curing for cold smoking

[bugeye]

I am looking for a little help with curing a 12 lb piece of pork leg. I used the formula

(ppm)(meat weight)/(Sodium nitrite in cure)(1,000,000)

(650)(12lbs)/(.01)(1,000,000)

7800/10000 = .78lbs or 12.48ozs

I was trying to use Morton Quick cure and it has 0.5% nitrate and 0.5% nitrite. I added the two together because the nitrate will convert to nitrite. My question or problem is this does not match the instructions on the bag of Morton Quick cure. The formula above calls for a lot more cure. The bag also says it only takes a few days. All the other reading I’ve found says it should take about 3 days per pound. This is my first attempt and would appreciate and help. Thanks.

 

[daveomak]

Morning.... You are mixing apple and oranges... You can't use a cure#1 calculation for MTQ...

A calculation that makes sense is.... convert the weight to grams...
12 x 454 = 5,448 grams of pig.. x 0.000150 to get to 150 Ppm = 0.812 grams of nitrite needed... div. by the nitrite %concentration in your cure... 162 grams of TQ (0.5% = 0.005) or 3% TQ needed (maximum)... cure #1 6.25% (0.0625) = 13 grams cure #1 (maximum).. weight of the meat add 1.13 grams cure #1 per pound...

NitrAte takes months to convert to nitrite... It needs bacteria and temps of ~ 50 deg. F... It is not taken into consideration during initial calculations using cure #2...

May I suggest you use cure#1 and skip the TQ..

Also, may I suggest you try my injection method... you can cure a pig leg in 6 ish days and there's no guessing...
http://smokingmeatforums.com/index.php?threads/ham-from-fresh-picnics-update-10-21-money.236375/

 

[bugeye]

Sorry it took so long to reply but had to work. I will skip the TQ as suggested. My smoke house this time of year is between mid 40's at night and low 60's during the day. Would it be better for me to use cure #2 or can I still use cure #1. I have several pieces to do. I only pulled out one to start with and see how it would work. Glad I did not to them all. The one I started with is it salvageable. You said something about your injection method. Are you still able to dry them out in the smoke house and preserve them? Building a smoke house was pretty easy but the curing part I'm having a harder time with.

 

[daveomak]

Are you wanting to make a "country ham".... NO, you cannot inject it with liquid curing solution....

http://smokingmeatforums.com/index.php?threads/country-cured-ham-from-go-to-show-q-view.134415/

mr t has a good tutorial for a Country Ham... click on the above link...

 

[bugeye]

Yes it is a country ham that I am trying to make. Thanks for the link. One more question if I can? I understand that I was mixing apples and oranges but how come with the MTQ you don't have to reach 650 ppm? Again thanks for the link and I want to give your injection method a try also.

 

[daveomak]

A 10# ham at 625 Ppm (max by the way) would use.. 590 grams of Tender Quick.... and that would be ~12% salt... You couldn't eat it... If you make a ham that is NOT cooked, eaten cured, cure #2 is a good choice but not necessary from what I have read... I would use cure #2 anyway... 6.25% nitrite and varying amounts of nitrate depending on manufacturer.... Usually applied in 1, 2 or 3 applications.. NOT EXCEEDING 625 Ppm nitrite...
There are several methods for curing hams... Store bought type, my method is pretty much the same.. Only you know what's in it and how much... The other methods are an equilibrium type cure where you add stuff to the outside of the meat and wait... Geographical conditions, (weather), over the decades of making other products, determined the appropriate methods to get a finished product... As a rule, trying to make a ham that has been made in North Carolina can't be made in Pennsylvania UNLESS temperature / humidity / time etc. are duplicated....
Similarly, hams from Parma are different from hams in Germany... temp, humidity etc. are different... Likewise, fermented sausage from different regions of the world could not be duplicated until today.. The bacteria responsible for the taste of the product in those regions has been singled out and replicated for sale by meat processors so you can now make an Italian Dry Salami in Florida... If you know what you are doing...

 

[daveomak]

NITRITE USED IN CURED, DRY PRODUCTS


Introduction

The amount of ingoing nitrite used in dry cured products, such as country ham, country style pork
shoulder, prosciutto, etc., is based on the green weight of the meat or poultry in the product
formulation. These products are prepared from a single intact piece of meat or poultry that has
had the curing ingredients directly applied to the surface, and has been dried for a specified period
of time. For large pieces of meat, the curing ingredients must be rubbed on the surface several
times during the curing period. The rubbed meat or poultry cuts are placed on racks or in boxes
and allowed to cure. Nitrite is applied to the surface of the meat or poultry as part of a cure
mixture.

We know the weight of the meat, the
percentage of sodium nitrite in the cure mix,
and that sodium nitrite is limited to 625 ppm in
dry cured products.

Sodium nitrate is not figured in the calculations because the meat is NOT cooked.. It is there as a long term solution to bacterial growth..

 

[daveomak]

Moreover, Morton's recipes are "old" recipes... prior to modern USDA testing and findings.. I don't understand why Morton's is allowed to sell their products without updating them.. Updating their recipes to USDA criteria...
The only thing I can figure is ... They lobbied congress to allow them to continue with their products because they were "grandfathered"... too many folks used them for a century or so and had their recipes... It would have been impossible for them to measure grams weight etc.... That's why the salt is so high... 0.5% nitrite and 0.5% nitrate... it was a long term curing medium... cure it.... hang it in the cellar... eat it for years to come... simple.. effective... but we don't cure meat like that today... we have refrigeration which makes food much safer... They cure meats in the winter... we don't do that today... we cure year around.....

 

[bugeye]

Thanks and have a good Thanksgiving.