Different cure different taste?

[akdutchguy]

Has anybody noticed a difference in taste with different manufacturers of cure. I have only done a few batches of bacon. The first tasted similar to store bought. The second didn't taste cured for some reason. This last batch has a nice pink color and more cured taste. I have used different suppliers of cure 1 on all the batches. I used pops wet brine on all 3. I adjusted the sugar on this last batch. I need to cut it back. I loved the taste of the first batch before I ruined it in the smoker. Just curious if anybody has noticed a difference.
Jason

 

[SmokinAl]

I only use instacure #1 & buy it from the sausage maker. There really is no flavor in the cure. Unless what your buying is a pre-mixed cure with spices already in the mix. 

Al

 

[daveomak]

Please list the cures you have used....

 

[akdutchguy]

I have used pops brine using cure #1. I'm just trying to figure out why the drastically different flavors with the same brine. The last batch I adjusted the sugar from the previous 2 batches. I can see the difference there. I used cure 1 from sportsmans warehouse on the first batch. The second and third have used a cure 1 from a local butcher supply. If I remember correctly the package was from sausagemaker.
Jason

 

[daveomak]

It could be the water..... the fridge temp....    are you using a grams scale to measure you additives....   How accurately do you measure the water....  

The cure from a butchers supply, was it marked with the % nitrite....  it could have been a mix for commercial use......

 

[daveomak]

As a follow up....

Cure #1 has 6.25% nitrite...

Commercial cures like for bacon have 0.75% nitrite and some have maple sugar

Commercial cures for like sausage etc. have 0.85% nitrite... and spices for particular products....   

and then there are other specialty cures...

If you used the first two mentioned commercial cures, they would not have had much cured flavor if you used them at the rate for cure #1...  They would have had only about 15% of the recommended cure you would get from cure #1 and that would not protect the meat from botulism...  The meat probably would only have 22 Ppm nitrite where 150 Ppm is recommended....

 

[akdutchguy]

Both cures were 6.25%. The water I guess on with a gallon jar fill it most of the way to the top. Everything else is done with a gram scale. The other anomaly would be I had a 12 day cure on the second and a 15 day on the third. I forgot to write the days down on the first batch which was the best fry test. I'm thinking I will have to get scientific and buy a bunch of bellies and try some things til I get it right.
Jason