Pink salt vs TQ

[lemans]

Is tender quick the same as pink salt?

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

I assume the pink salt your referring to is cure #1 ? Tenderquick & cure #1 are different. TQ is 0.5% sodium nitrate & 0.5% sodium nitrite. Cure #1 is 6.25% sodium nitrite. TQ is meant for dry curing & cure #1 is for wet or dry curing.

 

[daveomak]

Is tender quick the same as pink salt?

No.... like WHB said, TQ has nitrite and nitrate in it.... If you are following USDA recommended guidelines when curing meats, the USDA does not allow nitrate to be used in bacon.... so.... pink salt, cure #1 is the way to go......

 

[Bearcarver]

The USDA doesn't allow Nitrates in COMMERCIAL Bacon, and that's a totally different operation than home curing. I asked them about it a few years ago, and they said keep using your Tender Quick for your home cured Bacon.

If TQ was dangerous they would either have to remove it from the market or put a warning on it to not use it for Bacon.

Bear

 

[daveomak]

Bear, you are preaching to the choir..... I'm tired of it..... If the USDA does not allow nitrates in commercially cured bacon, WHY would you preach to folks that it is OK to use in home cured bacon....
That is irresponsible.

Let folks decide on their own..... Give them the facts......

Speaking of facts, It's time you put up a data sheet where the USDA says, "It is OK and safe to use nitrates in home cured bacon"


http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal...at-preparation/bacon-and-food-safety/CT_Index

 

[tigerregis]

Good explanation from USDA. Thanks for your efforts.

 

[Bearcarver]

I asked them, like I said above. Did you call them. Why try to scare people away from a product used by thousands for decades.

You keep scaring people. I'll keep telling them what USDA told me.

Let them decide which one to believe, or contact USDA for themselves.

Bear

 

[daveomak]

FWIW, I believe the USDA when it come to food safety...... When a document is provided by the USDA saying, "It is safe for consumers to use nitrate when curing bacon" .... Then I will be an advocate for using Morton's Tender Quick when making bacon......


I agree the USDA has NO control over what home curing folks do with their products.... They can't tell us to follow the 40-140 temp rule, but we follow it.... We seem to follow canning guidelines to avoid the possibility of getting food borne botulism when canning home packed vegetables etc.... We don't give our babies honey because infant botulism "can" happen....

 

[Bearcarver]

The USDA does have control over what home curing folks use.

If Tender quick was not safe for use & consumption, they have options:

Order Mortons to take it off the market.

Order Mortons to change the ingredients.

Order Mortons to put a warning label saying "Not to be used for curing bacon".

The fact that they never have done either of these things, and the reply I got from USDA to my question, telling me to go ahead & continue to enjoy the Bacon I cure with TQ, tells me Tender Quick is perfectly safe.

Bear

 

[daveomak]

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As the forum owner, I feel personally responsible for the information that is given out especially to the new folks who are looking for answers.

Most things written on this forum are taken as personal opinions and no one has a problem with that. We all have our opinions.

However, we will not be slinging personal opinions around when it comes to the topic of food safety.

I have always tried to stay well versed in food safety and as such, have decided a long time ago that the USDA is an authority on how to cook food and keep it safe for your friends and family.

(Never thought I would say that about a government agency!)PDT_Armataz_01_03.gif

The SMF will hold to the USDA regulations with no deviation. These things need no discussion in my opinion.

I expect OTBS members as well as other seasoned members to make it clear as to what the SMF recommends based on the USDA documentation.

I will be instructing the mods to edit/delete/lock whatever is necessary to make sure that incorrect information is not being given out.

I am not asking you to agree.. just know that this is how it will be handled here.

Most of you may not realize just how far reaching our forum posts are..

I have seen posts less than 20 minutes old show up in Google searches. Google indexes our forum on a constant basis due to it's dynamic nature.

This means that people we don't even see are finding the posts in bits and pieces and I need for these pieces to be as correct as possible.

I can only hope that they will come on over and read the whole thread but there is no guarantee that they will.

Do your part in keeping everyone safe per the USDA recommendations and if you want to take risks at your own home then feel free to do so.. just don't advise that here.

I appreciate EVERYONE'S cooperation in this matterPDT_Armataz_01_34.gif

 

[wade]

The levels of Nitrates you will get in your home cured bacon after using TQ as directed will not harm you. Nitrate is still permitted for use in commercial bacon in many countries around the world.

Though, as Dave says, the USDA do not permit its use in commercial bacon and my understanding of the forum rules it that we must always recommend the following of USDA guidelines. Bear, however, is also correct in that TQ has been used for decades for home curing without any reported issues.

With the forum rules in mind, the advice on here has to be that you should use Cure#1 over TQ when curing bacon.

 

[lemans]

Whoa.... Let's not let a simple question go ballistic ..
I will just throw away my bag of QT. sorry
I asked!!!

 

[smokin' burt]

Here's an interesting read concerning the naturally occurring nitrates in some vegetable vs the nitrates used in cured meats...

http://www.meatsandsausages.com/sausage-making/curing/nitrates

Make sure you read to the end. It's interesting to find out how much properly cured meat an adult of medium stature would have to consume for it to be fatal.

SMB

 

[pc farmer]

Whoa.... Let's not let a simple question go ballistic ..
I will just throw away my bag of QT. sorry
I asked!!!

Please keep and use it.

 

[welshrarebit]

Why is it that I can buy TQ at my local stores but not cure#1?

 

[atomicsmoke]

Here's an interesting read concerning the naturally occurring nitrates in some vegetable vs the nitrates used in cured meats...

http://www.meatsandsausages.com/sausage-making/curing/nitrates

Make sure you read to the end. It's interesting to find out how much properly cured meat an adult of medium stature would have to consume for it to be fatal.

SMB

The concern is not that the nitrate would kill you due to poisoning effect, but the long term effect (increased cancer risk).
While some vegs have high nitrate content they are not cooked at the temps meat is cooked at.

 

[Bearcarver]

Why is it that I can buy TQ at my local stores but not cure#1?

Cure #1 is 12.5 times stronger than TQ, and many of the stores are afraid to carry Cure #1 because of that. A lot of people get Cure #1 from their butcher & most butchers I know check with the people to see if they know what they're doing with it. TQ is sold in Super Markets in the same area as Mortons Salt.

Plus with the salt added to the Cure in TQ, it would be too salty to eat enough to seriously hurt you.

Bear

 

[smokin' burt]

 
Cure #1 is 12.5 times stronger than TQ, and many of the stores are afraid to carry Cure #1 because of that. A lot of people get Cure #1 from their butcher & most butchers I know check with the people to see if they know what they're doing with it. TQ is sold in Super Markets in the same area as Mortons Salt.

Plus with the salt added to the Cure in TQ, it would be too salty to eat enough to seriously hurt you.

Bear

I agree Bear...

My point was to let folks know that the nitrates they use, whether it's TQ or cure #1 are formulated so that if you follow the proper procedure for curing and/or smoking, there isn't a problem. Besides, the info states that a 156 lb. individual would have to eat 14.3 lbs. of cured meat at one sitting for it to reach the fatal level for nitrates. That would be like someone of my stature (200 lbs.) eating 18-19 lbs. at one sitting. I can definitely chow down... but that would be like eating a whole large ham in one sitting and I can't imagine doing that. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who can eat that much in one sitting is not human!!

SMB

 

[Bearcarver]

 
I agree Bear...

My point was to let folks know that the nitrates they use, whether it's TQ or cure #1 are formulated so that if you follow the proper procedure for curing and/or smoking, there isn't a problem. Besides, the info states that a 156 lb. individual would have to eat 14.3 lbs. of cured meat at one sitting for it to reach the fatal level for nitrates. That would be like someone of my stature (200 lbs.) eating 18-19 lbs. at one sitting. I can definitely chow down... but that would be like eating a whole large ham in one sitting and I can't imagine doing that. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who can eat that much in one sitting is not human!!

SMB

Yeah, I know but due to testing, the USDA stopped Commercial outfits from using nitrates in Bacon, because they say if you fry it hot enough it could cause cancer. However I questioned the USDA about that, and they said, "Just enjoy your Home Smoked Bacon. The Commercial process is completely different". What they meant by that other than not to worry, I have no idea, because I don't know the Commercial process, but I think it had to do with the speed of their injection system, as opposed to our long time curing process, but I didn't care what they meant at that time. All I cared about was them saying "Don't worry about it---Enjoy it".

Bear

 

[wade]

The concern is not that the nitrate would kill you due to poisoning effect, but the long term effect (increased cancer risk).
While some vegs have high nitrate content they are not cooked at the temps meat is cooked at.

Whilst it is sensible to take all reasonable precautions when it comes to health, the link between Nitrosamine intake and cancer is still only circumstantial in humans. Although they form when Nitrates are exposed to high heat they can also be formed from Nitrites are added to some fish. Many countries around the world do not see Nitrates in bacon as being a serious threat to health in the quantities they are used for preserving and so they are still permitted in the production of bacon. The USDA is taking the ultra safe approach but is this being over protective? Things are what they are though.