Completely Cured?

[GatorAGR]

Need help with a small panic attack...I mixed and stuffed my first snack sticks last night. Followed this process.
1. Mixed meat and seasonings
2. Fried patty for taste
3. Added cure at .25% (dry without liquid)
4. Mixed again
5. Stuffed
6. Refrigerated overnight

My question is that it seemed that it is a very small amount of cure to get mixed completely through the meat profile so it seems that there are going to be portions of the snack sticks that don't have cure. Should I:
1. Leave it and start smoking today?
2. Take the meat out of the stuffing, re-cure w/water, and re-stuff?

 

[indaswamp]

The cure #1 is a salt. Salt dissolves when it hits liquid. Meat is about 75% water, and when the salt is applied, it starts pulling out moisture (and salt soluble proteins). As long as you mixed it very good to get protein extraction for binding, the cure has dissolved and been distributed. This is how it is done when making salami-adding the cure dry with no liquid.

Relax, you are good....

 

[indaswamp]

What size grind? You will be safe to wait a couple days to let the cure do it's thing. It will distribute evenly over time. You will actually end up with a better product if you wait before you smoke them. This is how it was done old world.....

 

[GatorAGR]

The cure #1 is a salt. Salt dissolves when it hits liquid. Meat is about 75% water, and when the salt is applied, it starts pulling out moisture (and salt soluble proteins). As long as you mixed it very good to bet protein extraction for binding, the cure has dissolved and been distributed. This is how it is done when making salami-adding the cure dry with no liquid.

Relax, you are good....

Thank you. Just worried that I did the "protein extraction" mix prior to adding the cure. The final mix was "good", but was it good enough? That's my worry. Wish I would have let it sit in bulk overnight before stuffing. I would feel a lot better.

 

[GatorAGR]

What size grind? You will be safe to wait a couple days to let the cure do it's thing. It will distribute evenly over time. You will actually end up with a better product if you wait before you smoke them. This is how it was done old world.....

I just used ground beef so pretty fine grind. I mixed and stuffed last night at about 7. Think I should wait til tomorrow to smoke?

 

[boykjo]

Yup........ your good

 

[indaswamp]

Thank you. Just worried that I did the "protein extraction" mix prior to adding the cure. The final mix was "good", but was it good enough? That's my worry. Wish I would have let it sit in bulk overnight before stuffing. I would feel a lot better.

You can always check the bind by grabbing a bit of meat with your hand, then turn your gloved hand upside down. The meat should stick and stay, not fall down.

 

[indaswamp]

I just used ground beef so pretty fine grind. I mixed and stuffed last night at about 7. Think I should wait til tomorrow to smoke?

Yup.

 

[GatorAGR]

Bind was excellent. Not worried about that. Just worried that I didn't get the cure thoroughly mixed and diluted prior to stuffing. Basically, my initial mix was say 5-10 min, but incorporating the cure was say 1 min. I'll let it roll and smoke tomorrow though.

 

[SmokinEdge]

As long as you scattered the cure over the grind and didn’t just dump it in a pile then mixed I think you are fine.I add my cure dry and never a problem.

 

[GatorAGR]

Cool. Thanks guys. Yeah, I spread it out then mixed it in.

 

[GatorAGR]

One last question... Check my math. I added .25% in a 1,814 g (4 lb) meat batch so 4.5 g cure #1 correct?

 

[SmokinEdge]

One last question... Check my math. I added .25% in a 1,814 g (4 lb) meat batch so 4.5 g cure #1 correct?

You are correct

 

[indaswamp]

One last question... Check my math. I added .25% in a 1,814 g (4 lb) meat batch so 4.5 g cure #1 correct?

Yep.

 

[DougE]

Basically, my initial mix was say 5-10 min, but incorporating the cure was say 1 min. I'll let it roll and smoke tomorrow though.

When I make sausage, my cure is mixed in with the rest of the spices. I see no reason to mix it in after you have mixed the other spices and have your protein extraction.

I'd posit that you will get a better distribution if you add it at the beginning of mixing before you have protein extraction.

 

[SmokinEdge]

When I make sausage, my cure is mixed in with the rest of the spices. I see no reason to mix it in after you have mixed the other spices and have your protein extraction.

I'd posit that you will get a better distribution if you add it at the beginning of mixing before you have protein extraction.

I’m guessing that he is holding the cure out for the test patty, then if good mix the cure in. Not necessary for me at all.

 

[DougE]

I’m guessing that he is holding the cure out for the test patty, then if good mix the cure in. Not necessary for me at all.

Hadn't considered that. I've ate test patties cure and all, but if you aren't comfortable doing it, adding erythorbate (which I do anyhow) makes it a non issue as does a slug of OJ after the taste test.

 

[GatorAGR]

Yeah I was waiting for the test patty. I think going forward I’ll put it in with everything else. I saw some wait so I was being overly cautious.

 

[DougE]

Yeah I was waiting for the test patty. I think going forward I’ll put it in with everything else. I saw some wait so I was being overly cautious.

Nothing wrong with that but I'm not overly worried about the small amount of nitrite I might ingest from a small test patty. Just drink some orange juice after if it concerns you. Vitamin C and its derivatives accelerate the conversion of nitrite.

 

[GatorAGR]

I agree. I’m not worried about it. Just didn’t realize it would cause me this issue so I figured why not.