Canadian Decoder-Ring (ReadyCure)

[Sean the Nailer]

Hello all,
I am confusing myself into a corner. I have been trying to search, read, and glean the many threads here pertaining to "Corned Beef/Pastrami" using locally obtained ingredients.

I have trimmed my Brisket, removed the point, and almost all of the external fat from the "Flat" which weighs 3.2 kg's or 7.4 lbs.

The ONLY thing I'm able to obtain for this is the Canadian "ReadyCure" which is:
Salt
1% Sodium Nitrite
Sodium Bicarbonate
Glycerin

With the directions of:
Maximum Usage: 20g per 1 kg meat product
For Side Bacon 12g per 1 kg meat product (add additional cooking salt if required)

--------------------------------- that is what is printed on the bag-----------

Follow that up with the recipe I'd intended on using:
4 litres Water
450 gms Kosher Salt
100 gms Sugar
25 gms Pink Salt
3 tsps Garlic
20 gms Pickling Spice
2.25 kg Beef Brisket, marbled
20 gms Pickling Spice

(2 separate measures of Pickling Spice. 1 for the Brine, and another for the Boil)

Now, I've searched the innerwebz and found all kinds of info for Prague Powder #1, #2, InstaQuick, Redi-Mix, and who-knows-what-else.

(Can you imagine how much I'm hating the Canuckistanian gov't at the moment?) Please, can someone tell me for that amount of meat, how much Water I should add how much ReadyCure to, so that I can get the meat into a bag and in the fridge again before it goes bad. (yes, I've been searching for 3 days now, trying to find an answer)

Or have I missed a memo?

 

[SmokinEdge]

The ONLY thing I'm able to obtain for this is the Canadian "ReadyCure" which is:
Salt
1% Sodium Nitrite
Sodium Bicarbonate
Glycerin

Here is the chart for European Peklosol which is .6% nitrite. So you can about double your cure to equal this chart. Hope this helps. If not we can do the long math for your cure, but this will get you very close, just double it.

 

[DougE]

So you can about double your cure to equal this chart.

Wouldn't he go half since his is 1% and peklosol is 0.6% using that chart?

 

[Sean the Nailer]

SmokinEdge, I truly SO want to do as you suggested. BUT, before I do, can I state that the package ingredients say:
"Salt"
"Sodium Nitrate 1%"
etc.
How MUCH Salt is there, I can't say. Believe me, I'm not begin argumentative. I am just asking for clarification. Apologies in advance for this (as far as I'm concerned) unnecessary soap-opera created by our gov't.

 

[DougE]

Apologies in advance for this (as far as I'm concerned) unnecessary soap-opera created by our gov't.

I saw an article that came across my newsfeed a few months back where Canada, as well as a few others were trying to ban the sale of curing salt because a few people used it to commit suicide.

 

[SmokinEdge]

SmokinEdge, I truly SO want to do as you suggested. BUT, before I do, can I state that the package ingredients say:
"Salt"
"Sodium Nitrate 1%"
etc.
How MUCH Salt is there, I can't say. Believe me, I'm not begin argumentative. I am just asking for clarification. Apologies in advance for this (as far as I'm concerned) unnecessary soap-opera created by our gov't.

You really need to find the salt percentage. These curing salts that are below nitrite percentage of our cure #1 of 6.25% nitrite, they all run salt in percentage to control intake by salt content. Basically you cannot over do the nitrite with these cures because the product would be to salty to eat. These cures are not even died like cure #1 they are white like table salt. Find the salt percentage and we can dial you in, but I’m guessing that double the Peklosol number will be close, this is because of the nitrite content, but again it’s a guess. Find that salt percentage for further discussion.

 

[SmokinEdge]

I saw an article that came across my newsfeed a few months back where Canada, as well as a few others were trying to ban the sale of curing salt because a few people used it to commit suicide.

I think that I read they have legalized assisted suicide though, even for young people, go figure.

 

[Fueling Around]

Wouldn't he go half since his is 1% and peklosol is 0.6% using that chart?

YES
Peklosol is .6% nitrite with 99.4% salt. Canada cure is 99% salt to 1% nitrite.
The conversion would be roughly 1/2 Canada cure to Euro Cure

The free world uses 6.25% nitrite to 93.25% salt
I'm working on the algebra to convert the Canada cure to real world and keep the salt in check.
The amount of colorant, glycol, and bicarbonate is insignificant to the total weight and volume of the products.

 

[Fueling Around]

...
Canadian "ReadyCure" which is:
...
With the directions of:
Maximum Usage: 20g per 1 kg meat product
For Side Bacon 12g per 1 kg meat product (add additional cooking salt if required)
...

Give me some time to work out the algebra.
Initially my thoughts is the differing quantity between maximum and side bacon follows the US rules that restrict nitrites in side or streak bacon as it is usually fried and high heat plus excess nitrites may form nitrosamines which are not proven carcinogenetic, but are "suspected" as such.

Are you wanting a wet or dry cure for your brisket?

 

[SmokinEdge]

Canada cure is 99% salt to 1% nitrite.

So using half the Peklosol number, you hit the .6% nitrite, but you also cut the salt in half. Just asking.

 

[Fueling Around]

Yes a little more. but when trying to hit the 150 ppm a little more is ok as long as we stay under the 200 ppm level.
Working on the decoder ring to determine where 150 ppm nitrite with Canada cure .

 

[Fueling Around]

Almost midnight my time and a few beverages consumed will delay until tomorrow.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Seems to me that if it’s 1% nitrite, but basically the same salt, 99%, then use the Peklosol chart, and then add salt. 20g per Kg will net 2% salt with Peklosol and 120ppm nitrite, so half that amount with the Canadian cure would be 120ppm nitrite but 1% salt. So just adjust the salt from there. Am I wrong?

 

[Sean the Nailer]

Give me some time to work out the algebra.
Initially my thoughts is the differing quantity between maximum and side bacon follows the US rules that restrict nitrites in side or streak bacon as it is usually fried and high heat plus excess nitrites may form nitrosamines which are not proven carcinogenetic, but are "suspected" as such.

Are you wanting a wet or dry cure for your brisket?

I am wanting a 'wet' cure, as this is for (specifically) 3.2 kg's (7.4 lbs) of brisket flat, trimmed. I'm making corned beef.

The recipe I have (that I've made the spice blend for) is to boil x-amount of water, dissolve salt and sugar and 1/2 the spices, let it cool, then add the MAGIC amount of MAGIC Powder then seal it all in a bag and leave it in the fridge for 5 days.

Obviously, my intent of using an American recipe and converting it to a Canuckistanian one is ridiculous and I truly am needing a decoder-ring. Either I'm the first one to ever make anything out of meat here in Canada, or there's simply a lesson I have completely missed. The math of this (to me) is tantamount to:

Divide the product by the square-root of zero, multiply the consonant by the smell of the colour purple, carry the 4, then use the quadratic equation to get your shopping list out of the trunk of the car.

(yeah, I'm tired too...)

To say that I appreciate any and ALL help is an understatement. Up until this point in my life, I'd been happy with the meats that we've done, and I kept on thinking "One Day I'm Gonna...." (ODIG jobs)

I'm bound and determined to do this. It's just that for SO MANY of the things I've read about Nitrate, Nitrite, meats, botulism and all that,,,, I can't screw up with too much OR too little. So I've kept looking. All powders are NOT equal. It's either that, or the Metric system has screwed this up too.

 

[hondabbq]

https://www.amazon.ca/Hoosier-Hill-Farm-Prague-Powder/dp/B00C2PIC92/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2WP3UKBA5YU7Y&keywords=prague+powder+%231+curing+salt&qid=1676040112&sprefix=prague+%2Caps%2C139&sr=8-6

 

[Sean the Nailer]

https://www.amazon.ca/Hoosier-Hill-Farm-Prague-Powder/dp/B00C2PIC92/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2WP3UKBA5YU7Y&keywords=prague+powder+%231+curing+salt&qid=1676040112&sprefix=prague+%2Caps%2C139&sr=8-6

I appreciate this addition, and will definitely keep this possibility in mind down-the-road. As stated above, the meat is in the fridge now (Day 4) and I have a full bag of 'ReadyCure' on hand.

 

[Fueling Around]

Thanks for the photo of the bag. It confirms all the research I've done that ReadyCure (RC)is 99% salt and 1% nitrite.

The 20g of RC per kg of meat puts you right at the 200 ppm (maximum) nitrite concentration for a DRY brine cure.
Many (me included) go for around 150 ppm nitrite concentration.

Converting to a wet brine cure requires knowing the amount of liquid. Weight of the liquid plus weight of the meat determines the amount of nitrite to use in the brine.

 

[mneeley490]

Not to be obtuse, as I don't know the Canadian postal restrictions, but can't you just buy Cure #1 from someone on Ebay? Or Amazon? Both would probably come in a plain brown wrapper.

 

[Sean the Nailer]

Thanks for the photo of the bag. It confirms all the research I've done that ReadyCure (RC)is 99% salt and 1% nitrite.

The 20g of RC per kg of meat puts you right at the 200 ppm (maximum) nitrite concentration for a DRY brine cure.
Many (me included) go for around 150 ppm nitrite concentration.

Converting to a wet brine cure requires knowing the amount of liquid. Weight of the liquid plus weight of the meat determines the amount of nitrite to use in the brine.

OK, fabulous so far. Truly.

If I may ask, for a 'wet brine', is there a 'set amount' of water I should use? The recipe I have on hand, that started this all off, called for "4 litres of water" and "2.2kg of Brisket".

THAT Is the original recipe. My actual chunk of meat weighs "3.2 kgs" (or 7.4 lbs) so do I use the same 4 litres of water, or do I need to increase it?
I'll be making a bag, from a roll of our 'vacuum bag material' and then sealing it to put in the fridge. So any volume can be done/made. I just don't know if it actually matters, hence the question.

I'm NOT trying to over-complicate the issue. I'm attempting to be as specific and concise as I can. Thank you for your assistance.

I forgot to add.... is it just me, or does '4 litres' of water sound a bit much?

 

[SmokinEdge]

So solving for nitrite alone at 1% concentrate for 1 Kg of meat looks like this, assuming you want 150ppm nitrite.

Meat 1000g x .000150 / .01 = 15 grams of your cure to net 150ppm nitrite with 1 Kg of meat or meat/liquid. This will also net you 1.5% salt.