- Jan 11, 2016
- 13
- 10
Hi!
I'm trying, for the first time, to cure a second cut brisket (1.8 lbs.) to make pastrami. After curing the meat I'm planning to smoke it and then steam it.
I followed a recipe from the Stanley Marianski book "Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages" for a wet brine which calls for 453g (1 lb) of salt and 136g (4.8 oz) of cure #1 per gallon of water. Since I have a relatively small piece of meat, I reduced the amounts to 500 ml water, 60g of salt and 18g of cure #1. However, after brining the meat, I looked at this and other online forums and all recipes that I've seen recommend to use an amount of cure#1 much smaller than the amount recommended in the book.
I understand that the amount of cure in wet cures is not the same as in dry cures as only part of the nitrates make their way to the meat, but I'm very concerned about safety. I have not cooked the meat yet. Can you please let me know if the recipe that I followed is safe? I didn't pump the meat but just submerged it in brine (today is day 5). Thank you in advance for your help!
I'm trying, for the first time, to cure a second cut brisket (1.8 lbs.) to make pastrami. After curing the meat I'm planning to smoke it and then steam it.
I followed a recipe from the Stanley Marianski book "Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages" for a wet brine which calls for 453g (1 lb) of salt and 136g (4.8 oz) of cure #1 per gallon of water. Since I have a relatively small piece of meat, I reduced the amounts to 500 ml water, 60g of salt and 18g of cure #1. However, after brining the meat, I looked at this and other online forums and all recipes that I've seen recommend to use an amount of cure#1 much smaller than the amount recommended in the book.
I understand that the amount of cure in wet cures is not the same as in dry cures as only part of the nitrates make their way to the meat, but I'm very concerned about safety. I have not cooked the meat yet. Can you please let me know if the recipe that I followed is safe? I didn't pump the meat but just submerged it in brine (today is day 5). Thank you in advance for your help!