Can I make a large batch of dry cure to use over the next month?

[CZN]

Hi all!

So I have some turkey breasts coming and I want to try Chef Steps method for making deli meat. In their recipe, an 8% cure is what they deemed their favorite. Their recipe

850g turkey breast
27g kosher salt (3.2%)
27g brown sugar (3.2%)
1.4g prague powder (.2%)
7g liquid smoke (.8%)
5g MSG (.6%)

My question is, can I make a large batch of this cure and then weigh each breast and then measure out 8% of the breast weight in cure? So the large batch would look like this (with the liquid smoke omitted until applying the dry cure to the meat).

3.2 x 100 = 320g kosher salt
3.2 x 100 = 320 brown sugar
.2 x 100 = 20g prague powder
.8 x 100 = 80g liquid smoke
.6 x 100 = 60g MSG

This would give me a total of 800g dry cure. Then when its time to cure the breasts, weigh each one and then measure out 8% of it in cure. So if a breast was 418g, that would be 418 x 8% = 33.5g. I'd then measure 33.5 grams for my premade cure and apply it to that breast.

Is this all correct? It seems like it is but theres something in my brain telling me this isnt the way to do it.

Thank you for your help!!

 

[SmokinEdge]

I don’t advise this approach.
Your numbers are fine, but two things stand out to me.
1) The liquid smoke is acidic and will deplete the nitrite in bulk storage.
2) It’s hard to keep the cure 1 from classifying out from the salt and sugar so it’s difficult to keep consistent nitrite in a volume mix. The moist brown sugar will help greatly with this but the liquid smoke is a nitrite killer.

 

[tallbm]

Hi all!

So I have some turkey breasts coming and I want to try Chef Steps method for making deli meat. In their recipe, an 8% cure is what they deemed their favorite. Their recipe

850g turkey breast
27g kosher salt (3.2%)
27g brown sugar (3.2%)
1.4g prague powder (.2%)
7g liquid smoke (.8%)
5g MSG (.6%)

My question is, can I make a large batch of this cure and then weigh each breast and then measure out 8% of the breast weight in cure? So the large batch would look like this (with the liquid smoke omitted until applying the dry cure to the meat).

3.2 x 100 = 320g kosher salt
3.2 x 100 = 320 brown sugar
.2 x 100 = 20g prague powder
.8 x 100 = 80g liquid smoke
.6 x 100 = 60g MSG

This would give me a total of 800g dry cure. Then when its time to cure the breasts, weigh each one and then measure out 8% of it in cure. So if a breast was 418g, that would be 418 x 8% = 33.5g. I'd then measure 33.5 grams for my premade cure and apply it to that breast.

Is this all correct? It seems like it is but theres something in my brain telling me this isnt the way to do it.

Thank you for your help!!

Hi there and welcome!

How thick are the breasts?
It's my understanding that Salt and Cure#1 will only travel 1/4 inch into the meat, every 24 hours.
So a 4 inch thick breast would take 8 days minimum for the cure and salt to reach the center and maybe a couple more days than that just to make sure.

Also if fully cured/salted through, 3.2% salt is quite a high amount of salt.
I do wet equilibrium cures where I inject the curing solution so it cures inside/out and outside/in and I go 1.65% salt and it is never ever too salty no matter how many days I let it sit, and is amazing flavor!

I'm with SmokinEdge and suggest thinking of an alternate approach.
I think some modification to the ChefStep approach may be needed to ENSURE success. There are other surefire methods that will ensure success and taste amazing so don't fret.

Also just know that a lot of blog post, youtube, etc. stuff online is mostly out there to look good so it earns clicks, money, etc. The knowledge from the guys in this forum is 1,000x better than any thing I've ever found elsewhere online. Not trying to rain on your parade, just noting all of this so you have a great tasting positive experience :D

If you do go the ChefStep route, be sure to report back what you find.

I hope this info helps :D

 

[CZN]

Hi there and welcome!

How thick are the breasts?
It's my understanding that Salt and Cure#1 will only travel 1/4 inch into the meat, every 24 hours.
So a 4 inch thick breast would take 8 days minimum for the cure and salt to reach the center and maybe a couple more days than that just to make sure.

Also if fully cured/salted through, 3.2% salt is quite a high amount of salt.
I do wet equilibrium cures where I inject the curing solution so it cures inside/out and outside/in and I go 1.65% salt and it is never ever too salty no matter how many days I let it sit, and is amazing flavor!

I'm with SmokinEdge and suggest thinking of an alternate approach.
I think some modification to the ChefStep approach may be needed to ENSURE success. There are other surefire methods that will ensure success and taste amazing so don't fret.

Also just know that a lot of blog post, youtube, etc. stuff online is mostly out there to look good so it earns clicks, money, etc. The knowledge from the guys in this forum is 1,000x better than any thing I've ever found elsewhere online. Not trying to rain on your parade, just noting all of this so you have a great tasting positive experience :D

If you do go the ChefStep route, be sure to report back what you find.

I hope this info helps :D

Thanks for your reply, much appreciated. I don't have the breasts yet, they should be here in a couple days. In their recipe (I'll attack a PDF) they only brine for 24 hours and then sous vide. The meat looks great in their video but I can't link it as it's behind a paywall. I've tried a few of their sous vide meat recipes and they've turned out great, so I was assuming this one would too.

And you're right, there's a wealth of knowledge on this site so I'll definitely have a look. Cheers!

 

[CZN]

I don’t advise this approach.
Your numbers are fine, but two things stand out to me.
1) The liquid smoke is acidic and will deplete the nitrite in bulk storage.
2) It’s hard to keep the cure 1 from classifying out from the salt and sugar so it’s difficult to keep consistent nitrite in a volume mix. The moist brown sugar will help greatly with this but the liquid smoke is a nitrite killer.

Thanks for your reply! I was thinking to add the liquid smoke to the bag just before sealing it up and keeping it separate from the cute. I'm fairly new to this so I don't know about consistency in a volume mix. I was assuming I could just give the container a good shake to make sure everything was mixed thoroughly before weighing out the appropriate amount for each breast. I appreciate your info, thank you!

 

[tallbm]

Thanks for your reply, much appreciated. I don't have the breasts yet, they should be here in a couple days. In their recipe (I'll attack a PDF) they only brine for 24 hours and then sous vide. The meat looks great in their video but I can't link it as it's behind a paywall. I've tried a few of their sous vide meat recipes and they've turned out great, so I was assuming this one would too.

And you're right, there's a wealth of knowledge on this site so I'll definitely have a look. Cheers!

Ah, seems like they are doing a heavier concentration and the vac sealed bag is helping drive the salt and cure in a bit more.
Also I bet the Sous Vide approach also helps things along with time, vac seal, and temp to keep things moving along.

Let us know how it goes! :D

 

[JckDanls 07]

I agree wit others about not mixing a big batch of seasoning... But rater weigh and mix each one separately

 

[CZN]

So I first did 2 breasts . One was the Chef Steps method of a 24hr overnight brine followed by about a 3.5 hour bath @145F, and the other was a bit of seasoning and then into the sous vide bag for about the same time and temperature.

I sliced up some from both breasts and tested them out with some friends. They all said both were great and they'd happily eat as much as they could (we're in Asia, not many options around here for deli meats) but there was a slight preference to the Chef Steps as it had a bit of a smokey flavor and they liked the hammy texture.

I have 4 more breasts so I just made another batch of 2 and 2, sous vide'd 2 yesterday and will throw the brined 2 in the bath this morning.

Getting them tied up

Brined breast a little darker and firmer texture

A little bit of seasoning and then straight into the bath to cook.

Sliced up for some sampling.

Might as well toast some

Portuguese rye, chipotle mayo, turkey, smoked gouda, fuji apple slices, micro greens. These were quite good and I made a bunch that were.....gobbled up pretty quickly;)

Today I'm getting some pork loin and shoulder. Loin will be done with an EQ dry cure, cold smoke for a couple hours and then into the sous vide to make some "CDN bacon". I've had great results with this method and its easy. Some of the shoulder will go towards buckboard bacon (my first time) and some will be SV @135 for 36-48hrs and chilled. Once its chilled, I can cut it into long strips and fry up on the flat top, then into a sandwich. Sometimes I'll chop the strips into chunks, top with sauce and cheese then onto a sandwich:)

 

[tallbm]

So I first did 2 breasts . One was the Chef Steps method of a 24hr overnight brine followed by about a 3.5 hour bath @145F, and the other was a bit of seasoning and then into the sous vide bag for about the same time and temperature.

I sliced up some from both breasts and tested them out with some friends. They all said both were great and they'd happily eat as much as they could (we're in Asia, not many options around here for deli meats) but there was a slight preference to the Chef Steps as it had a bit of a smokey flavor and they liked the hammy texture.

I have 4 more breasts so I just made another batch of 2 and 2, sous vide'd 2 yesterday and will throw the brined 2 in the bath this morning.

View attachment 682075

Getting them tied up
View attachment 682078

Brined breast a little darker and firmer texture
View attachment 682079


A little bit of seasoning and then straight into the bath to cook.
View attachment 682080


Sliced up for some sampling.
View attachment 682081

Might as well toast some
View attachment 682082


Portuguese rye, chipotle mayo, turkey, smoked gouda, fuji apple slices, micro greens. These were quite good and I made a bunch that were.....gobbled up pretty quickly;)
View attachment 682083


View attachment 682084


Today I'm getting some pork loin and shoulder. Loin will be done with an EQ dry cure, cold smoke for a couple hours and then into the sous vide to make some "CDN bacon". I've had great results with this method and its easy. Some of the shoulder will go towards buckboard bacon (my first time) and some will be SV @135 for 36-48hrs and chilled. Once its chilled, I can cut it into long strips and fry up on the flat top, then into a sandwich. Sometimes I'll chop the strips into chunks, top with sauce and cheese then onto a sandwich:)

Nice! It all looks fantastic man. Congrats on the success of it all :D

 

[CZN]

Nice! It all looks fantastic man. Congrats on the success of it all :D

Cheers, Tallbm! The process is pretty easy and straight forward and I'm looking forward to doing more!