accuracy of cure #1 amount?

[solman]

i see some people recommend a scale that has a resolution of .01 grams for figuring out how much cure to use per pound/kg of meat. i started my first bacon making adventure last night, and used a scale with .1 gram resolution.

after rubbing the cure and salt onto the pork belly and then into the bag, i had the salt and cure mix all over my hands. so, is it really necessary to be that precise when measuring out the cure? i figure the next time i do this, it'll be good enough to just round up to the nearest whole gram for the cure and salt mix.

 

[atomicsmoke]

One of the corollaries to Murphy's laws:
Measure with a micrometer . Mark with chalk.. Cut with an axe.

 

[chef jimmyj]

You are fine with the scale you have. The .01 accuracy is used in the industry when measuring Pure Nitrite and Nitrate. Between guys studying industrial standards and a general desire to teach newbies the importance of accuracy with curing agents, the most common scale suggested measures to .01. Plus they are common and cheap so, what the heck...JJ

 

[solman]

so no one sees any harm in rounding up to the next whole gram for cure #1? i figure the difference will end up all over my hands again anyway, bringing the cure amount back down to what it should've been.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Considering so many recipes call for teaspoons or Tablespoons of Cure #1, rounding to the nearest gram is no issue if that is your scales resolution...JJ

 

[atomicsmoke]

so no one sees any harm in rounding up to the next whole gram for cure #1? i figure the difference will end up all over my hands again anyway, bringing the cure amount back down to what it should've been.

If you work with 2lbs of meat rounding up could mean as much as 25% more cure than needed. Not gonna make you sick but why put more if not needed. Dont forget that you add as much as 10x the amount of cure in salt. So what you have on your hands is mostly salt. You do have a valid point though...i thought about it too. What i do is use two fingers to spread the cure. I dont rub...just spread as even as i can. Then rub fingers to shake off as much as possible. Then close bag and massage.

 

[indaswamp]

so no one sees any harm in rounding up to the next whole gram for cure #1? i figure the difference will end up all over my hands again anyway, bringing the cure amount back down to what it should've been.

USDA recommends 120-200ppm for smoked meats, with bacon they recommend 120ppm....
You have a window to account for margin of error.

 

[indaswamp]

If you work with 2lbs of meat rounding up could mean as much as 25% more cure than needed. Not gonna make you sick but why put more if not needed. Dont forget that you add as much as 10x the amount of cure in salt. So what you have on your hands is mostly salt. You do have a valid point though...i thought about it too. What i do is use two fingers to spread the cure. I dont rub...just spread as even as i can. Then rub fingers to shake off as much as possible. Then close bag and massage.

Good practice....
The salt will draw out moisture and that will get mixed with the cure and salt anyways forming a brine so it will all even out in the end. Especially if you cure for 14 days, then rest to equalize for 5~7 days to let the sugar catch up with the salt and evenly distribute.

 

[solman]

my pork bellies are 2" thick, so my plan was to cure for 10 days (one day per 1/4", plus 2 days). maybe i should extend it another 2 days just in case?

 

[indaswamp]

my pork bellies are 2" thick, so my plan was to cure for 10 days (one day per 1/4", plus 2 days). maybe i should extend it another 2 days just in case?

I would. Also remember that sugar travels much slower than salt through the meat. If you equalize for 5~7 days, you will end up with a much better product because the sugar will have time to distribute. If you only rest the slab for 24 hours, you will have a salty center that has very little sugar to balance that saltiness.

 

[solman]

ok i'll cure for 14 days. after the cure, i was planning to equalize for 7 days with a rub of maple sugar. then 3 days cold smoke, and finally 4-14 days dry age depending on temperature/humidity in my storage room.

 

[HalfSmoked]

So you have heard from some of the masters and things should work out fine for you. Waiting to see the finish. Always being concerned with cure is a good idea.

Warren

 

[indaswamp]

Sounds like a solid plan.... what temp will you cold smoke? and what wood will you use?

 

[indaswamp]

So you have heard from some of the masters and things should work out fine for you. Waiting to see the finish. Always being concerned with cure is a good idea.

Warren

Can't rush perfection......<wink>

 

[solman]

hoping to cold smoke at <80F, 8 hours a day over 3 days. though i suppose i could take it up to 100F, but definitely not over 100. mix of apple and hickory woods. hope it turns out good! :)

 

[daveomak]

When it comes to recipe repeatability, may I recommend a scale similar to the one in the link... If you are weighing ~5 grams of cure for ~5 pounds of meat, or 7 grams of mace, or 10 grams of garlic.... a 0-10# scale is not necessarily the correct tool to use...
I have the scale below and another that is similar... 0-500 gram range... I purchased to 0-100 scale after realizing the 0-500 wasn't accurate enough, or had the repeatability I was looking for when making food for my grandchildren...
Maybe I work too hard at making the best food I can... my granddaughters are worth it...

100 Gram for seasonings and cure...


.......

 

[HalfSmoked]

That's for sure always slow and easy.

Warren

 

[indaswamp]

hoping to cold smoke at <80F, 8 hours a day over 3 days. though i suppose i could take it up to 100F, but definitely not over 100. mix of apple and hickory woods. hope it turns out good! :)

 

[solman]

What i do is use two fingers to spread the cure. I dont rub...just spread as even as i can. Then rub fingers to shake off as much as possible. Then close bag and massage.

Good practice....
The salt will draw out moisture and that will get mixed with the cure and salt anyways forming a brine so it will all even out in the end.

thinking about what you guys said, maybe next time i'll carefully spread the cure/salt mix into the bag and let the bag do the work of spreading out the mix and not get my hands dirty. it'll end up as a brine anyway, and evenly distribute over time.

 

[indaswamp]

thinking about what you guys said, maybe next time i'll carefully spread the cure/salt mix into the bag and let the bag do the work of spreading out the mix and not get my hands dirty. it'll end up as a brine anyway, and evenly distribute over time.

If you go this route, I would be diligent in flipping/massaging the bag every hour for the first 4 hours or so to get the cure mixed good and cover the meat surface evenly.