# Curing Help!



## kmart (Jan 2, 2015)

Hey all. I think I have made a huge mistake! I am making venison summer sausage and the recipe called for 5 tbls of pickling salt and 2 tbls of cure #1. I couldn't find cure #1 so I substituted it with tender quick. It was about a 10 pound batch. Everything I've read says 1/2 tbls per pound of ground meat. So I only have enough tender quick for 4 pounds of meat. Will the 5 tbls of pickling salt take care of the rest or is my batch ruined?


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## bear55 (Jan 2, 2015)

If you do not get a response, may I suggest you contact either Bearcarver or Pops about your question.  I would trust 100% what either of those gentlemen say.  Good luck, sorry I  don't know enough about your question to answer.


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## timberjet (Jan 2, 2015)

You might have to do some refiguring. TQ is totally different from cure#1 for ten pounds you would use 2 tsp of cure. You actually lucked out in not using way too much and possibly toxic amounts of cure #1. Now you just need to find out how much TQ for that batch with the other salt you have in there. I hope this helps. You might actually be able to figure it out by looking at the TQ package. good luck. You may be able to salvage it. Don't do anything else until you hear for sure. Pops, Bearcarver, Dave Omak, and many others can help you more specifically.


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## themule69 (Jan 2, 2015)

Pickling salt is not a cure. TQ cure 1 and cure 2 are different and are not to be substituted just because you don't have what you need. You are for sure going to have very salt sausage as per is it going to be safe I didn't run the numbers. Since I am not the manufacture I stay away from that. It is very important that you fallow instructions when it comes to cure.

Happy smoken.

David


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## timberjet (Jan 2, 2015)

I would post a link to this in sausage or just try and PM one of those guys. Also diggingdogfarms is a sausage guru.


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## daveomak (Jan 2, 2015)

Morton's TQ for sausage, you add 1 1/2 tsp. per pound or 1/2 Tbs. per pound....   and do not add additional salt....   5 Tbs. would be enough TQ for 10#'s of sausage meat.....    Put everything in the refer for 2 days and order cure#1.....   If you add the TQ, there will be 2X's the salt and it will not be edible......


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## kmart (Jan 2, 2015)

Sorry guys I made a mistake in my original post. The recipe called for 2 teaspoons of cure #1 and I put 2 teaspoons of tender quick in. Not 2 tablespoons!


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## timberjet (Jan 2, 2015)

The amount of TQ it would take to have the amount of cure for that amount of meat plus the pickling salt will render it too salty. Wait for cure 1. Call the meat counter at a few of your local stores or better a butcher and get bailed out.


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## daveomak (Jan 2, 2015)

kmart said:


> Sorry guys I made a mistake in my original post. The recipe called for 2 teaspoons of cure #1 and I put 2 teaspoons of tender quick in. Not 2 tablespoons!




If you added the 5 Tbs. of pickling salt to the meat....   refer it and wait for the cure #1 to arrive....   with 2 tsp. of TQ added to the meat, you can add 1 3/4 tsp. of cure #1 when it arrives and the cure amount will be "close enough" to be safe... and just a little salty...


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## kmart (Jan 2, 2015)

I would love to wait for it but I have already mixed all the ingredients together and put it in casings! I think I made a huge mistake. Could I just cook it at a higher temp like 170is or so?


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## daveomak (Jan 2, 2015)

kmart said:


> I would love to wait for it but I have already mixed all the ingredients together and put it in casings! I think I made a huge mistake. Could I just cook it at a higher temp like 170is or so?




Yep...  skip the low and slow and get to 145 ish in 4 hours or so....


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## kmart (Jan 2, 2015)

Ok I might have to do that. I'm worried about doing that because I have some cheese in there and it's not high temp cheese so I was wanting to go low. If I add 1 3/4 tsp of cure #1 as you mentioned could I go low with my temps instead of getting up to temp in 4 hrs? What if I added say 3 more pounds to the mixture would it still be too salty?


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## daveomak (Jan 2, 2015)

If you use TQ, do not add any additional salt..... you won't be able to eat it.....   You have already added 5 Tbs. of salt...  cook it and eat it..... 

Next batch....   mise en place........    Mise en place (French pronunciation: ​[mi zɑ̃ ˈplas]) is a French phrase which means "putting in place", as in set up. It is used in professional kitchens to refer to organizing and arranging the ingredients (e.g., cuts of meat, relishes, sauces, par-cooked items, spices, freshly chopped vegetables, and other components) that a cook will require for the menu items that are expected to be prepared during a shift.[1] The practice is also effective in home kitchens.[2]


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## timberjet (Jan 2, 2015)

DaveOmak said:


> If you use TQ, do not add any additional salt..... you won't be able to eat it..... You have already added 5 Tbs. of salt... cook it and eat it.....
> 
> Next batch.... mise en place........ Mise en place (French pronunciation: ​[mi zɑ̃ ˈplas]) is a French phrase which means "putting in place", as in set up. It is used in professional kitchens to refer to organizing and arranging the ingredients (e.g., cuts of meat, relishes, sauces, par-cooked items, spices, freshly chopped vegetables, and other components) that a cook will require for the menu items that are expected to be prepared during a shift.[1] The practice is also effective in home kitchens.[2]


Hey, I just heard that today on NPR. hahaha....


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## kmart (Jan 2, 2015)

Ok thanks very much! Is cure #1 and pink curing salt the same thing?


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## kmart (Jan 2, 2015)

Also if that's the case that I just need to cook it at a higher temp, do I even need to refrig it overnight or can I just go straight to cooking? I don't see why I need to let it sit since I didn't pit enough in to let the curing process rake place


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## boykjo (Jan 2, 2015)

kmart said:


> Ok thanks very much! Is cure #1 and pink curing salt the same thing?


yes... Dave has ya covered here.. Go ahead and cook the sausage 40 to 140 in 4 hrs.... we'll call it sausage surprise.....


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## timberjet (Jan 2, 2015)

http://www.meatsandsausages.com/sausage-making/curing this is really good information and an excellent site all around. One of the best. Pink salt can be cure 1 or cure 2. the pink is a color additive to help distinguish it from salt, sugar etc... in your cupboard. It is poison and they added color for safety. cure 1 is also known as prauge powder. Here is some information on curing salts. http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?736-Curing-Salts


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## themule69 (Jan 2, 2015)

kmart said:


> I would love to wait for it but I have already mixed all the ingredients together and put it in casings! I think I made a huge mistake. Could I just cook it at a higher temp like 170is or so?


Why not cut it out of the casings and add the cure 1 as Dave said when it comes in? You are not chasing a ghost. Take the time to fix it.

Happy smoken.

David


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## boykjo (Jan 2, 2015)

IMHO I wouldn't mix cures


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## kmart (Jan 2, 2015)

I think I'm just gonna cook it as is. I've got a lot of meat to do so I'll just write this one off as a newbie mistake! I really appreciate all the input from you guys it's great! I'm just gonna order some cure #1 and do that. Or could I just omit the salt from My recipe and add the right amount of tender quick?


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## boykjo (Jan 2, 2015)

either or


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## diggingdogfarm (Jan 2, 2015)

OMG!!!!!!
In this case, you only need to worry about the cure amount if you intend to "cold smoke" ...if not...just go ahead and cook the sausage in a safe way.....you've already added *PLENTY* of salt !!!!! :icon_eek:


Please PM me or one of the other helpful folks here if you have questions prior to your next batch!



=Martin= :icon_eek:


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## wade (Jan 3, 2015)

kmart said:


> Ok thanks very much! Is cure #1 and pink curing salt the same thing?





boykjo said:


> IMHO I wouldn't mix cures


Hi kmart

If you are looking to do more curing in future you may find it useful to get to know more about the science behind the curing process and then you will find that you will have more general confidence and a lot of the uncertainty will go. There is a lot of good information within the forum and also some very good books on the subject.

When using curing salts it is about getting the levels of Nitrite and Nitrate right and, as this is usually provided mixed with common salt, balancing this with the final amount of salt in the end product. The addition of sugars and spices is more a matter of flavour balance, although the sugar does have some preservative effect.

If you are confident in your math and know exactly what is in the curing salts then there is no problem mixing cures however it is easy to make mistakes and as boykjo says it is therefore not a good idea.

Curing salts that people use tend to fall into two common types -

InstaCure #1 and #2 (also commonly known as Prague Powder #1 and #2)
Morton's Tender Quick (TQ)
There are others however these are the most common. Although there is some consistency when you buy these they can differ from manufacturer and so it is important that when you buy them the ingredients are clearly marked on the packs.

InstaCure #1 and Prague Powder #1 contain only Nitrite and this is almost always at 6.25% - diluted in Sodium Chloride (salt)
InstaCure #2 Contains Nitrite at 6.25% AND Nitrate at 1% - diluted with Sodium Chloride (salt)
Be careful when buying Prague Powder #2 though as, although the Nitrite is usually always 6.25%, the concentration of Nitrate can vary from 1% to 4.75% depending on the manufacturer.

Morton's TenderQuick contains Nitrite at 0.5% and Nitrate at 0.5%
Be careful when using "Pink Salt" as both cure #1 and cure #2 are often died pink and so it is important you know which one you are using.

Because TQ is less than 1/10th the concentration of the InstaCure #2 or Prague Powder #2 then to get the desired levels of Nitrite and Nitrate you need to use more than 10 times the amount - which will obviously result in more salt being added along with the cure. One advantage of TQ being more dilute is that it can be measured in Tsps, whereas the other cures should be accurately weighed to at least one decimal place.

The salts containing both Nitrite and Nitrate are good for sausages and hams etc whereas (if following USDA published guidelines) only the salts containing only Nitrite should be used with bacon.

Getting the desired amount of cure into your sausages is all about balancing the math and ensuring that you deliver the right amount of cure with the desired amount of salt.


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## pops6927 (Jan 3, 2015)

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/nitrites-vs-nitrates

A collection of articles concerning the differences between the two.  Add to it as you wish.


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## timberjet (Jan 3, 2015)

I just love this website. Ask and you shall receive.


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