Curing, pounds and ounces.
- Thread starter Tybo
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This method is amazing. Works every time and all my friends rave about the difference in my bacon.
You must be one of them weirdos who have a grasp of basic math, and don't mind doing it. (inside joke)
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Or use diggingdogs cure calculator. Takes the math out of it
Once again you proved my math is sometimes wacky.... Edited my post above.
It works fine as long as one understands that the salt input also includes the salt in the cure#1. I calculate my salt and cure separately ........... 0.25% cure#1, 1.5% salt = 1.75% total salt. To get what I use in the calc, you have to know that you need to put 1.75% as the salt value. I'll also say that keeping the math in it is important for various reasons ..... one of them being that websites disappear all the time. Knowing how to do the calculations yourself are like gold.
It’s all good Wayne, we are all in this together. I appreciate your postings and your solid info. You catch me too.
Sorry hit the wrong key
Does your scale have a button to change the reading?
My big scale can switch between:
g (grams); kg (kilograms); oz (ounces); lb.oz (pounds and ounces); lb (pounds and ounces in decimal in your example 3 lbs 5 oz would be 3.313)
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Where I was headed was a gram/ounce of meat conversion when using Tender Quick.
How does this sound?
Whole muscle meat - .875 grams of TQ per ounce of meat.
Ground meat - .437 grams of TQ per ounce of meat.
Your right. I keep the calculations wrote down just in case. The calculator is a good starter thou. I adjust the salt level also
I'm not saying that I don't use the calculator on my phone or PC to run the numbers, but if all my electronic gizmos were to fail, a piece of paper and pencil will get me the numbers ........ or in an extreme case, a sharpened stick in the dirt lol. I think technology is a great thing, but if we allow it to become the go to and forget how to do it ourselves, I don't see it as a good thing.
At times it's best to keep it very simple for newbies! I was there once myself...and to get all these answers and advice all at once can be confusing. That's why I loved Pop's brine...it's so simple! Now that I understand it I'm fine, but wasn't always the case.
Ryan
Ryan
My scale doesnt give a reading like the 3.313. It would say something like 3lbs 5.3 oz.
Yeah it gets confusing for sure. Especially when someone (me) is just starting to process all of the info. I'll get it eventually. I'm gonna write down the cure #1 amounts and post it on the fridge. I'll also look for the calculator that was mentioned above.
It seems like the Mortons Tenderquick has salt and sugar (and sodium nitrate) already included. Is there any difference in the taste when using Cure #1, salt and sugar? The only thing missing is the nitrate.
Sorry for all the newbie questions. Just trying to learn and to keep us from getting sick!
Morton Salt designed Tender Quick for home curing as it was pre-mixed and was easy to measure. In fact, you could be a little sloppy in your measurement and still be okay. For $1 you could buy their Home Curing Guide, that had very good sketches and some starter recipes that all used Tender Quick. Over the years, they sort of backed off on some usage recommendations, and eliminated Sugar Cure from the product line, but they still have a very large market for home use and hunters who process their game into smoked sausage.
Tender Quick has a fixed amount of sugar and salt which is the carrier for the nitrate and nitrite. On some recipes, you have to tickle the amount of additional salt or sugar in order to bring the final salt/sugar profile into your preferred "balance".
A side note on the nitrate, it works like a time release chemical and after about 20 or 30 days it changes into nitrite. The idea is a boost in nitrites when using long curing times. So for example, if you were curing a pork belly using TQ, your cure time would be 7 to 10 days. The nitrate component would not have enough time to kick in.
It's really personal preference! Yes, look up diggingdogfarm cure calculator...it's very helpful, and not confusing! Basically two things to cure with...cure # 1 or tenderquick, they can't be used interchangeable. You can check
Bearcarver
step by steps in his signature under his posts...he has very detailed threads using tender quick and simple to follow. If you have any questions just ask...I was in your shoes once as well.Ryan
It also requires a higher temp than you keep a normal fridge at so the nitrate converting bacteria can grow in sufficient numbers, no?
Much of what I cure is bacon, buckboard bacon, Taylor Pork Roll, or Canadian bacon... all of which will fried in a pan at high heat like bacon. So it is all "bacon" from the way I cook it.
Because of this, and the USFDA stance on carcinogenic nitrosamines developed by frying bacon with nitrAte, I personally want to comply with the USFDA FSIS guidelines that all commercial producers are held to in the US: zero nitrAtes allowed in bacon, and just 120ppm nitrite for pumped or immersion cured.
So to me, THAT is a huge difference between cure1, and Tenderquick which contains nitrAtes. One allows me to comply with bacon health and safety guidelines, the other doesn't. I realize as a non commercial maker, I don't have to comply... but if family or guests ever knew about USFDA bacon cure limits, and I had to admit I wasn't following them... well, no one would ever eat my charcuterie again, I'm pretty sure.
Because of this, and the USFDA stance on carcinogenic nitrosamines developed by frying bacon with nitrAte, I personally want to comply with the USFDA FSIS guidelines that all commercial producers are held to in the US: zero nitrAtes allowed in bacon, and just 120ppm nitrite for pumped or immersion cured.
So to me, THAT is a huge difference between cure1, and Tenderquick which contains nitrAtes. One allows me to comply with bacon health and safety guidelines, the other doesn't. I realize as a non commercial maker, I don't have to comply... but if family or guests ever knew about USFDA bacon cure limits, and I had to admit I wasn't following them... well, no one would ever eat my charcuterie again, I'm pretty sure.
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