Sugar Free Curing?

[wade]

It is true that TQ does contain Nitrate (as well as Nitrite) and that Nitrate is not permitted for use in commercially produced bacon.

 

[daveomak]

Regardless of the curing method used, restricted ingredient calculations for bacon are based on
the green weight of the skinless belly. For rind-on bacon, e.g., where the skin is sold as part of
the finished product, a restricted ingredient conversion calculation is necessary. Nitrate is no
longer permitted in any curing method for bacon.

....

 

[pc farmer]

I still use TQ to home cure some

 

[daveomak]

Why are you saying "WRONG" to that statement ???

WRONG.

 

[pc farmer]

Why are you saying "WRONG" to that statement ???

He said its a no no for curing bacon. It works for curing bacon

 

[daveomak]

NITRATE is not allowed when curing bacon by the USDA....

He said NITRATE is a no-no when curing bacon and he was/is correct....

 

[pc farmer]

OK. I will edit my post.

 

[daveomak]

Don't edit your post.... Doing that will disrupt this conversation...


biteme, posted this.... https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/porta...at-preparation/bacon-and-food-safety/ct_index ...

In it is a statement that everyone should heed....
GLOSSARY OF BACON TERMS

BABY FOOD WITH FRESH BACON: Bacon without nitrites must be shown in the ingredients statement as bacon (water, salt, sugar, etc., without nitrates or nitrites). Nitrites and nitrates are not acceptable in baby and toddler foods. (Nitrate is prohibited in all bacon.)

nitrites can cause "blue baby" syndrome... a deadly condition in infants....

 

[wade]

It is not permitted for COMMERCIALLY produced bacon. I fully understand that we follow USDA guidelines on here but as TQ is a commercially available product that is advertised for curing meat (including bacon) we cannot say that it cannot be used in a non-commercial production environment. Maybe you need to contact Morton Dave and get them to change the marketing of their product.

 

[wade]

Btw Dave - Thanks for re-posting the link that Mski2 had already posted. It is a very interesting article.

 

[biteme7951]

It is not permitted for COMMERCIALLY produced bacon. I fully understand that we follow USDA guidelines on here but as TQ is a commercially available product that is advertised for curing meat (including bacon) we cannot say that it cannot be used in a non-commercial production environment. Maybe you need to contact Morton Dave and get them to change the marketing of their product.

They already did.....

Per the Morton site TQ is NOT recommended for bacon.

"We cannot recommend Morton Tender Quick for use with pork belly or bacon. Due to the differing fat content of individual cuts, the curing time for these items may vary significantly. For this reason, we cannot recommend the appropriate amount of Tender Quick or curing time in this application."

https://www.mortonsalt.com/home-product/morton-tender-quick/

Barry

 

[wade]

:) It is good to see that they are now including this warning. Unfortunately they do not also confirm that it is a result of it containing Nitrate :(. It is a pity that this warning does not seem to have yet reached many of their product resellers...

 

[wade]

"We cannot recommend Morton Tender Quick for use with pork belly or bacon. Due to the differing fat content of individual cuts, the curing time for these items may vary significantly. For this reason, we cannot recommend the appropriate amount of Tender Quick or curing time in this application."

I have never been a fan of TQ but this statement suggests that TQ should not be used with any meat that does not have known percentage of fat. Or are they suggesting that this is an issue with specifically pork fat?

 

[wade]

I have requested Morton to clarify this statement and will post any reply that I receive.

 

[biteme7951]

Hard to imagine what went on in their legal dept to come up with that statement, but "my" assumption would be any meat with an excessive amount of fat would (or should) be included in that statement. I am not a fan of TQ either due to the excessive salt content, but when I first started smoking 40 years ago that was the only thing I could get my hands on and this site (or the internet for that matter) was not invented to use as a resource. I still have a bag in the cupboard and pull it out occasionally for Canadian bacon.

Barry.

 

[daveomak]

Home processors can use, or not use, any product they like.... I'm not suggesting TQ can't be used... Only that the FDA does not allow nitrates in bacon...
The FDA, to my knowledge, has NEVER attempted to regulate home use of ANY product.... I think that can be inferred from the fact Morton's products were NOT regulated when this whole nitrate fiasco was born...
Vegetables have lots of nitrates... More than bacon... Did the FDA make broiling, grilling or frying vegetables illegal in commercial restaurants ?? I love broiled, grilled and fired veggies... Provides a new dimension of flavor...

 

[mski2]

From what I remember in the 70's the bacon cancer scare was nitrates used in bacon were not broken down fully like nitrates would, then high temperatures would create nitrosamine
Mark

 

[browneyesvictim]

Im missing something.... WHY is Nitrates not allowed by the FDA? Is it because of the nitrosamine issue?

If you dry cure/age belly with nitrates and call it pancetta that's ok.... and even eat it raw.

 

[mski2]

Hard to imagine what went on in their legal dept to come up with that statement, but "my" assumption would be any meat with an excessive amount of fat would (or should) be included in that statement. I am not a fan of TQ either due to the excessive salt content, but when I first started smoking 40 years ago that was the only thing I could get my hands on and this site (or the internet for that matter) was not invented to use as a resource. I still have a bag in the cupboard and pull it out occasionally for Canadian bacon.

Barry.

In the 70's the cancer scare from nitrosamine produced from overcooking or burning bacon . Using Nitrates in bacon didn't give it time to break down like Nitrates, So thats how I remember it Bacon is usually not cured for months, Pancetta is not fried usually
Mark

 

[atomicsmoke]

From what I remember in the 70's the bacon cancer scare was nitrates used in bacon were not broken down fully like nitrates would, then high temperatures would create nitrosamine
Mark

From what i know (little) nitrite is what leads to nitrosamines. Not nitrate. But nitrate is converted in nitrite long after the initial nitrite has been used up.