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rob dekker

Newbie
Original poster
Nov 20, 2014
8
10
I used Morton sugar cure, directions called for 24 hr cure, timing put me at 36 hrs and i think i cakes too much on, i smoked them at 200 til they hit 140. cooled in the fridge a few hrs then did a few test strips. they came out super salty. i was told soak in water to fix it?
 
If you cured a butt..... 24 or even 36 hours is not enough.... Morton's sugar cure is designed for dry curing and aging which takes months and a regulated temperature and humidity... preferably a curing chamber...... There is no nitrite in it...

You need to get Cure #1 which is salt and nitrite... Read up on making bacon on this forum....

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/newsearch?search=bacon&=Search


http://www.mortonsalt.com/for-your-...g-salts/182/morton-sugar-cure-smoke-flavored/

This mix is formulated especially for dry curing large cuts of meat like hams or bacon. It contains salt, sugar, sodium nitrate, propylene glycol, caramel color, natural hickory smoke flavor, a blend of natural spices and dextrose (corn sugar). The cure reaction takes longer with Morton[emoji]174[/emoji] Smoke Flavored Sugar Cure[emoji]174[/emoji] mix than with plain Morton[emoji]174[/emoji] Sugar Cure[emoji]174[/emoji] mix, so the smoke flavored product should be used only for dry curing and not for making a brine (pickle) solution.

CAUTION: This curing salt is designed to be used at the rate specified in the formulation or recipe. It should not be used at higher levels as results will be inconsistent, cured meats will be too salty, and the finished products may be unsatisfactory. Morton[emoji]174[/emoji] Sugar Cure[emoji]174[/emoji] Smoke Flavor is only for dry curing ham and bacon. This product should not be used with other meats or in a brine cure. Curing salts cannot be substituted for regular salt in other food recipes. Always keep meat refrigerated (36° to 40°F) while curing.
 
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the directions on the bag say 24 hrs for bacon


Rob, afternoon.... You may find this hard to believe but....... the directions on the bag are wrong...... Also, that product should never be used for bacon, IF YOU FOLLOW THE FDA RULES FOR MAKING BACON.... Nitrate is not allowed in bacon..... Nitrate only works at temperatures around 50 degrees F..... Nitrate needs bacteria to convert the nitrate to nitrite.... It is the nitrite that makes food safe from botulism....
Soooo, when the package says, rub this stuff on the meat and put it in the refrigerator..... nothing is happening...

Nitrate, when put on meat, should only be put on meat that is not going to be cooked....

Click on the link and study up a bit...

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

What’s Better, Nitrate or Nitrite?

Both Nitrates and nitrites are permitted to be used in curing meat and poultry with the exception of bacon, where Nitrate use is prohibited. Sodium nitrite is commonly used in the USA (Cure #1) and everywhere else in the world. To add to the confusion our commonly available cures contain both nitrite and Nitrate.

Many commercial meat plants prepare their own cures where both nitrite and Nitrate are used. All original European sausage recipes include Nitrate and now have to be converted to nitrite. So what is the big difference? Almost no difference at all. Whether we use Nitrate or nitrite, the final result is basically the same. The difference between Nitrate and nitrite is as big as the difference between wheat flour and the bread that was baked from it. The Nitrate is the Mother that gives birth to the Baby (nitrite). Pure sodium nitrite is an even more powerful poison than Nitrate as you need only about ⅓ of a tea-spoon to put your life in danger, where in a case of Nitrate you may need 1 tea-spoon or more. So all these explanations that nitrite is safer for you make absolutely no sense at all. Replacing Nitrate with nitrite eliminates questions like: Do I have enough nitrite to cure the meat? In other words, it is more predictable and it is easier to control the dosage. Another good reason for using nitrite is that it is effective at low temperatures 36-40° F, (2-4° C), where Nitrate likes temperatures a bit higher 46-50° F, (8-10° C). By curing meats at lower temperatures we slow down the growth of bacteria and we extend the shelf life of a product.
 
No---You don't need to get Cure #1:

Morton's Sugar Cure is interchangeable with Morton's Tender Quick, but it isn't going to cure a Butt in 24 or 36 hours.

I believe Dave is thinking about Mortons smoke flavored Sugar cure----Entirely different animal.

Morton's Sugar cure would be used like Tender Quick----1 TBS per pound of whole meat, and the curing time would be the same also:

One Day per 1/2" of thickness plus 2 days for absolute minimum.

I would also add about 3 days to that.

So a 3" thick Butt would be 6 + 2 = 8 days minimum + 3 days = 11 days.

I would cure the 3" thick butt for 11 days.

I never used it, but I know it is interchangeable with Tender Quick.

Bear
 
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Here is Mortons page on Mortons Sugar Cure (Plain):
[h2]MORTON[sup][emoji]174[/emoji][/sup]  SUGAR CURE[sup][emoji]174[/emoji][/sup]  (PLAIN)[/h2]


Product Overview:
This mix is formulated for dry or sweet pickle curing of meat, poultry, game, salmon, shad, and sablefish. It is primarily used for dry curing hams and bacon.

1203-sugar-cure.png


Available Sizes:
  • 7.5 lb. bag

It contains salt, sugar, propylene glycol, sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite, a blend of natural spices and dextrose (corn sugar). Morton[sup][emoji]174[/emoji][/sup]Sugar Cure[sup][emoji]174[/emoji][/sup]  (Plain) mix can be used interchangeably with Morton[sup][emoji]174[/emoji][/sup]Tender Quick[sup][emoji]174[/emoji][/sup]  mix. 

CAUTION: This curing salt is designed to be used at the rate specified in the formulation or recipe. It should not be used at higher levels as results will be inconsistent, cured meats will be too salty, and the finished products may be unsatisfactory. Curing salts should be used only in meat, poultry, game, salmon, shad and sablefish. Curing salts cannot be substituted for regular salt in other food recipes. Always keep meat refrigerated (36° to 40°F) while curing.
 
BEAR !!!!! GREAT CATCH !!!!!! With Bears back up, everything is OK.......

Sorry I screwed that up........ Dave

I won't even go into how old age is .............................
 
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BEAR !!!!! GREAT CATCH !!!!!! With Bears back up, everything is OK.......

Sorry I screwed that up........ Dave

I won't even go into how old age is .............................
No Problemo!!!

I gotta be good for something!!

Bear
 
oh its definitely smoke smelling, comes with a bag inside of seasoning
 
and on the directions it says curing bacon, 1/2 oz per lbs, 24 hours.....  Rub cure in well, especially around shank and aitch bone of the ham.  Place meat in clean refrigerator between 36-40 deg F.  At seven-day intervals, remove from refrigerator and make second and third application of cure.  Return to refrigerator.  When curing is complete, soak hams and bacon in lukewarm water for one hour to remove excess surface salt.  Pat dry and return to refrigerator for equilibration.  Equilibrate hams for 20 days, bacon for 2 days.  After equilibration, full cure long cut hams may be aged at 70-85 deg F.  Cook pork to 160 deg F.

so????
 
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