Chicken dry cure with nitrite

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

PK Jee

Newbie
Original poster
Oct 23, 2021
7
1
I would like to try dry curing chicken using sodium nitrite. Didn't find in the net. Is it possible at all? Need help on this. Thanks
 
I think it can be done but it's not typically done because dry curing pulls moisture out of meat and poultry REALLY suffers when that happens. I'd suggest Pop's Brine for that instead. Tried and true and lots of happy folks with it.
 
I concur with This Guy^^^^^^.👍Pop's Brine is tried and true and makes juicy Cured Smoked Chicken.
However, if you wish to try a Dry Rub to Cure, it's best to Spatchcock the chicken. Next, weigh the bird and multiply the weight by 0.62 to determine the amount of Meat only. Multiply the meat weight by each ingredient below to determine the amount of Curing Rub needed. Rub both sides with the combination of... 0.25% Cure #1 aka Prague Powder, 1.5% Salt, 1% Sugar and 0.5% any Herbs or Spices you like, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, etc. Bag with any rub that did not stick and Vac-Seal or remove as much air as possible from the bag used. Refrigerate and Turn/Massage every 12 hours for 24 hours. Rinse, dry well, preferably uncovered in the refer overnight. Smoke as desired...JJ

Housetohomestead.com calculated that 62 percent of the average whole chicken is meat. That meat is divided unevenly into eight different pieces, 30 percent of which is in the chicken breast.Mar 26, 2020
 
Great point. Did not think of that.

I was just assuming about the chicken jerky since the OP stated he wanted to use sodium nitrite in the dry cure.
However, for chicken jerky, I think I'd still go with a wet brine instead of a dry brine.
 
  • Like
Reactions: zwiller
I think it can be done but it's not typically done because dry curing pulls moisture out of meat and poultry REALLY suffers when that happens. I'd suggest Pop's Brine for that instead. Tried and true and lots of happy folks with it.
While it is true that dry curing will pull moisture out of the meat, if the meat is left in contact with the liquid, it will pull that moisture back in as the salt travels into the interior of the meat...the moisture will follow the salt in. So at the end of the dry curing process, all the original moisture will be back into the meat.

If done in a salt box, the moisture leaves the box so once pulled out of the meat, it does not get the chance to pull back in.
 
I have done cured turkeys and the only way I do them now. Used Pop's and Dave's injection. I do inject also using Pop's. Both really juicy. Does not get a hammy taste but just nice and juicy. Those tony chachere injection are really good on chicken.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PK Jee
I've had plenty of turkey jerky that was just done with a high mountain jerky kit .
Comes out just fine for jerky .
I've been looking at some turkey pastrami ( whole muscle ) and a turkey pastrami
roll ( white and dark meat chunks in SS casing )
Both use cure 1 , but it's a brine . Not dry rubbed .

As far as curing whole birds or parts , I've used :
Pop's brine
Dave's injection
Tender quick as a dry rub
Tender quick as a pumping pickle
 
I think it can be done but it's not typically done because dry curing pulls moisture out of meat and poultry REALLY suffers when that happens. I'd suggest Pop's Brine for that instead. Tried and true and lots of happy folks with it.
Thanks a ton. Here in India we don't get pork or beef so I was thinking of chicken. I love the flavour of nitrite cure so want to do that. Can you help on this Pops brine thing. I am absolutely a gerren horn in this.
 
Salt breaks down proteins. Poultry is a soft flesh and shouldn’t be bribed or salted for any longer than is necessary. A typical whole chicken not more than about 24hrs a turkey about 48hrs unless it’s very large then go a bit longer, in my experience the poultry flesh gets mushy if left too long in a brine of any kind that is salty.
Also keep in mind that the weight of a bird is largely made up of a skeleton (bone) so keep that in mind when figuring up your salt and cure #1 percentage. It’s easy to make Whole poultry too salty if the skeleton weight is not allowed for.
I’ve never dry rub cured poultry, however I may grab some thighs and try it) but I’ve brined/cured a bunch of them and smoked them. I like it a lot and my kids too, but the wife is old school and refuses to eat it because it’s “pink” chicken. She understands cure, she has to being married to me, but we eat with our eyes and that pink meat on poultry kills it for her even knowing better. I laugh, it’s funny.
 
SmokinEdge SmokinEdge Sir you make a Excellent Point. I did not take Bone and Skin into account when I posted instructions for Dry Curing a Chicken. My Post has been edited to reflect that only the weight of meat goes into the calculation. THANKS SO MUCH for this important information...JJ
 
  • Like
Reactions: SmokinEdge
Below is Pop's Brine with complete instructions for curing various meats and cuts of meat.
Note: All this and above is based on using, Cure #1, aka Prague Powder. It contains 6.25% Sodium Nitrite and 93.75% Salt, Sodium Chloride...JJ

 
I would like to try dry curing chicken using sodium nitrite.
So what you want to do is a cured smoked bird ?
If so use the info in post # 14 for Pop's brine . Use it at the low salt rate of 1/3 or 1/2 cup . I use pickling salt , which is a smaller grain , but dissolves easier .

Here's one I did . You can see the effects of the injection and the soak , and the pink tint on the plated pic .


. Here in India
Since you're in India I think we should confirm what you have as a curing agent is cure 1 . Just to be safe .
 
Last edited:
I Dry cure everything I do with Tender Quick.
However if I was going to do Chicken, I would use Pops' Brine Method with Cure #1.
Pops was the Man around here, especially for those kind of items.
I would do a search & find one that Pops did, and follow that from start to finish!!

Bear
 
.......................Can you help on this Pops brine thing. I am absolutely a gerren horn in this.

Look here:
 
While it is true that dry curing will pull moisture out of the meat, if the meat is left in contact with the liquid, it will pull that moisture back in as the salt travels into the interior of the meat...the moisture will follow the salt in. So at the end of the dry curing process, all the original moisture will be back into the meat.

If done in a salt box, the moisture leaves the box so once pulled out of the meat, it does not get the chance to pull back in.
IMO dry cure by equilibrium method should be OK
 
So what you want to do is a cured smoked bird ?
If so use the info in post # 14 for Pop's brine . Use it at the low salt rate of 1/3 or 1/2 cup . I use pickling salt , which is a smaller grain , but dissolves easier .

Here's one I did . You can see the effects of the injection and the soak , and the pink tint on the plated pic .



Since you're in India I think we should confirm what you have as a curing agent is cure 1 . Just to be safe .
It's instacure#1, sodium nitrite 6.25%
 
  • Like
Reactions: chopsaw
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Latest posts

Hot Threads

Clicky