Cure #1

[gmc2003]

So I received a jerky cannon for Christmas and want to learn how to use it. Along with that I would also like to start experimenting with making my own bacon, jerky and ham. So my question(s) are:

Where is the best place to buy cure #1?

Which brand should I be looking for - is there a consensus on the best brand or are they all basically created equal?

Finally, from what I've seen you usually wind up purchasing more then you would immediately need - so what is the shelf life of cure #1?


Thanks in advance for any and all responses.

Chris

 

[6GRILLZNTN]

Chris. I wound up buying mine on Amazon, but I've also heard you can sometimes get it at a butcher shop, but I can't confirm that. My understanding is that #1, like regular salt, really doesn't go bad. I've had mine for a few years and it's still good. I do keep it well sealed though. Good luck with the cannon! You're going to love it.

 

[BigW.]

Got mine on Amazon also for $10. More cure than I'll prob ever use and I love cured meats. I'd think that Cabela's and other sporting goods type places would have it also.

 

[gmc2003]

Chris. I wound up buying mine on Amazon, but I've also heard you can sometimes get it at a butcher shop, but I can't confirm that. My understanding is that #1, like regular salt, really doesn't go bad. I've had mine for a few years and it's still good. I do keep it well sealed though. Good luck with the cannon! You're going to love it.

Thanks 5Grill, I'll be checking out Amazon this week. Any brands to stay clear of?

Got mine on Amazon also for $10. More cure than I'll prob ever use and I love cured meats. I'd think that Cabela's and other sporting goods type places would have it also.

No Cabela's here, but we do have a Dicks. Maybe I'll shoot over during lunch.

Thanks guys.
Chris

 

[6GRILLZNTN]

Chris. I bought Anthony's Pink #1 in a 2lb. sealable bag. It's around $10 on Amazon.

Dave

 

[gmc2003]

Thanks 5Grill. I'll look for that brand. I didn't want to end up with something generic and of poor quality.

Chris

 

[chopsaw]

Chris , no worries on shelf life is stored properly . I bought a 5 lb jar of cure #1 from sausage maker . I have a bag of cure 2 that's been around a long time . Still good . Buy thru amazon to save the shipping cost . Do you have Academy Sports up there or Rural King ? Academy sells a small bottle that would get you started .

 

[chopsaw]

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/cure-1-made-in-usa-really-good-price.287880/#post-1966185
Here's a thread Dave put up the other day .

 

[gmc2003]

Thanks Chop, unfortunately the only store we have that similar is Dicks and I'll check to see if they have any. With all the hunting we have in this state I surprised we don't have more options. Good to know about the shelf life.

Thanks
Chris

 

[daveomak]

Store the cure #1 in a darkish space where it's cool and it will last forever... Keep it sealed air tight, as it is hygroscopic....

 

[gmc2003]

Dave,

Cool like in the basement, kitchen cabinet, or refrigerator?

Chris

 

[daveomak]

I would not store it under refrigeration... because.... when you take the cold cure out of the refer and open it to the atmosphere, it will rapidly suck up any humidity in the area.... Room temp is good.... Kitchen cabinet..... Pantry...
Sodium nitrite is a very stable compound....
It will react with acids, moisture etc... but under proper storage, it will adequately treat meats for a long time....

 

[WaterRat]

I'll pull my professional chemist card and agree with Chopsaw and Dave As they said no storage worries just keep it cool and dry. If we were dealing with pure sodium nitrite there are concerns of fire, explosions, toxicity, etc.. but not mixed in cure#1. Do keep it secure from kids and pets as it is still toxic you just need alot more of it to do harm.

 

[gmc2003]

I would not store it under refrigeration... because.... when you take the cold cure out of the refer and open it to the atmosphere, it will rapidly suck up any humidity in the area.... Room temp is good.... Kitchen cabinet..... Pantry...
Sodium nitrite is a very stable compound....
It will react with acids, moisture etc... but under proper storage, it will adequately treat meats for a long time....

Thanks Dave, Pantry it is.

I'll pull my professional chemist card and agree with Chopsaw and Dave As they said no storage worries just keep it cool and dry. If we were dealing with pure sodium nitrite there are concerns of fire, explosions, toxicity, etc.. but not mixed in cure#1. Do keep it secure from kids and pets as it is still toxic you just need alot more of it to do harm.

Kids are in their late 20's/early 30's and neither live at home so no kiddy issues. As for pets: Old Skidmark isn't about to jump up on the counter or get into the pantry. He has a tough enough time getting in an out of the house. So I guess I'm safe there also. The wife ---- well I'll have to explain the toxicity to her, just kidding.

Thanks for the info

Chris

 

[gmc2003]

Cure #1 ordered from the Spice Lab. Pork Belly in the freezer. Hopefully in a week or so I'll be curing.

Chris

 

[Jabiru]

Glad I saw this thread GMC... I want to give it a go too.

I have been making bacon (Hot smoked) .

I just bought some from Ebay - ORGANIC Salt Cure #1 - $10 AUS for 250 grams.

How do I work out how much to use?

 

[gmc2003]

Glad I saw this thread GMC... I want to give it a go too.

I have been making bacon (Hot smoked) .

I just bought some from Ebay - ORGANIC Salt Cure #1 - $10 AUS for 250 grams.

How do I work out how much to use?

I haven't gotten around to this yet, still way to warm around here. There are calculators available that give you the measurements. Let us know how it turns out.

Chris

 

[daveomak]

Glad I saw this thread GMC... I want to give it a go too.

I have been making bacon (Hot smoked) .

I just bought some from Ebay - ORGANIC Salt Cure #1 - $10 AUS for 250 grams.

How do I work out how much to use?

Check to make sure it is 6.25% nitrite... Then, use 1.1 grams per pound of meat.. or 2.5 grams per Kg of meat....

 

[pops6927]

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/pops6927s-curing-brines-regular-and-lo-salt

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/181560/immersion-bacon-curing-lab-test-results

I buy mine from Butcher-Packer. usually 4 - 1 lb bags at a time to minimize shipping costs. Lasts forever, no expiration date. Give out bags to my two grown sons as their needs require. And hide the rest up high so the grandkids don't get into it.

 

[dward51]

Go ahead and get a good spice and cure measuring set of scales. These should be able to read in 1/100th of a gram. Cure is the one thing you want to be spot on. Most larger scales have a wide margin of error at lower weights. Cure #1 is 5.7 grams for 5 pounds or 1.13 grams per pound of meat. When weighing 10 pounds of something, being off 2 or 3 grams is nothing, but when weighing 3 grams of cure for a 2.5 pound recipe, a 2 or 3 gram error is huge (like a 100% error possible).

These are the two scales I have. The one will weigh up to 55 lbs and the front comes off so I can still read it with a large bowl on there for the meat. It will tare (zero out) the weight of the large bowl with no problem. Note on the face of that scale the margin of error for 0 to 2 pounds is 0.1 ounces. 0.1 ounces is the same as 2.84 grams. So if you are measuring out 5.7 grams of cure for a 5 lb batch of meat on that scale, you could read 6.7 grams on the scale, but have anywhere from 3.86 to to 9.54grams actually measured out. That's why I recommend a precision scale for cure and spices. The other is my precision scale with 1/100th of a gram resolution. I use that for spice and cure measuring.

Also get a calibration weight for your precision scale. Mine required a 100g weight. I bought both scales and the weight on Amazon. I like to check the precision scale with the calibration weight. If it's on, I weigh my spices. Then after weighing my spices I check the calibration weight again. IF it's good at the start and good at the end I'm confident my spices are right (at least if I read the recipe right!). On the rare occasion, it needs to be recalibrated, it's an easy procedure.

You might also want to consider a pre-mixed spice blend for you first batch snack sticks since you mentioned the jerky gun. Nothing wrong with mixing your own, but there are some great commercial blends out there. The A.C. Legg #116 is my basic go-to and it great "as is" or can be doctored to add other flavors to and change the profile a little or a lot as you desire. Owens BBQ also has some very good mixes.