspoon (4.2g) of #1 cure would give me 95ppm of cure correct? Would this be within acceptable parameters?
 
Hi everyone,

Could you guys check my math on this and make sure I have what I need? I am making jerkey in a marinade. I am using 4 pounds of beef (1814 grams) and 4 cups (954 grams)of liquid (3c water 1c soy sauce if it matters) . With this one level teaspoon (4.2g) of #1 cure would give me 95ppm of cure correct? Would this be within acceptable parameters?


1tsp would give you 100ppm so your math is correct
 
I set up a javascript Universal Cure Calculator on my website.
Here's the link for anyone who wants to play around with it....

http://www.diggingdogfarm.com/page2.html

The calculator can be used to calculate the amount of cure and salt required in sausage...the amounts of cure, salt and sugar for a dry cure mix...it can also be used to calculate the ingredients for an equilibrium brine, etc.

[COLOR=#red]The calculator is preset for Cure #1 at 6.25%, do not change that number unless you know what you are doing.[/COLOR]

Update: I changed the 6.25% value to "read only" so it can't be changed.

There's also a handy weight converter for converting pounds to grams.

Please only use the calculator if you have a full understanding of the technical and safety issues involved.

Triple check your work!!!

Have fun!

~Martin
The correct amount for Cure #1 or 2 is 0.25% up to 0.3% Curing salt for some depending on the product being made. For most, it is best to stick to 0.25%!!!! The calculator you have posted gets the correct amount in the figures below, but you have the amount up top at 6.25%, while this is the amount of Nitrite or Nitrate in the Cure it is not the percentage you use to calculate the amount of curing salt to use! This is very misleading! If someone takes your percentage of Cure and uses it to calculate the amount themselves without going back to your calculator they will be using WAY too much cure! So as long as they use your calculator they will get the correct amount of Cure, but if they use 6.25%, and calculate the amount themselves without going back to the website they will get massively too much cure! For safety, the amount of cure calculation percentage needs to be changed to reflect the correct amount of Curing Salt to use, not the amount of Nitrate in the salt.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: DanMcG
I just weigh my meat and add 1/4 tsp per pound of cure #1 or #2 depending on what the project is. Easy Peasy.
If you are using spoons to measure your Curing Salt, the correct amount is 1/4 Teaspoon for every 1.25 pounds of meat, as it is used at a rate of 1 teaspoon for 5 pounds of meat! You are technically using too much Cure, not sure how much that really matters, but just an FYI.
 
The correct amount for Cure #1 or 2 is 0.25% up to 0.3% Curing salt for some depending on the product being made. For most, it is best to stick to 0.25%!!!! The calculator you have posted gets the correct amount in the figures below, but you have the amount up top at 6.25%, while this is the amount of Nitrite or Nitrate in the Cure it is not the percentage you use to calculate the amount of curing salt to use! This is very misleading! If someone takes your percentage of Cure and uses it to calculate the amount themselves without going back to your calculator they will be using WAY too much cure! So as long as they use your calculator they will get the correct amount of Cure, but if they use 6.25%, and calculate the amount themselves without going back to the website they will get massively too much cure! For safety, the amount of cure calculation percentage needs to be changed to reflect the correct amount of Curing Salt to use, not the amount of Nitrate in the salt.

Just wondering what you point is. The DD calculator is meant to be used all the way through, using the converter for pounds to ounces (in my case) then inputting the results in the calculator, adjusting the salt and sugar amounts to your tastes, then making the cure using the three results based on the calculator. Been doing it for years . And over all these years (9) I've seen hundreds of people on different forums using this website and no negative feedback. Anyone deviating from the calculator is their problem
 
...So as long as they use your calculator they will get the correct amount of Cure, but if they use 6.25%, and calculate the amount themselves without going back to the website they will get massively too much cure! For safety, the amount of cure calculation percentage needs to be changed to reflect the correct amount of Curing Salt to use, not the amount of Nitrate in the salt.
For those of us that learned how to calculate the weight of cure #1 by longhand, there are a several constants based on the meat weight: One is 0.25% of the meat weight. The second is 2.5g of cure #1 per 1000g of meat weight. A third is 1.13g of cure #1 per pound of meat weight. There are still volumetric measurements out there, but they are generally not recommended. For what it's worth, I understand how the calculator works because I understand all of the variables involved. To go one step further, the calculator is actually a tick more accurate than my longhand calculations because it reduces the % salt because it takes into account the salt carrier in cure #1.

You are correct in that the calculator works. And I see where you are headed.... if someone did not understand that cure #1 is 6.25% sodium nitrite and 93.75% salt, and has not read the label, did not understand how to calculate the amount needed, or failed to heed the warnings..... they could get themselves in trouble if they looked at the 6.25% figure on the calculator, then elected to not use the calculator and used that percentage incorrectly in their calculation.

There are several (text boxes?) above the calculator that do not load in my browser. Do these have an explanation of how to use the calculator, and why the 6.25% figure can not be changed? Maybe you see them in your browser?

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I use DD calculator and weigh all ingredients using grams.
Most bakers will tell you that weighing ingredients gives more consistant results than using volume.
 
There are several (text boxes?) above the calculator that do not load in my browser. Do these have an explanation of how to use the calculator, and why the 6.25% figure can not be changed? Maybe you see them in your browser?
The creator of the calculator posted in his original post that he had made that figure a read-only box for safety. I think the web page hasn't been updated to comply with the new versions of browsers. I tried Edge, Firefox and Chrome and they just don't load
 
It works for me on chrome. The calculator part does. Some of the other stuff dont load.
 
For those of us that learned how to calculate the weight of cure #1 by longhand, there are a several constants based on the meat weight: One is 0.25% of the meat weight. The second is 2.5g of cure #1 per 1000g of meat weight. A third is 1.13g of cure #1 per pound of meat weight. There are still volumetric measurements out there, but they are generally not recommended. For what it's worth, I understand how the calculator works because I understand all of the variables involved. To go one step further, the calculator is actually a tick more accurate than my longhand calculations because it reduces the % salt because it takes into account the salt carrier in cure #1.

You are correct in that the calculator works. And I see where you are headed.... if someone did not understand that cure #1 is 6.25% sodium nitrite and 93.75% salt, and has not read the label, did not understand how to calculate the amount needed, or failed to heed the warnings..... they could get themselves in trouble if they looked at the 6.25% figure on the calculator, then elected to not use the calculator and used that percentage incorrectly in their calculation.

There are several (text boxes?) above the calculator that do not load in my browser. Do these have an explanation of how to use the calculator, and why the 6.25% figure can not be changed? Maybe you see them in your browser?

View attachment 515539
Yes, people that are experienced in curing and not brand new will know that the 6.25 is not the percentage of Curing salt to use! I am concerned about someone that is not well versed in curing or is completely new to curing! Someone that takes this percentage and does the calculations on a calculator, someone that doesn't take the time to log on to the online calculator, or someone that is not for whatever reason at the time able to get to the calculator online, and uses this percentage to calculate the amount of Curing salt! The boxes at the top are not showing for anyone at this point, and I have no idea if they contain an explanation about the percentage shown. The issue is that it needs to reflect the percentage used to calculate the amount of Curing Salt to use shown below in the answers boxes! The amount that is calculated by the online calculator is the correct amount, but it is not the amount you would get using the percentage displayed above! For someone that is not familiar with curing this will be very confusing and could lead to someone getting sick! It really needs to be changed to the percentage that is used to get the answer displayed 0.25%.
 
The creator of the calculator posted in his original post that he had made that figure a read-only box for safety. I think the web page hasn't been updated to comply with the new versions of browsers. I tried Edge, Firefox and Chrome and they just don't load
It works for me on chrome. The calculator part does. Some of the other stuff dont load.

So maybe the areas on Martin's page that don't load did have instructions when it was released. But the thread itself has a lot of explanation, and Martin answers questions. Take a look at the EAT CURED MEAT calculator, and the MEAT AND SAUSAGES calculator pages..... they have some general information, but not detailed instructions. But again, if you have an understanding of how to mix a curing formulation, the boxes on the various calculators make sense.
 
...The amount that is calculated by the online calculator is the correct amount, but it is not the amount you would get using the percentage displayed above! For someone that is not familiar with curing this will be very confusing and could lead to someone getting sick! It really needs to be changed to the percentage that is used to get the answer displayed 0.25%.

I'm not disagreeing with you, but the presentation of the calculator having fill-in boxes on top and a 'Calculate The Cure' button in the middle, and boxes titled Cure #1, Salt and Sugar 'needed' at the bottom is somewhat logical.

On a related topic.... the Cure #1 % Nitrite box is locked. The 'ppm' box has a default of 156 ppm, but that figure could be changed. What's to stop someone from picking a higher ppm at random? If the same careless person that doesn't understand what the 6.25% refers would probably not understand ppm.
 
Yes, people that are experienced in curing and not brand new will know that the 6.25 is not the percentage of Curing salt to use! I am concerned about someone that is not well versed in curing or is completely new to curing! Someone that takes this percentage and does the calculations on a calculator, someone that doesn't take the time to log on to the online calculator, or someone that is not for whatever reason at the time able to get to the calculator online, and uses this percentage to calculate the amount of Curing salt! The boxes at the top are not showing for anyone at this point, and I have no idea if they contain an explanation about the percentage shown. The issue is that it needs to reflect the percentage used to calculate the amount of Curing Salt to use shown below in the answers boxes! The amount that is calculated by the online calculator is the correct amount, but it is not the amount you would get using the percentage displayed above! For someone that is not familiar with curing this will be very confusing and could lead to someone getting sick! It really needs to be changed to the percentage that is used to get the answer displayed 0.25%.
If you want to get the same salt amounts, just subtract the cure amount from your salt amount.
I'm not disagreeing with you, but the presentation of the calculator having fill-in boxes on top and a 'Calculate The Cure' button in the middle, and boxes titled Cure #1, Salt and Sugar 'needed' at the bottom is somewhat logical.

On a related topic.... the Cure #1 % Nitrite box is locked. The 'ppm' box has a default of 156 ppm, but that figure could be changed. What's to stop someone from picking a higher ppm at random? If the same careless person that doesn't understand what the 6.25% refers would probably not understand ppm.
The percentage listed in the locked box is 6.25%, and that is clearly NOT the percentage being used to calculate the value in the Cure #1 box amount at the bottom! The Issue I am making is that someone that is inexperienced in curing may not realize that the percentage is incorrect and may take that as the percentage to use! Not everyone will be able to come back to use the online calculator and if they use 6.25% to calculate the amount of Cure #1 they may get themselves or others into trouble by ingesting to much Nitrite! The reason I am bringing this up is that I sent someone here to use this calculator and they did just that! They thought that 6.25% was the correct percentage to use and had 25 times what they should have had in their cure! The only reason that they did not actually use that much is they called me and had me check their amounts. They did not have access to the internet where they were so they had written down the information from the page! Likewise, not everyone is going to take the time to scroll down and read the other posts! They like him are going to see the Calculator use it and go, if they do as he did and take that 6.25% amount as being correct then there is a huge possibility for issues. I am not saying and have never said that people should be able to change the number in the upper Cure#1 box, what I am saying is that it needs to be 0.25%, not 6.25%! The amount that this is the answer box at the bottom as I have said several times is correct and is being calculated at 0.25% not calculated with 6.25%! To someone like my friend that is new to curing many not notice or realize that 6.25% is not the correct percentage to use!
 
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The reason I am bringing this up is that I sent someone here to use this calculator and they did just that! They thought that 6.25% was the correct percentage to use and had 25 times what they should have had in their cure! The only reason that they did not actually use that much is they called me and had me check their amounts. They did not have access to the internet where they were so they had written down the information from the page! Likewise, not everyone is going to take the time to scroll down and read the other posts!

Sorry to hear that your friend got confused, and it's great you checked their math. I've done just that hundreds of times. It's all part of being a good mentor when introducing someone to a new hobby that requires understanding and accuracy. For example, hobbies like home canning, reloading ammunition or skydiving can also be done with confidence as long as you understand and follow procedures.

Instead of saying the '6.25%' number is misleading, or should not appear in the calculator, let's take a look at why it is there. If the curing mixture did not contain 6.25% sodium nitrite, the bottom line amount of cure would be wrong, and not all cures contain 6.25% sodium nitrite. I currently use three curing products.... Morton Tender Quick, Hi Mountain jerky cure, and Cure #1. All three have different percentages of nitrites or nitrite/nitrate combinations, and all have separate instructions for their use that are in accordance with government rules and regulations. If I used the calculator with Tender Quick or Hi Mountain the amount needed would be wrong. The calculator only works with a cure mixture that contains 6.25% sodium nitrite. To go one step further, Cure #2 is used for meats like salami that are not cooked. It also contains 6.25% sodium nitrite, but has 4.75% sodium nitrate which acts as sort of a time release agent as nitrates convert to nitrites over time.

I'm not trying to play down the seriousness of your friends mistake, nor am I playing the whataboutism card. But two problems in curing circles that are directly related to lack of understanding are selecting the proper cure for the job, and adjusting amounts of cure when changing from a dry cure method to a curing brine (wet cure) method. If you don't account for the water, the cure amount is too low. At least three additional problems surface from time to time in online conversations. For example, a user measures out the correct amount of Cure #1, then decides "Gee, the amount looks so small, I added more", or maybe "I wanted the cure to work faster, so I used more than recommended". Another very common problem is "Oops, I used tablespoons instead of teaspoons when measuring".
 
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