Time out!
Alright I had to look at the original post again, Phogi was making confit, chunks of pork swimming in pork fat warmed at a very low temp in the oven for a long time, then stored in the frig for months. To me this is the recipe that I might want TQ used. With the low temp (probably below 140°)and long storage time I think the nitrate that it offers would be a plus.
The original question was how much TQ would equal ½ tsp of pink salt.
I think the whole point of this discussion is that IF you know your cures and you know there composition, you can replace one for the other to safely cure your product.
Let's toss in a few numbers,
½ tsp of pink salt equals 0.1875 gms of nitrite. which mixed with a pound of meat give you 415ppm.
1Tbl of TQ equals .14 gms of nitrite . This gives you 308ppm in the same pound of meat.
Both of the above amounts are safe and well below the 625ppm maximum allowed by the USDA, and that's as close as you'll get to equal using spoon measurements. If you want it exactly the same, use scales to measure it out
TQ can be used to replace #1 as a curing agent, BUT it's not a direct replacement, you need to know what's in each and what you want for an end product.
TQ is salt, sugar, nitrite and nitrate
#1 is salt and nitrite
You can use a ½ Tbl of TQ safely in sausage but it alone will probably have enough salt and you'll need to adjust the salt that might be in the recipe to you taste. And if you're worried about using to much TQ, don't. To much TQ will be so salty you won't be able to eat it.
In the end, if ya know what you're doing you can replace one for the other, but on the board here I think it's not a good idea to suggest it. I find a lot of people don't really research anything but just copy what they read and go for it...I was one of them once myself. '
I hope this is some help to others, and remember curing meats is as much of a science as it is a hobby.