Cure 1 instead of tenderquick

[David Leopold]

First off yes I know this question had likely been asked way too many times. And I’ve tried searching it some on here but not quite getting what I’m looking for.

Next, please understand that I DO realize they are completely different products and there is no real “substitute” for TQ.

Up here in my area of Canada TQ is basically non-existent, but I have cure 1.

So here is my issue. I have a recipe for goose pastrami, or duck or whatever else I guess. It’s by the guy that has the Meat Eater hunting show. It uses TQ, brown sugar an then spices. No salt.

So my question would be, instead of TQ should I use an appropriate weighted amount of cure 1, and then kosher salt in a little less volume than what he used TQ?

Example: his recipe said 1/2c TQ, 1/4c br sugar, no salt. Could I use maybe 1/3c salt, 1/4c br sugar and a weighed out amount of cure 1?

I’m not worried about it not turning out an exact replacement. Just looking for a quick and dirty understanding of how to use cure 1 and salt to somewhat match TQ.

Thanks guys.

 

[David Leopold]

That I can do. Thanks.

 

[dr k]

Tender Quick has sodium nitrate and nitrite like pink curing salt #2 but I don't know the % in TQ. Cure #2 is 6.25% nitrite like Cure #1 but then also has 4% nitrate.

 

[daveomak]

.

 

[daveomak]

Not all cure#2 has 4% nitrate... different manufacturers make it in different amounts.....

From; Sausage Maker.. About Instacure #2...

 

[daveomak]

Tender Quick has sodium nitrate and nitrite like pink curing salt #2 but I don't know the % in TQ. Cure #2 is 6.25% nitrite like Cure #1 but then also has 4% nitrate.

Not necessarily so....

 

[zwiller]

When I first got into curing I was shocked that TQ was so easily available. Usually sits next to the sugar in stores, not the salt tho. Go figure...

 

[David Leopold]

Where I am, Nova Scotia, none of it is readily available. I ordered the pink Prague 1 off of Amazon.

 

[SonnyE]

Where I am, Nova Scotia, none of it is readily available. I ordered the pink Prague 1 off of Amazon.

I got mine from Amazon, too, David.

 

[chef jimmyj]

There are as many recipes for Duck or other meat Pastrami people that want to try making it. You can ruin a lot of meat using some recipes of the web. At SMF recipes are posted, peer reviewed for safety and then tried by others reviews you can trust.
The Number One recommendation when it comes to curing meat is...Measure by Weight in grams...
Volume measuring requires you use a similar ingredient brand to the author. Table Salt, Morton Kosher and Diamond Crystal all have different weight per volume. Using percentages makes weighing the right amount of ingredients per weight of meat simple. The weight of your meat times the percentage of an ingredient expressed in decimal form, giveso how much you need to weigh out. Ex. 1000g duck X .02 Salt (2%) = 200 Salt. Here is the fun part...ANY brand, any crystal size or any composition, Himalayan Pink or Hawaiian Black.
I like 2% Salt, 1% Sugar, 0.5% Herbs, 0.25% Spices, in dry or brine cures...JJ

 

[David Leopold]

Is there any difference in curing times using TQ vs Prague 1?

 

[chef jimmyj]

Recipes vary but for guaranteed success...7 days per 1" meat thickness. Any meat 4" or over, Inject the brine, 1" spacing, to speed the process...JJ

 

[Bearcarver]

Recipes vary but for guaranteed success...7 days per 1" meat thickness. Any meat 4" or over, Inject the brine, 1" spacing, to speed the process...JJ

It's True that curing time length varies, but so does the thickness for injecting;
Some guys inject anything over 2" thick.
I inject anything over 3" thick, but if I can cut it in half I will do so, instead of injecting the one thicker piece.
I do this mostly with Dried Beef and Buckboard Bacon, because they're nearly always thicker than 3".

Bear

 

[David Leopold]

So I don’t need to change how long it cures then if not using the TQ.

I will try the recipe sometime soon with some duck breasts I have and use the proper weight of cure 1 and then those percentages for salt and sugar that have been mentioned. Should turn out ok.

 

[Bearcarver]

So I don’t need to change how long it cures then if not using the TQ.

I will try the recipe sometime soon with some duck breasts I have and use the proper weight of cure 1 and then those percentages for salt and sugar that have been mentioned. Should turn out ok.

Right,
The differences in length of time various people use has nothing to do with the cure used.

Wet Brine Cure is different than Dry Cure, as it pertains to time, but if someone Dry cures @ 7 days per inch with TQ, he will most likely do the same with Cure #1.

Bear

 

[daveomak.fs]

Morning.... FWIW... When curing meats, the manufacturer of the curing salts does not determine the length of time it takes to cure the product.. It's the size of the molecule that determines the speed of penetration into the meat...
Sodium nitrite is the same, regardless of who sells it... 7 days per 1 inch of thickness is the accepted curing rate...

 

[indaswamp]

Check out Hank Shaw's recipe over at honest foods...
https://honest-food.net/goose-pastrami-recipe/
The recipe uses cure #1. I have used this recipe and can vouche for it. It is awesome!

 

[Bearcarver]

Morning.... FWIW... When curing meats, the manufacturer of the curing salts does not determine the length of time it takes to cure the product.. It's the size of the molecule that determines the speed of penetration into the meat...
Sodium nitrite is the same, regardless of who sells it... 7 days per 1 inch of thickness is the accepted curing rate...

I go by consistent results:
If I cure a 2" thick piece of meat in 10 days, and at the end of those 10 days I check and just like the other 50 times I did the same thing, the cure has gotten all the way to the center, that tells me 10 days was long enough time to cure a 2" thick piece of meat when done properly.

Bear

 

[indaswamp]

Here is the goose pastrami I made and posted on SMF..
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/canada-goose-smoke-sausage.263099/page-3#post-1711648

 

[chef jimmyj]

What keeps vendors of Cured Meats like Volpi's in business is, this magic we make is an Art. Not everyone gets perfect results. There are many ways of getting it done, and hundreds of books that all say something different, 7 days per inch, 5 days per inch, inject a solution of ingredients and your Goose is cured in 48 hours. Do your research so you know what's safe, choose a plan and have at it...JJ