Did I miss my window for this Venison pastrami?

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ryanjore

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Original poster
Dec 16, 2024
4
2
Hi, I started a dry brine with venison pastrami on the seventh, for the first couple days I was good at flipping it twice a day but then I got busy and forgot about it in my fridge so it hasn’t been flipped since Friday, and I had intended on smoking it Saturday. Is this still safe to cook? It smells fine.
 
Hi, I started a dry brine with venison pastrami on the seventh, for the first couple days I was good at flipping it twice a day but then I got busy and forgot about it in my fridge so it hasn’t been flipped since Friday, and I had intended on smoking it Saturday. Is this still safe to cook? It smells fine.
I need more info on what you consider dry brined or with cure 1 since pastrami is cured smoked with cure 1 from a corned beef. If it has cure 1, .25% and at least 1.5% salt, flipping is optional and good but the 1/4 inch per day plus 2 days for good measure is the right duration. You were flipping when the hygroscopic effect from the salt made the liquid brine and you'll see it absorbs into fat and muscle. More info needed because if just salt, then it's a salted, smoked venison cut.
 
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Hi! I used Mortons Tenderquick as in this recipe. It’s about 2 inches thick
 
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Hi! I used cure #1 as in this recipe. It’s about 2 inches thick
I've never used Morton's Tenderquick cure that has I believe nitrate and nitrite. I only have used Cure #1 which is 6.25% nitrite and 93.75% salt but you followed a recipe with Morton's and all should be fine as long as the true weight of meat matches cure you used. Flipping is something I do once a day when going to the fridge but is optional since nitrates, nitrites dissolve into ions and salt dissolves into sodium ions and chloride ions that penetrate to the center of meat given the right amount of time as sugar and fat/oil molecules and seasonings are too big to penetrate but a 1/4 inch and flavors more of the outside of the meat. The salt is the horsepower to take the cure to the center of the meat.
 
(channeling my inner Omak) Cure #1 was NOT specified in that recipe. It calls for TQ. These are VERY different curing products and NOT interchangeable AT ALL. More info please!
 
(channeling my inner Omak) Cure #1 was NOT specified in that recipe. It calls for TQ. These are VERY different curing products and NOT interchangeable AT ALL. More info please!
Whoops sorry, I used tenderquick like the recipe says. Sorry, first time doing any curing!
 
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And then it says for meat weight, 6-8 lbs ... The meat needs to be weighed precisely and cure measured accordingly...
Yep, mine was just under half of that at 2.75# so I used just under half the listed amount of tenderquick
 
Whoops sorry, I used tenderquick like the recipe says. Sorry, first time doing any curing!
Figured it was something like that . Just so you know, Morton's specifies the rate of whole muscle use at 1TBSP per pound. You lucked out most of the curing info posted online are pretty bad. This one is pretty close to my own even with the spice choices.
 
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