Salt question for bacon

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Don't know how I missed this thread when starting my bacon learnin'...  This must be one of the ones mentioned occasionally in other threads...

As a newbie at this, I just read a bunch from an assortment of sources, think on it, look for consistencies, and decide what I want to do.  Individual bickering--I mean discussing--between members tends to just go in one ear and out the other.  I don't pay much attention to it, and the more heated it becomes, the less weight it's given.  At some point, the original disagreement disappears under the "I'm right and you're not!" status that prevails...

USDA?  ANY info from the government I take with a large grain of salt anyway.  Them boys are out to cover their arses as much as, or more than, anyone.  I put more stock in folks who have actually done things and can report on results than i do in "studies".

The thing that lead me to using TQ was the fact that cure #1 is such a small amount to spread over the meat, how consistently can it be applied?  And if it's mixed with salt, sugar, and whatever-else-feels-good-at-the-time spices, how evenly is the #1 distributed within that mixture?  To my (agreeably newly formed and little tested) way of thinking, the opportunity for the curing process to be derailed is much higher with the #1 mixture than it is with TQ.  

All I know for certain is that my TQ-cured bacon hasn't killed me yet, so I'll keep using the TQ until the package is gone.  Maybe then I'll try a wet cure, maybe not.  Let's face it, it's bacon--not exactly the most healthy of foods in the first place.  Nitrates/nitrites/fat/grease/eggs/guv'mint incompetence/whatever--We're all going to die from something anyway, one way or another.  Why spend our time making our hobby so antagonistic? 
 
As someone still new to curing bacon you may not yet fully appreciate both sides of the discussion.  Cure 1 is mixed with additional salt, sugar and spices and then applied just like TQ either as a dry cure or a wet cure.  The only two advantages Cure 1 has over TQ is no Nitrates and you can control how much salt is used in the cure mix.  Some of the observations you are making are at the root of our often uncomfortable discussions

Personally I use a dry cure process with Cure 1 because I like a less salty, drier, firmer bacon.  The process I am happy with is described in the Dry Cured Bacon Wiki

We will be doing almost 100 pounds of dried cured bacon at SELA,  I'll be sure to post some picks of the process and end results.
 
I started curing bacon with Morton's TQ and it served me well.  Due to health reasons, I needed to cut my salt intake, so switched to Cure #1.  My recipe included brown sugar, kosher salt(Limited) and other spices into the dry cure. 

Then, I came across "Country Brown Cure".  It contains everything necessary to cure bacon, and is widely use by butcher shops up here.  You can use it "As Is", or add brown sugar, salt  and spices to your liking.  I add extra brown sugar, salt and spices to it.

I've tried both Brine Curing and Dry Curing.  To be fair, I tried a test where I Brine Cured 1/2 my batch of bacon and Dry Cured the other 1/2.  Both batches of bacon were good, but we preferred the Dry Cured Method.

Like anything else in this hobby we all share, curing meat is a process that can and will evolve, if you're willing to try other methods.  I've "Tweaked" my recipe over a dozen or so batches, and really like where it's at now.  On my last batch, I spread pure maple syrup on one side of a slab, and coated it with CBP.  This was by far, our favorite bacon.  My only regret, was that I did not make more!

That said, I'm always open to trying something new!

I suggest you try different methods, until you find what works best!

Todd
 
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As long as you dont burn your bacon to a piece of charcoal you should be fine using MTQ. Besides, I am sure that sitting in traffic breathing car exhaust is likely more dangerous than over cooked bacon cured with MTQ. I am a MTQ user but I also use cure #1...I dont have a preference, but I generally use MTQ because its easy and I just ordered 12lbs of it. I also picked up 8 oz of cure #1 yesterday so I will use that as well.
 
I am on my first batch of bacon, I used rytek kutaz dry  method, so I used Cure#1, I prefer using Cure#1 in my recipes cause like stated better control of salts and sugars.

I too have read about the USDA's recommendation about not using nitrates in Bacon,

but what I would like to know is if it is not ok to use MTQ  for curing bacon, why would it be ok for curing sausage?

I fry just as much Keilbassa, hot dogs, summer sausage as I do bacon.

And to the Fellow Pittsburghers on this thread, if youinz need MTQ, I have gotten it at the Friedmans grocery store in Saxonburg, if it is a long trip for you call and ask if they got it on stock
goodluck.gif
 
I am on my first batch of bacon, I used rytek kutaz dry method, so I used Cure#1, I prefer using Cure#1 in my recipes cause like stated better control of salts and sugars. I too have read about the USDA's recommendation about not using nitrates in Bacon, but what I would like to know is if it is not ok to use MTQ for curing bacon, why would it be ok for curing sausage? I fry just as much Keilbassa, hot dogs, summer sausage as I do bacon. And to the Fellow Pittsburghers on this thread, if youinz need MTQ, I have gotten it at the Friedmans grocery store in Saxonburg, if it is a long trip for you call and ask if they got it on stock

It has to do with the amount of heat used when cooking. Somewhere (and it might be on USDA website) it shows the way it was cooked at which the concentrations were highest...the more well done the bacon the higher the concentrations of nitrosamines. I guess it's not really the temp at which it was cooked as much as how well done it was cooked.

Raw bacon was lowest, burnt bacon was highest. And cooking bacon in a microwave produced the fewest nitrosamines.
 
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Big Casino and CGAEngineer

Do you fry the sausage to crispy?  If so then maybe you should consider using Nitrites to cure your short term cured sausages.  This topic has been discussed at great length on this forum and I hope you can get a feel for the tone of these conversations by reading some of the older posts.   Once you read some of these posts you will understand why many of us are reluctant to participate in another.

My opinion has become that I recommend not using nitrate based cures on bacon or any meat that will brought to temperatures common when "frying to a crisp".  This is one reason I do not use Tender Quick.  The other reason is the amount of salt in Tender Quick compared to the amount of salt in Cure1.

Many of us are older and are looking to control the amount of salt in our diets or just simply prefer a less salty final product.  Using Cure1 allows us to reduce the salt in our cures.

The other thing I have decided is that if the USDA recommendations for not using Nitrates in bacon are not enough reason to not use them then by all means continue using Nitrate cures.  Many very respected members of this forum continue to use nitrate based cures for bacon.   This site can only recommend and educate.  Embracing the advice offered on this forum is strictly up to the reader.  

You will find that we are sticklers about things like proper internal temperatures, the 4 hour rule, proper food handling and curing techniques but we understand that what someone does in the kitchen for his family and friends are up to them.

 Potentially dangerous posts will be reviewed by the Moderators and Administrators and if required either edited or deleted   Other then that there is a lot of latitude and freedom for what is welcome on Smoking Meat Forum.  We like learning from each other and find that new members in particular offer some great insights and sometimes just "make us think" about things

I enjoy reading your posts and look forward to reading many more.

Al
 
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