STRONG taste from Instacure #1 Pink Salt/Prague Powder???

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forgiven1

Fire Starter
Original poster
Nov 28, 2016
56
35
Hi all,

I am still fairly new to using cure, but I can't believe how strongly this pink salt change the flavor of my meats. It has an overpowering taste that is hard to describe. If I had to try I would say a combination of chemicals, sugar and salt. I have tried it in sausage, snack sticks and beef jerky and in every case I can taste it. Not a good flavor either.

I am just wondering is this normal?? I have been very careful to use what I understand to be the right amount of the pink salt (1 TEAspoon per 5 pounds of meat). I bout this brand if it matters.

I really don't have much to compare it to. I've used tender quick before and don't remember tasting that, but TQ is so salty that was all I taste. I also don't taste that in bacon or other nitrate cured items from the store.

About the only thing I have noticed that helps is to put the finished product into the freezer for about 3-4 months. At that point the taste dies out a good bit.

Any help would be much appreciated.
 
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The cure you bought is the standard cure #1, so the brand probably isn't an issue.
Are you using a level teaspoon? If you don't already have a small gram scale I'd suggest you get one. they're pretty cheap. Measure out your teaspoon and see what it weighs... should be 5.5 grams for 5 lbs of meat.

. If I had to try I would say a combination of chemicals, sugar and salt. I have tried it in sausage, snack sticks and beef jerky and in every case I can taste it.

I'm not doubting you're tasting something but it shouldn't be the cure. It has no sugar and the salt is only a small fraction of the total salt content of the product.
What is the percent of salt you're using, and what type of salt. Iodized salt will give a odd flavor, almost metallic taste.
Share a recipe of yours and maybe we can see something that doesn't look right.
 
Have to agree with the above remarks -- iodized table salt at the amounts needed in bacon brine or sausage does give an off / metallic taste that can be noticeable by most. But, cure, if anyone notices it, tends to make your meat taste a bit more "hammy" than it would without. Just my two cents. R
 
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Interesting. I just did a 30lb batch of venison smoked sausage. Did a fry test and it was delish, but after smoking it tastes tangy. Not pleasant, I’m
Considering tossing the whole batch. I keep racking my brain as to what changed the flavor and all I can think of is the cure. But that makes no sense. I’m at a loss as well.
 
Yep... Dan has you covered.... Creosote.....
What smoker are you using??? Do you run it with the exhaust wide open???
Maybe it doesn't have an exhaust like some of the SS insulated smokers... In that case, read the instructions for how many chips to add...
 
I used my Lang fatboy. I’ve been smoking on langs for years. Won’t rule it out but I’ve never had a creosote flavor.
 
I am 100% positive in my case that it is the cure that is giving the off flavor. I have made jerky using identical recipes changing only the addition of the cure and reducing the amount of kosher salt I use to balance and I can taste it every time.

Seeing the descriptive word "metallic" used above would fit what I am tasting fairly well though.

As for the amount my scale is probly a bit large for this but I did weigh a level spoon and got 0.2 oz. For this most recent batch of sticks I even went scant on it hoping to reduce that flavor.
 
Generally, an electronic scale with a full range of 0-100 grams is what's used to weigh cure... Generally, folks are curing 5-20#'s of meat at one time and those weights need 5.5 grams to 23 grams of cure#1 respectively...
Creosote does have a tingly, metallic taste...
You may be the special case though... I have not heard of anyone else being able to taste cure at the 0.25% addition rate....
 
I have not heard of anyone else being able to taste cure at the 0.25% addition rate....
My problem is that he doesn't taste it in a store bought commercial product, so It has to be an ingredient or something about his process that not right.
Any chance you're holding the meats on an aluminum pan? the cure will react to aluminum.
 
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Also not all scales are created equal. Do not try to use a larger digital scale to weigh smaller quantities as they can be off by a couple of grams. That can be 50% of the amount of cure (5.5g for 5 pounds of meat). Get a smaller scale for spices and cure. One that has 1/100th of a gram resolution is perfect and they run around $20-25 on Amazon. Also get a calibration weight for whichever scale you buy. You can verify accuracy with the weight and recalibrate if needed.
 
metallic? maybe your salt is mis-labelled??
iodized salt usually is the culprit.

Like several, I don't really think the cure is the ailment, but something else. Did the little woman accidently switch the salt thinking, "salt is salt"??

Anyway, Hope you find the culprit, and share what you find.

May your next batch return to normal!!

R
 
Hi gang, thanks for all the ideas, much appreciated. Here is the update so far.

I happened to find a pack of Nesco spice and cure two pack mix that came with my dehydrator which I tested using a pound of meat. Last night after adding the cure and mixing the meat in the mixer I could smell a difference. I cooked a small piece of the mix in a skillet (it's the strongest taste fresh) and I could taste a very faint flavor of that taste I have been speaking of, but I would call it about 1/8 power at most.

I stuffed the sticks and left them in the fridge over night and finished them up today. By the time they had reached the 152 IT almost no trace of any that odd taste was there at all. To get the meats I used pink salt on to that low of a level it would take 1-6 months in the freezer to get it down to that level.

My next question... Would anyone here be willing to help me verify this result, by letting me mail you a package of the cure that I have? To try on a small test batch etc. It would be so nice to have the help of another meat connoisseurs pallet right now...

I have had this cure for a year so I've used almost 50% of the container and so far I have not suffered any adverse effects that I know of besides having to endure that dreadful taste.

If I could get a second opinion about if this is just how "pink salt" is, or a no Matt, something is different about what you have it would be a great help.
 
you've been using this cure for a year, is this bad taste a recent thing or did it taste off from day 1
 
It would be so nice to have the help of another meat connoisseurs pallet right now...
I'm no connoisseur but I'd be happy to taste test it. LOL, We should have thought of this before.
It won't take much, I'd do a one pound batch and compare it to a pound of mine, so a few grams would work.
Or I can send you a sample of mine for you to taste. Let me know
 
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Half used? That's over 200 pounds of Bad Tasting Sausage??? I would have given up or tried a different Brand, 190 pounds ago...JJ
 
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you've been using this cure for a year, is this bad taste a recent thing or did it taste off from day 1

From day 1.

Half used? That's over 200 pounds of Bad Tasting Sausage??? I would have given up or tried a different Brand, 190 pounds ago...JJ

I just assumed that was how it was "supposed" to be LOL.. Just now I weighed what was left and there is 10oz so half was a bit of a stretch :)

I'm no connoisseur but I'd be happy to taste test it. LOL, We should have thought of this before.
It won't take much, I'd do a one pound batch and compare it to a pound of mine, so a few grams would work.
Or I can send you a sample of mine for you to taste. Let me know

I will send you a sample, just email me your address at [email protected]

I really appreciate the help.

If anyone else is interested in joining the panel I can send a second sample to someone.
 
I think I would just get some new cure and try it, and see if you can rule out the cure as the culprit
 
I just did a side by side test with the cure you sent me and mine, and I didn't notice any differences in flavor. This was after 5 hours of curing, I saved samples of both and will cook up a patty of each tomorrow morning after 24 hours of curing.
 
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