this time I may loose some friends...

pongo · Jul 30, 2014

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But my message is real important for so many devoted home cooks and apprentice meat cure experts - I have to do it!

How do you follow a fine recipe that you just discovered on the NET?

Here is an example:

1/2 slab of pork belly

1 3/4 cup salt

3 1/2 tablespoon of...

1 1/8 oz ...

1 heaping spoon of...

Would you please help me to convert this precious recipe to 1lb and 14oz of meat?

You can't? Don't worry, I can't do this either. And thousands others struggling too with this problem. And too many first timers quit this amazing hobby because their first attempt...

We all have at least one electronic scale at home (less than 20 dollars). Does your scale show cups, teaspoons or heaping tablespoons on it? hmmmm...

Most likely - it displays kilograms and grams (don't run away - it's decimal).

Please put your meat on the scale and read it: 1 kilogram equals 1000 grams - that's all!
Lets say your cut of meat weights 1450 grams (1.450 kilo gram - it's the same)

Here is your NEW recipe:

Ingredients PER KILOGRAM or Ingredients per 1000 grams of meat

32g     kosher salt

3gr     cure #1

14g     sugar

3.5g    black pepper

How much did you say is the weight of your meat? It is "1.45 kg"

OK - here is the solution:

32g kosher salt times 1.45 =           46.4g

3g cure #1        times 1.45 =           4.35g

14g sugar * 1.45                =            20.3g

3.5g black pepper * 1.45 =               5.0g

It's that simple - no more waste of time, money and fighting with divorce attorneys...

But how can you convert tablespoons or pounds to grams and kilograms?

It just takes a few minutes (well - maybe a bit longer...).

1 teaspoon           =          5g

1 tablespoon    =        15g

1cup            =          236g

1oz                         =         28.3g

1lb                         =          454g

curing and fermenting 400.JPG

pongo
Jul 30, 2014

meat curing spices.JPG

pongo
Jul 31, 2014

Dear old school experts - you do fine with your measurements, don't change it! (You're doing it just like my daddy, the finest butcher I've ever

know - no scale needed).

This article is indented as a support for the new generation; they're right on our back, ready to learn and take over "our" business... Good to have them with us!

Your PONGO

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kc5tpy · Jul 31, 2014

Hello. It is much preferred to measure your ingredients ( especially cure ) in grams. One good tip is that you can now search the net and ask the question of how many grams to 3 teaspoons? NOW!!!! If, as they say in this country, I may throw a spanner in the works; where does the recipe originate?? A U.K. pint = 20oz. where a U.S. pint = 16oz.. Also dry ingredients don't translate in the way you describe. Which weighs more, 1 lb. of feathers or 1 lb. of lead? Answer is easy, they both weigh the same! NOW! Which weighs more, 1 cup of feathers or 1 cup of lead? Answer, 1 cup of lead BY FAR! 1 cup of brown sugar weighs way more than 1 cup of flour. Please don't take this wrong, I mean no disrespect but your simplified conversion is flawed and may not be safe to use when talking abut using cures and such. Keep Smokin!

Danny

pongo · Jul 31, 2014

KC5TPY said:
Hello. It is much preferred to measure your ingredients ( especially cure ) in grams. One good tip is that you can now search the net and ask the question of how many grams to 3 teaspoons? NOW!!!! If, as they say in this country, I may throw a spanner in the works; where does the recipe originate?? A U.K. pint = 20oz. where a U.S. pint = 16oz.. Also dry ingredients don't translate in the way you describe. Which weighs more, 1 lb. of feathers or 1 lb. of lead? Answer is easy, they both weigh the same! NOW! Which weighs more, 1 cup of feathers or 1 cup of lead? Answer, 1 cup of lead BY FAR! 1 cup of brown sugar weighs way more than 1 cup of flour. Please don't take this wrong, I mean no disrespect but your simplified conversion is flawed and may not be safe to use when talking abut using cures and such. Keep Smokin!

Danny

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Great help...

YES - the measurements are extremely unclear - especially if you're talking about a "cup".

For a novice, it's a barrier, just as many other info about curing...

My intention is simply to help the "lost ones" - giving them a way out of this confusion!

I've read a couple of hundred messages from faithful beginners, asking for help and clear up the mess in the available recipes! I've seen guys using nothing but their hands to measure the ingredients - my daddy could do this.

But there is a new generation - they don't know yet. They begin to learn and experience a new wonderful world.

How do you convert 1 1/2table spoon of xxx for 3 pounds of meat if you have 2 1/4 pound of meat?

A cup of salt, sugar or curing salt is ABOUT 236gram - period. Yes - there are smaller and bigger salt crystals in the market and weight changes accordingly.

About the joke with the feathers and the lead - I heard this some 50 years ago at the university - extremely funny and still almost new...

I try to give the beginners a little bit of support, the ones who using salt and sugar in their ingredients and not too much flour...

"this time I may loose some friends..."

Lost already one and still counting.

Y'ALL take care - pongo

kc5tpy · Jul 31, 2014

Hello. You have not lost a friend; you have found a concerned friend. I see you were ready for confrontation but read on. This is really not a discussion for the open forum as there are things in here new folks should avoid but here we go. We must always err on the side of food safety when giving advice. You speak of your dad using his hand to measure ingredients. I do most times. I do not now nor have ever owned a meat therm or a CC therm BUT, like your Dad I learned OLD SCHOOL. Many years of learning and experience. I would NEVER tell a new member to just wing it. I always tell them to get a digital meat therm and use it. Do you realize we have an international membership and some new folks have never even boiled water? You can't tell some one new to add a handful of brown sugar and a handful of salt to 5 gallons of water and then let the pork belly sit in that for 2 weeks. " If it doesn't smell off you'll be ok". How would they know how " off" smells?? I don't mean to be confrontational but think over what you are saying. "A cup of salt, sugar or curing salt is ABOUT 236gram - period". Sodium nitrite is toxic at the correct levels and there ain't much wiggle room! Have you never heard of PPM when talking Prauge powders? You can try to fob me off with the brown sugar and flour and feathers and lead argument but if you can't see the difference in weight of castor sugar, brown sugar, and cane sugar; sea salt, kosher salt, table salt and fine grind curing salt then please do more reading. Yes these things are a stumbling block for new folks but so is a hospital trip for food poisoning. I will do you a great service, I'll be sure our qualified food safety instructor moderator sees your thread and offers his advice.

Danny

chef jimmyj · Aug 1, 2014

Greetings Gentlemen, You both are providing good and helpful information. Thank you. There are some major issues that have to be addressed. Statements like the ones below are vague at best and can be dangerous at worst...

It just takes a few minutes (well - maybe a bit longer...).

1 teaspoon           =          5g

1 tablespoon    =        15g

1cup            =          236g

One Cup of " Water " = 236g but these measurements are invalid for anything that is not water or mostly water. One Cup of Canola Oil = 219.6g One Cup AP Flour = 127.6g

Then this one is no where near accurate and including Cure in the mix is irresponsible...

A cup of salt, sugar or curing salt is ABOUT 236gram - period.

One Cup of Table Salt = 273g, One Cup DK Kosher Salt = 180.8g, One Cup Granulated Sugar = 200g and One Cup of Cure #1 = 249.5 All a Big difference and Critical when talking about Cure!

Pongo, your intentions are Honorable and appreciated but please understand that for Safety reasons we insist on accuracy. Please don't feel in anyway attacked by Danny or myself but please avoid generalizations. There are Volume to Weight Conversion Tables for every ingredient that we could ever use in Cooking, Curing and Smoking Thanks Danny for having our backs and Thank You Pongo for trying to clear up how Recipes are Converted...JJ

daveomak · Aug 1, 2014

About the proper amount of Cure #1 to add to meats........ USDA/FDA, or whoever, recommendations for safe consumption...

... amount of cure #1 to add .... MAXIMUM amounts .....

1# of meat for bacon skin off = 0.87 grams ++++++ 1 Kg meat = 1.92 grams ++++ 120 Ppm nitrite....

1# of meat for bacon skin on = 0.78 grams ++++++ 1 Kg meat = 1.73 grams ++++ 108 Ppm nitrite....

1# of meat for ground sausage.= 1.13 grams +++++ 1 Kg meat = 2.5 grams ++++ 156 Ppm nitrite....

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this time I may loose some friends...

pongo

Newbie

curing and fermenting 400.JPG

meat curing spices.JPG

kc5tpy

Master of the Pit

pongo

Newbie

kc5tpy

Master of the Pit

chef jimmyj

Gone but not forgotten. RIP

daveomak

SMF Hall of Fame Pitmaster

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