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

[Polka]

Yeah, needs minimum 24 hours before anything is truly cured, and then you will know. R

 

[DanMcG]

Sorry to tell ya this Forgiven, but after doing the second taste test 48 hours after curing there is no difference in flavor. I think you need to look elsewhere for your issue. Are you sure there'e no iodine in the salt?

 

[forgiven1]

danmcg, thank you so much for ding this. I think your correct. Yesterday I went and bough a spice mix that came with cure, and I tested 2 pounds of meat. One pound using only pink salt and one pound using the cure from the other mix. In both cases the chemical taste was not present.

I do not use any iodized salt, but I am thinking this may be a reaction between the pink salt and another ingredient that I use. I have used this recipe (or a variant) for 30ish years and never had a problem till I introduced the pink salt. I got the same result with jerky and snack sticks.

Right now it seems the most likely thing is that is a reaction between my brand of liquid smoke and the pink salt. I started a batch of snack sticks last night that omits this but includes the pink salt. I will report back on it once I have more info..

Thanks again for your help.

 

[Jonok]

I smoke seeded and skinned zucchini and run them through my blender and a chinois to make “smoke snot” to thicken sauces with.
Mild, effective and entirely inoffensive

 

[DanMcG]

I am thinking this may be a reaction between the pink salt and another ingredient that I use.

Maybe post your ingredients here, maybe somebody will see something noteworthy. As far as your liquid smoke goes, I guess anything is possible.

 

[daveomak]

Liquid smoke does have creosote in it....

 

[zwiller]

Did you reduce the salt from the recipe when you added the pink salt?

 

[Ryan Swindlehurst]

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.

If you are tasting the *Tender-quick or pink-salt, then you're using way too much. It's only called for about 2 tsp per 8 lbs of meat (Or more specifically, 1 oz. per 25 lbs), it doesn't take much.
I've been doing my own dry-cure for awhile with *Anthony's Pink Salt with all my wild game mixes & had awesome results prior to smoking as well as after. It's not that hard once you get the hang... But I don't use the cheap stuff, so I can't give you a good reason why yours tastes funny... I can guess.

 

[Ryan Swindlehurst]

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.

Nobody is going to take your stuff. I know I won't.
BUT all that said, it's not so far for any of us to give advise. It sounds like you put way too much curing salt in it (although I can't be positive without more info).
All the recipes call for about 1 oz (8 tsp) per 25 lbs of meat and some pork is already smoked/salted, so it would go down more in that case. A guy has to know meat & REALLY has to know what he's working with.
I've been doing jerky & breakfast sausage for years with lots of wild game. And for summer sausage, I just add pink salt (in small doses) & different spices & then grind it all finer. Results are good when you follow recipes...

 

[forgiven1]

If you are tasting the *Tender-quick or pink-salt, then you're using way too much. It's only called for about 2 tsp per 8 lbs of meat (Or more specifically, 1 oz. per 25 lbs), it doesn't take much.
I've been doing my own dry-cure for awhile with *Anthony's Pink Salt with all my wild game mixes & had awesome results prior to smoking as well as after. It's not that hard once you get the hang... But I don't use the cheap stuff, so I can't give you a good reason why yours tastes funny... I can guess.

Nobody is going to take your stuff. I know I won't.
BUT all that said, it's not so far for any of us to give advise. It sounds like you put way too much curing salt in it (although I can't be positive without more info).
All the recipes call for about 1 oz (8 tsp) per 25 lbs of meat and some pork is already smoked/salted, so it would go down more in that case. A guy has to know meat & REALLY has to know what he's working with.
I've been doing jerky & breakfast sausage for years with lots of wild game. And for summer sausage, I just add pink salt (in small doses) & different spices & then grind it all finer. Results are good when you follow recipes...

Ryan, your input here is certainly welcome. I do think you should read read the thread more carefully before commenting.

The amount has been discussed and verified. There has also been a third party who posted here that did test the pink salt cure I'm working with.

I still don't have a definitive answer as to which ingredient/ingredients are causing the reaction. Once I have time to do a control test with all the variations I will report back.

 

[chopsaw]

forgiven1
I've been following this , but your getting good help so I've been quite so far .
I have had this happen to me , once . I can't remember what caused it or if I ever even had an idea . It wasn't the cure , I think I used table salt .
However , I didn't see a recipe you used ( maybe I missed it ) but I was wondering if you used tap water in the mix ? Just a thought .
If yes , maybe try distilled water . I use dry white wine in mine .

 

[Bearcarver]

I'm a might late on this discussion, but I'll simply add that I have never gotten any bitter taste from Cure #1 or Tender Quick, but I'm pretty sure back beyond 10 years ago, before I had a Smoker of my own I used to get Bitter flavor when using "Liquid Smoke".

Bear

 

[chef jimmyj]

I agree with John. I have played with a couple of brands of Liquid Smoke, a useful tool. Some a couple Drops ruin a dish with bitter flavors others are more mild. I currently keep Colgin's in my pantry. I have added a Tablespoon of Hickory flavor to a Quart of BBQ Sauce with good result...JJ