# My cure/brine recipe



## JohanRSA (Jun 5, 2021)

I've done quite some research about the perfect cure/brine. I made one three years ago and have been refining it until recently when my last batch came out perfectly. You can use this recipe for anything you want to cure. I've made eisbeins, brisket, pork chops, ham, sandwich meat and even game/venison with it. 



Ingredients: 
1kg salt
40g saltpetre
3 tablespoons pickling spice
10g bicarbonate of soda
30ml brown grape/wine vinegar
190ml brown/trickle sugar
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons crushed blackpepper 
2 teaspoons broken/crushed mustard seeds
12 liter water (10 liter if you prefer a more salty brine) 

Method:
1. Take a big pot and put about 2 liter water in and bring it to almost a boil on the stove. 
2. Add all the dry ingredients to the water. 
3. Boil until everything have dissolved and the spices cooked well into the water. 
4. Add the vinegar. But be careful, the vinegar/bicarbonate of soda reaction may cause your water to boil over, so add it slowly. 
5. In your curing bucket/holder add the rest of your water. Make it as cold as possible by adding some ice to the water. 
6. Now add the water in the pot to the cold water in your bucket. 
7. For this recipe you can at least cure about 12-15kg of meat. When the water is cold enough, add your meat. Inject the bigger pieces of meat with the brine as needed. 
8. Leave the meat for 5-7 days in the brine, depending on how salty you want it. 

If you have less than 10kg of meat, use the same recipe, but just take you meat out earlier. 

Attached is a picture of the briskets and beed hump that I made recently.


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## BGKYSmoker (Jun 5, 2021)

Please be aware that most folks here are not very familiar with the use of saltpetre. Most use modern cure of either cure 1 or 2.


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## JohanRSA (Jun 5, 2021)

As far as I know is cure 1 and saltpetre the same. We in SA don't really have access to cure 1 and 2. We need to buy the active ingredients.


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## bill ace 350 (Jun 5, 2021)

I have some salt petre. 

Might look into doing something similar.


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## BGKYSmoker (Jun 5, 2021)

JohanRSA said:


> As far as I know is cure 1 and saltpetre the same. We in SA don't really have access to cure 1 and 2. We need to buy the active ingredients.



Cure 1
Formerly Prague Powder #1. Insta Cure #1 contains salt and sodium nitrite (6.25%).

Yes i know other countries do things different. I make alot of SA biltong and droewors.

saltpeter here is labled as






carry on, your way works for you.


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## JohanRSA (Jun 5, 2021)

We sometimes get praque powder 2 here. The nice thing about using saltpetre is that there are no salt added. So you have more control over the amount of salt you use in your cure.


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## thirdeye (Jun 5, 2021)

With the exception of dry cured products, commercial use of sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate has been banned in the US for years.  In-home use is still allowed, but it's recommended that Cure #1 be used.  Morton Tender Quick, and Cure #2 do contain nitrates.  More info at the link below. 



			Curing and Smoking Meats for Home Food Preservation
		

.


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## DanMcG (Jun 5, 2021)

that seems like a lot of pure nitrate, Have you done the math to calculate the percentage?


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## Wurstmeister (Jun 5, 2021)

Welcome to the Forum from South Carolina's Thoroughbred Country.  

Thanks for the recipe!  The flavors sound interesting.   Since you mentioned making Eisbeines with the recipe now I want to go and make a rotisserie Schweinshaxe  I'll post the results for ya'll. 
John


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## PolishDeli (Jun 5, 2021)

DanMcG said:


> that seems like a lot of pure nitrate



Seemed high to me also, but it's actually ok.

The recipe makes a brine that is ~3000ppm.  Assume 10%injection; thats 300ppm KNO3.

USDA says up to 700ppm KNO3 is ok.


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## SmokinEdge (Jun 5, 2021)

7 pounds of KNO3 to 100 gal water for brine.
3 1/2 oz. per 100 lbs. meat as dry cure. 
per USDA.


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## SmokinEdge (Jun 5, 2021)

Also, KNO3 does not directly cure meat. Micrococci and lactobacilli bacteria are needed to convert nitrate into nitrite which will start the curing process. It’s a crap shoot to know how much natural bacteria are present. Also temperature should not drop below 40*F as lower temperature stop the activity of bacteria and the curing process will stop.


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## bill ace 350 (Jun 5, 2021)

I think salt petre is still used quite often. 
I got mine at a local Mennonite store, and see people buying it regularly.


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## thirdeye (Jun 5, 2021)

bill ace 350 said:


> I think salt petre is still used quite often.
> I got mine at a local Mennonite store, and see people buying it regularly.


I've seen 10# bags of it but I think the commercial grade is used as fertilizer. The NPK numbers are 13-0-44.


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## JohanRSA (Jun 5, 2021)

DanMcG said:


> that seems like a lot of pure nitrate, Have you done the math to calculate the percentage?


No i haven't. If you have a look at the store bought instant cures etc, you will notice that they have more nitrates in. I got my ratios from the internet. I have made this recipe on numerous occasions and it works. I don't think the percentage of nitrates are wrong....


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## PolishDeli (Jun 7, 2021)

SmokinEdge said:


> 7 pounds of KNO3 to 100 gal water for brine.



That info is based on page 7 of the "Processing Inspectors' Calculations Handbook"
In that example, they are targeting a concentration of 700ppm NO-3.
They specify 100 gal of pickel. Not water.
The calculation assumes that the pickle density is 10lb/gal. 
(Water density is 8.3lb/gal. Which would yeild a concentration of 832ppm if using 7lb KNO3 + 100 gal water)

In anycase, 
J
 JohanRSA
 's recipe is well withing safe limits.
But, as 

 SmokinEdge
 implied, using NO-2 would be better than using NO-3


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## SmokinEdge (Jun 7, 2021)

PolishDeli said:


> That info is based on page 7 of the "Processing Inspectors' Calculations Handbook"
> In that example, they are targeting a concentration of 700ppm NO-3.
> They specify 100 gal of pickel. Not water.
> The calculation assumes that the pickle density is 10lb/gal.
> ...


This is exactly why we here in the states use Cure #1. Nitrite is absolutely predictable in application. This is also why our cure #2 contains both nitrite and nitrate. One to get it going early in the process and then nitrate to keep the cure active for longer than 30day dry/or aging times. This gives time with protection to let bacteria grow to break down nitrate into nitrite.


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## SmokinEdge (Jun 7, 2021)

PolishDeli said:


> That info is based on page 7 of the "Processing Inspectors' Calculations Handbook"
> In that example, they are targeting a concentration of 700ppm NO-3.
> They specify 100 gal of pickel. Not water.
> The calculation assumes that the pickle density is 10lb/gal.
> ...


Again, everyone is guessing at the amount of bacteria present to convert nitrate into nitrite. Really a crap shoot with KNO3 in terms of how much nitrite can or will be converted in any one application. Plus, refrigeration temperature kills the process.


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