1st Time Curing Meat - Did I use 10x Curing Salt?

[Sunidayze]

Hello,

Im really stressing and asking for help to ease my mind.

Did I use 10 times the amount of curing salt and what to do next?

I've just started curing for the first time.

Hours of reading, preparation and back hurting.

So I've made quite a few kilos of meat (over 2 sessions) that has been hanging for about 3-6 weeks.

The recipe called for 3% salt to 1kg of meat so I used 3% of weight of meat with curing salt #2.

I did more reading and looked at the pack of curing salt #2 and it said 3g to 1kg of meat (3% of 1kg = 30g that I had used).

I've blown it haven't I just thinking about it now?


I also used the same formula (3% curing salt) but with curing salt #1 on duck breast which has been in the fridge for equilibrium cure for 5 days.

Is is safe to use if I wash it off?

Do I need to throw them out?


Please share your thoughts.. is it unsafe at those levels?

Really so upset =/

Many thanks

Sonny

 

[thirdeye]

I'm guessing you are dry curing? Could you post the complete recipe(s), and let us know what products you are curing with both Cure #1 and Cure #2? Typically you measure and combine salt, sugar and cure. The amounts of cure in this mixture will be quite low compared to the amounts of salt and sugar.

For example.... when you mentioned: "The recipe called for 3% salt to 1kg of meat so I used 3% of weight of meat with curing salt #2", it looks like you have used curing salt instead of canning or Kosher salt. Your math is correct, 3% of 1000 grams = 30 grams, but 30 grams of curing salt per kilo of meat is way over the limit.

 

[Sunidayze]

I'm guessing you are dry curing? Could you post the complete recipe(s), and let us know what products you are curing with both Cure #1 and Cure #2? Typically you measure and combine salt, sugar and cure. The amounts of cure in this mixture will be quite low compared to the amounts of salt and sugar.

For example.... when you mentioned: "The recipe called for 3% salt to 1kg of meat so I used 3% of weight of meat with curing salt #2", it looks like you have used curing salt instead of canning or Kosher salt. Your math is correct, 3% of 1000 grams = 30 grams, but 30 grams of curing salt per kilo of meat is way over the limit.

Thanks for your reply and think you have given me the info I needed.

Yes 30 grams of curing salt per kg is what I had used though didn't seem that much at 3%.

Does this mean I need to throw out the goodies??

Heartbreaking.

How about the duck breast in the fridge? Is it safer than sorry principal or can I just cook it and eat it?

Really appreciate it.

 

[thirdeye]

Yes, the item that you used 30 grams per kilo of Cure #2 on needs to be thrown away. I would assume the same is true for the duck breast. And you need to make sure a neighborhood dog, cat, raccoon etc. does not come into contact with any of these things.

Home curing is as much an art as it is science. It would really, really help if you posted the recipes you are using as well as what meats you are using the Cure #1 and Cure #2 on. This way we can fully understand the procedure or technique you are following, and you may get some valuable suggestions for next time.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Sorry to say ALL that meat is Toxic. As my Buddy, Thirdeye, points out, Dry Curing recipes will always have Regular Salt to help dehydrate the meat and Cure #1 or 2 to protect against Clostridium Botulinum, Listeria and Salmonella. There may be Sugar to balance the flavor or other spices. According to your Cure #2 package, 3g per 1000g is 0.3% so yes, 10X too much here with no fix. That really Hurts, and I'm just a bystander...JJ

 

[Sunidayze]

Many thanks it feels amazing to have responses as I rarely ever post anything anywhere.

This was a major worry for me and upsetting for days but I am getting over it now after reading here and have myself to blame.

I used natural pigs intestines cleaning it myself was back breaking enough not to mention the main event of thoroughly mixing everything and then sausage prepping and pricking etc.

Although I have adapted the recipe, the inspiration came from this very first source:


He said the only maths I needed to do was 3% salt.

I read many sources about curing salt and how it is mostly salt and is designed to cure with the added nitrites / nitrates depending on the time required - "Sweet this is abc" i thought.

Thinking I was doing the right thing, i substituted curing salt ( which is about 90% anyway) with the 3% salt as has been suggested and would be safe with the nitrates/nitrites.

I will dispose safely but before I do.

Does anyone know whether nitrites deplete over time perhaps making the sausages/salami safer?


Thank you all!

 

[chef jimmyj]

Yes, Nitrites deplete. But at what rate? I don't know. And Lacto Bacteria convert Nitrate to Nitrite, replacing the depleted original Nitrite. That is how Cure #2 works to inhibit harmful bacteria from growing over the long Cure Process at 55°F. Considering you put 10 Times too much, I can only venture a guess to how long that meat will still be Toxic. Maybe your Great Grandchildren will be Safe eating it????...JJ

 

[daveomak]

Morning.... Everything I've read, 3% salt is a good number for drying meats...
However, I've read where charcuterists combine the salt and cure#2 to get to the 3% total salt...
2.75% Kosher salt and 0.25% cure#2 comes real close to the 3%...
Cure#1 and cure#2 each has 6.25% nitrite and the nitrate can vary widely (0.5% to 3.75%) from different suppliers... The 0.25% is a regulated amount for nitrite in "ground" meat products.. (USDA)..
Sorry you lost that meat... Mistakes are valuable learning experiences... U-Tube, as well as other platforms, has some uneducated "Masters" one needs to be wary of.. The only way to know..... Get more educated than they .....

 

[thirdeye]

Thanks for posting your recipe source. I did watch the video and I also used the "See Inside" feature to get a brief look at Lamb's book on the Amazon site . The first observation is that Lamb's techniques have an artisan flair and they have authentic roots in preservation and curing. This is not a bad thing, but as you found out you have to cross every t, and dot every i when doing any style of curing, home canning etc. It's very easy to get mis-information, or information that appears good, but does not come from a reliable, tried and tested procedure.

In the book, Lamb explains general curing safety as well as Cure #1, Cure #2, Tender Quick, and the role of salt and acidity. He does not reject the use of modern cures, just prefers to use the older methods. I suspect that had you read the book you would have processed the information from the video differently. The only negative comments about the book I read were it's small physical size and tiny font. One comment mentioned a number of errors but did not elaborate.

Hopefully your next adventures will be successful.

 

[Sunidayze]

Thanks everyone, really helped and definitely a lesson learned.

An excellent site, great content and sound info and advice.

Cheers