After much searching I don't find any fish brines using a cure ''Prague powder'#1,etc." How come it isn't necessary for fish but it is for meat?
Thanks for the replies. I tend to agree with Dave's post above when getting to 140+ in a relatively short time, but when looking for some new brine and rub recipes I see many smokers taking 5 plus hrs at some low starting temps to reach internal temp. Even on this site, which kind of surprised me.Using cure depends on what you do with the meat after it is brined..... Cold smoking Lox for instance, cure #1 is used or should be...
Warm-Hot smoking to cook the fish to 140 ish in a short time period, cure #1 is not necessary but could be used as a safety factor ingredient... As far as I know, cure does not flavor salmon.....
There are strains of botulism in seafood... different than those strains in veggies and animals....
Dave
i have never heard of using cure on smoked salmon until i started on this site. i live up in northern Canada with a very large native population and id be damned if they ever heard of cure. they smoke fish over a period of days. a light smudge to keep the bugs off and an air dry at the same time... all in the middle of summer. alot of salmon done this way and no one is getting sick. alot of Europeans do the cold smoke here as well and again no cure. it makes sense to me to use it .. BUT as i say i have never heard of it. cant even buy it in any stores here, you must order it.