Oh, no! Cure Bag Leaked!

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pokey

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Jul 15, 2010
274
17
Monroe Twp, NJ
So I started curing the pork loin yesterday. I measure 1 TBS of TQ per pound of meat as recommended. Today when I went to flip it over, I saw that the zip lock hadn't closed and some liquid leaked out. I have no idea how to gauge how much leaked out. I've been reading how the measure of cure is so important and now that's all messed up. What do I do, just close the bag and hope for the best?

ARRGGHH!!
 
Yes close the bag and ride it out. I don't think you lost enough cure to matter. You could always add a day or two before smoking. Just DON'T add any more cure. 
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Any idea how much leaked out?  This could be a deal-breaker to my way of thinking.  Playing fast and loose with cures = bad idea.  If it was mere drops, maybe, but much more than that...
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Is this an immersion/ brine cure? 

If so, if there's still enough brine to cover the meat you're fine.

Edit: Just reread your post, and realized by the amount of TQ that you used it's probably a dry cure, and the liquid that leaked is the meat juices that got pulled out?

I don't think I'd worry about it, maybe go an extra day or two like Meateater mentioned
 
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It WAS more than a few drops, enough to leave a good smear across the entire glass shelf in the fridge. But I hadn't yet flipped it, so the cure on the sides and top of the meat should still have been in place and there was more liquid in the bag than out.

We'll just ride it out for an extra couple of days and keep our fingers crossed.

Thanks, guys.
 
No way of telling how much leaked out.

That wasn't just meat juices, it was also some cure mixed with it.

However hopefully not enough to matter.

I would keep it going like normal, and maybe give it an extra day or two to get everything that's left to be absorbed.

Big Point:------When you do the fry test, cut in half, and take a slice or two from the middle of it, and a slice or two from an end.

Then make sure the fried pieces from the middle turn the same color of pink (to the center), when fried as the pieces from the end.

This will show you if it's cured all the way to the center.

If they are all the same, smoke it how you were going to.

If there are pieces that don't get pink in the center when you fry test it, I would get it through the danger zone (41˚ to 135˚) in 4 hours, and take it to at least 145˚ internal.

This would not be a big deal if you had to do that, as far as the quality of your finished product.

These are my opinions, and what I would do if it was mine.

Bear
 
I wouldn't worry!

I would smoke like Bear says, just to be sure, but if it were me, I would keep curing

Todd
 
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