Since this subject keeps popping up I decided to contact Morton Salt a while back and here is the reply I received Yesterday. Please note the differences in TQ and Instacure #1 or Prague #1.
Morton's Tender Quick more closely resembles Instacure #2 than it does Instacure #1 because of the sodium nitrate in it.
Notice that Instacure #1 has 6.25% Sodium Nitrite which is the maximum permitted by FDA rules. Tender Quick only has 0.5% Sodium Nitrite and 0.5% Sodium Nitrate. I would therefore have to agree with Bob that TQ is not a complete cure.
Thank you for contacting Morton Salt.
I'll be glad to mail you a complimentary Home Meat Curing Guide.Our meat curing salts contain Nitrate and Nitrite, these are the curing agents.
Prague powder is a generic term for meat curing mixtures, not a trademarked name.
Prague Powder # 1,( also known as Instacure No 1) contains 6.25% sodium nitrite, 93.75% salt, and anti-caking agents. Prague Powder #2, (also known as Instacure No 2) contains 6.25% sodium nitrite, 4% sodium nitrate, 89.75 salt and anti caking agents.
Prague Powder is a commercial meat cure designed for industrial use.
Morton meat curing products are designed for home meat curing. Morton Tender Quick and Plain Sugar Cure contains 0.5% sodium nitrite and 0.5% sodium nitrate. Morton Smoke Flavored Sugar Cure contains 1.5% sodium nitrate and is designed for large cuts of meat with a longer curing time.
Sincerely,
Sharon
MORTON SALT
Consumer Affairs
Toll-Free# 1-800-725-8847
This is why I figure TQ is the same as Cure #1:
According to my figures----That makes TQ the same thing as Instacure #1in the Nitrites amount---See my figures below:
That would be 0.5% of the TQ by volume*
As opposed to 6.25% of the Instacure by volume.
Since we use 1 ounce of TQ for 2 pounds of meat*
And we use 1 ounce of Instacure for 25 pounds of meat.
That would mean we use 12 1/2 times as much TQ as we use of Instacure per pound of meat.
12.5 X (times) .5 = 6.25, which makes the dosage per pound of meat exactly the same as Instacure #1 as TQ----6.25%.
That's the way I figure it.
These figures have nothing to do with Cure #2.
John