If you are going to cure meat by using a liquid brine, or a dry rub, Morton's Tenderquick is a good choice. (the Tenderquick basically stays on the outside surface of the meat, and is absorbed into the meat.)
If you are going to add a cure to ground meat where you mix the cure INTO the meat, look for something called Prague Powder #1.
The difference is:
Tenderquick is a lot of salt and a small amount of curing agent.
Prague is a small amount of salt and curing agent.
You can wash excess salt off the surface of meat after curing, but you can't wash it OUT of ground meat.
To get the proper amount of curing agent using Tenderquick you are adding in a lot of salt. Most people think mixing Tenderquick into meat makes it too salty. (myself included).
Both Tenderquick and Prague have their uses.
In any case, when using a cure, follow the manufacturer's directions very closely. Too much cure can be dangerous.
Jerry
www.homesausagemaker.blogspot.com
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