# Need a little help. I put #1 curing salt for salami instead of #2



## MariaL (Aug 28, 2021)

Hello guys. Im a newbie into this. I want to ask some questions about the curing salt. So I put 5 teaspoon #1 curing salt in 9.039 pounds of meat accidentally. Is it still safe to eat or not?  I'm worried about this. So i wouldn appreciate your answers or knowledge to this craft. Thank you so much for those who want to help. 
Ps. I'm also not sure if it's cure #1 so I can't sleep because I don't know the answer. Says Nam Seasoning mix Powder


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## BGKYSmoker (Aug 28, 2021)

Nam powder is used for Vietnamese  pork sausage. Mostly rolled or pressed flat with a hot pepper and garlic slice.  You pic shows for bacon so i would say this is like a Cure 1 mix.

You can use cure 1 if your salami is going to be smoked, you will need a high temps from 140 thru 160 for this.

Cure 2 is for dry cured hard style salami that is shelf stable for long periods.

Both cure 1 & 2 are used at 1 level tsp per every 5 pounds of meat.......

I use Nam Powder but its not like yours shown.

We have more rocket science guys here who do some good calculations, maybe they will get in here.


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## MariaL (Aug 28, 2021)

SWFLsmkr1 said:


> Nam powder is used for Vietnamese  pork sausage. Mostly rolled or pressed flat with a hot pepper and garlic slice.  You pic shows for bacon so i would say this is like a Cure 1 mix.
> 
> You can use cure 1 if your salami is going to be smoked, you will need a high temps from 140 thru 160 for this.
> 
> ...


Thank you! Hope i can still salvage this.


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## DanMcG (Aug 28, 2021)

There's cure #1 in the mix, sodium nitrite.  
It says the bag contains enough mix for 1.5 kg and you have 4kg, so it's not to much.


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## smokeymose (Aug 28, 2021)

It says it has Sodium Nitrite but not how much. Same with the salt.
I would hot smoke like SWFLsmkr1 said and not consider it an actual cure just to be safe.
I've never seen a mix like that so I'm not to be considered an expert, though...


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## smokerjim (Aug 28, 2021)

Welcome to smf, as the others said I wouldn't treat your meat mixture as properly  cured, so in my opinion definitely smoke to a internal temp of around 160 with in 4 hours.


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## MariaL (Aug 28, 2021)

I put 2.8% of pure salt though, is it still passable to cure the meat?


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## tallbm (Aug 28, 2021)

MariaL said:


> Hello guys. Im a newbie into this. I want to ask some questions about the curing salt. So I put 5 teaspoon #1 curing salt in 9.039 pounds of meat accidentally. Is it still safe to eat or not?  I'm worried about this. So i wouldn appreciate your answers or knowledge to this craft. Thank you so much for those who want to help.
> Ps. I'm also not sure if it's cure #1 so I can't sleep because I don't know the answer. Says Nam Seasoning mix Powder



Hi there and welcome!

Let's walk through the basics first so we are getting the best answers for you.

Cure #1 is used to keep food from having harmful bacteria when cooked at low cooking temperatures over a longer than normal period of time.

You use 1 teaspoon of Cure #1 (or Prague Powder) for 5 pounds of meat when the cure #1 is 156ppm sodium nitrite (ppm = parts per million).  Don't get too hung up on the 156 ppm right this moment.

What you have is a seasoning mix that has sodium nitrite in it (think Cure #1), BUT it is NOT purely Cure #1.
*Your seasoning package is measured to cure a total of 3 pounds 4.8 ounces of meat (1.5kg).*







You added 5 teaspoons of this seasoning to 9.039 pounds of meat.
****That will NOT be enough to cure the meat* even with more regular salt added. Regular salt is not a real substitute for Cure #1.

****Even if you added the entire package of your seasoning to the meat you will NOT safely cure all 9.039 pounds of the meat*.

So in short:

Your meat is NOT properly cured with Cure #1
You CAN ONLY safely eat the meat as long as you cook it like there was no cure added to it.  *Do not cook at low temperature over a long period of time!*
To properly cure the 9.039 pounds of meat,  you would need to use 3 total packs of Nam Seasoning Powder Mix.
I hope this info helps.
Please ask any other questions you may have.  I know this stuff can get confusing but it is better to ask questions and be safe :)


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## dernektambura (Aug 28, 2021)

Let's make it even safer for the future projects...
Please, use metric system (milligrams, grams, etc...) instead of spoons, forks, pinches, coffee mugs, buckets or shovels..
Trust me, as I believe, most of members will agree: 
Buy milligrams scale... It will pay of itself right after first two projects.... 
Welcome to SMF, it's never ending story....


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## smokeymose (Aug 28, 2021)

dernektambura said:


> Let's make it even safer for the future projects...
> Please, use metric system (milligrams, grams, etc...) instead of spoons, forks, pinches, coffee mugs, buckets or shovels..
> Trust me, as I believe, most of members will agree:
> Buy milligrams scale... It will pay of itself right after first two projects....
> Welcome to SMF, it's never ending story....


I'm afraid I don't agree, but then again I didn't grow up with the metric system.
Some recipes call for teaspoons, tablespoons and cups. Never used a bucket, coffee mug or shovel.....
I do believe you shouldn't mix the two systems if you can help it and a good scale that will measure grams is good to have because
some recipes call for it but you need to be able to do both.


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## dernektambura (Aug 28, 2021)

smokeymose said:


> I'm afraid I don't agree, but then again I didn't grow up with the metric system.
> Some recipes call for teaspoons, tablespoons and cups. Never used a bucket, coffee mug or shovel.....
> I do believe you shouldn't mix the two systems if you can help it and a good scale that will measure grams is good to have because
> some recipes call for it but you need to be able to do both.


It's easy.... Convert lbs to kg... Use cures (#1 or #2) as gram percentage... I hear you smokeymose and I don't know which measurements system is superior but I haven't come across scale that tells you how many teaspoons goes in one lb.... At least it's not available in stores... Just trying to advice full-proof method.... That's all....


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## Steve H (Aug 28, 2021)

Seems pretty cut and dried to me as 

 tallbm
 stated.


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## dernektambura (Aug 28, 2021)

Look... my point is :
Teaspoon, cup, bucket or shovel made by China or any other countries in the world may not be truly what imperial measurements inventor wanted to be.... while gram is gram and always will be gram per international IS ..... I am not trying to distespect but we are dealing with Nitrates and Nitrites....


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## dernektambura (Aug 28, 2021)

Beside... Cure #1 is for totally wrong what needs to be used for salami... Cure #2 is to go, which (if I am not mistaken) no one mentioned...


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## BGKYSmoker (Aug 28, 2021)

Here....Cut and dry
Thats all folks 

CURES - Cures are used in sausage products for color and flavor development as well as retarding the development of bacteria in the low temperature environment of smoked meats.
Salt and sugar both cure meat by osmosis. In addition to drawing the water from the food, they dehydrate and kill the bacteria that make food spoil. In general, though, use of the word "cure" refers to processing the meat with either sodium nitrite or sodium nitrate.
The primary and most important reason to use cures is to prevent BOTULISM POISONING (Food poisoning). It is very important that any kind of meat or sausage that will be cooked and smoked at low temperature be cured. To trigger botulism poisoning, the requirements are quite simple - lack of oxygen, the presence of moisture, and temperatures in range of 40-140° F. When smoking meats, the heat and smoke eliminates the oxygen. The meats have moisture and are traditionally smoked and cooked in the low ranges of 90 to 185° F. As you can see, these are ideal conditions for food poisoning if you don't use cures. There are two types of commercially used cures.

Prague Powder #1
Also called Insta-Cure and Modern Cure. Cures are used to prevent meats from spoiling when being cooked or smoked at low temperatures (under 200 degrees F). This cure is 1 part sodium nitrite (6.25%) and 16 parts salt (93.75%) and are combined and crystallized to assure even distribution. As the meat temperate rises during processing, the sodium nitrite changes to nitric oxide and starts to ‘gas out’ at about 130 degrees F. After the smoking /cooking process is complete only about 10-20% of the original nitrite remains. As the product is stored and later reheated for consumption, the decline of nitrite continues. 4 ounces of Prague powder #1 is required to cure 100 lbs of meat. A more typical measurement for home use is 1 level tsp per 5 lbs of meat. Mix with cold water, then mix into meat like you would mix seasonings into meat.

Prague Powder #2
Used to dry-cure products. Prague powder #2 is a mixture of 1 part sodium nitrite, .64 parts sodium nitrate and 16 parts salt. (1 oz. of sodium nitrite with .64 oz. of sodium nitrate to each lb. of salt.) It is primarily used in dry-curing Use with products that do not require cooking, smoking, or refrigeration. This cure, which is sodium nitrate, acts like a time release, slowly breaking down into sodium nitrite, then into nitric oxide. This allows you to dry cure products that take much longer to cure.  A cure with sodium nitrite would dissipate too quickly.  Use 1 oz. of cure for 25 lbs. of meat or 1 level teaspoon of cure for 5 lbs. of meat when mixing with meat. When using a cure in a brine solution, follow a recipe.


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## dernektambura (Aug 28, 2021)

Ok... Nice cut and paste point...


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## SmokinEdge (Aug 28, 2021)

dernektambura said:


> Look... my point is :
> Teaspoon, cup, bucket or shovel made by China or any other countries in the world may not be truly what imperial measurements inventor wanted to be.... while gram is gram and always will be gram per international IS ..... I am not trying to distespect but we are dealing with Nitrates and Nitrites....


Tsp. Are not all created equal. There can be a fairly significant variation between makers, same goes for all spoons and cups. Weight is weight, volume however is not consistent from my kitchen to yours. I have gravitated to the metric system for curing and sausage making. The metric system is divisible by 10’s this makes thing super simple to do. 454 grams to a pound, 1.0% salt is 4.5g real easy. Or 2.0% salt is 9.0g per pound. Also salts and sugars are all not created equal. Big difference between a cup of kosher salt and a cup of pickling salt comparing those volumes to weight. Same goes for sugars, white granulated vs. turbindo or raw sugar is the same. Always weigh the ingredients, and the metric scale is better for this because grams are way more precise than fractions of ounces.
Generally it can be acceptable to use 1tsp. Cure #1 or #2 to 5 pounds of meat. However, I prefer to go the route of 1.1g per pound as my measure to impart 156ppm with cure #1.


dernektambura said:


> Beside... Cure #1 is for totally wrong what needs to be used for salami... Cure #2 is to go, which (if I am not mistaken) no one mentioned...


This is true here on the forum as well in Italy, however, to my understanding, north of the Alps, they only use nitrites no nitrates. You cannot even legally purchase nitrates in Canada. So no you don’t have to use nitrate (cure #2) for salami. There is a big chunk of the world not doing that and they are not sick and dead. The jug of cure #2 I have contains 6.25% nitrite and 1.0% nitrate. I really don’t think that 1.0% is the difference between sick and not sick or live and dead. That’s just my opinion.


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## dernektambura (Aug 28, 2021)

Nice cut and paste.... But...you didn't cut and paste all the way... You left it puzzled...
Your cut and paste ends with:
When using a cure in a brine solution, follow a recipe.
What is it? It's equilibrium my friend...
It is not something you can just live hang in air... Newbie needs info... C'mon guys...are we trying to prove who's smart or helping new girl/guy?


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## dernektambura (Aug 28, 2021)

SmokinEdge said:


> Tsp. Are not all created equal. There can be a fairly significant variation between makers, same goes for all spoons and cups. Weight is weight, volume however is not consistent from my kitchen to yours. I have gravitated to the metric system for curing and sausage making. The metric system is divisible by 10’s this makes thing super simple to do. 454 grams to a pound, 1.0% salt is 4.5g real easy. Or 2.0% salt is 9.0g per pound. Also salts and sugars are all not created equal. Big difference between a cup of kosher salt and a cup of pickling salt comparing those volumes to weight. Same goes for sugars, white granulated vs. turbindo or raw sugar is the same. Always weigh the ingredients, and the metric scale is better for this because grams are way more precise than fractions of ounces.
> Generally it can be acceptable to use 1tsp. Cure #1 or #2 to 5 pounds of meat. However, I prefer to go the route of 1.1g per pound as my measure to impart 156ppm with cure #1.
> 
> This is true here on the forum as well in Italy, however, to my understanding, north of the Alps, they only use nitrites no nitrates. You cannot even legally purchase nitrates in Canada. So no you don’t have to use nitrate (cure #2) for salami. There is a big chunk of the world not doing that and they are not sick and dead. The jug of cure #2 I have contains 6.25% nitrite and 1.0% nitrate. I really don’t think that 1.0% is the difference between sick and not sick or live and dead. That’s just my opinion.


I have about 5 pounds of cure number 2 legally purchased on Canada Amazon and we all know cure #2 is mix of salt nitrite and nitrate...so... Yes... It is legal in amounts defined by country food administrator...


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## SmokinEdge (Aug 28, 2021)

dernektambura said:


> I have about 5 pounds of cure number 2 legally purchased on Canada Amazon and we all know cure #2 is mix of salt nitrite and nitrate...so... Yes... It is legal in amounts defined by country food administrator...


Good to know, I’m guessing then, that you cannot by potassium nitrate or sodium nitrate in whole form? Just blended?


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## dernektambura (Aug 28, 2021)

SmokinEdge said:


> Good to know, I’m guessing then, that you cannot by potassium nitrate or sodium nitrate in whole form? Just blended?


No sir... I have a butcher who mixes his own cure #2 and I got it for years from him... But I stopped 10 years ago for being easier to by on net and go after them if cure is wrong...


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## indaswamp (Aug 28, 2021)

cure#1 CAN be used in small diameter salami if the drying will be finished in 30 days or less. Anything thicker than about 42mm needs cure #2. 
So hog casings, sheep casings....or thicker casings pressed 1" thick or less.


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## dernektambura (Aug 28, 2021)

indaswamp said:


> cure#1 CAN be used in small diameter salami if the drying will be finished in 30 days or less. Anything thicker than about 42mm needs cure #2.
> So hog casings, sheep casings....or thicker casings pressed 1" thick or less.


Indaswamp, honestly, do you think any salami can be of heavenly taste in 30 days
it can be done but....


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## thirdeye (Aug 28, 2021)

Bear with me because I think the cure the OP is asking about is for making Nem chua.  Years ago I worked with some Vietnamese American welders, and these guys made a lot of their own food for lunches. One thing in particular was a fermented pork sausage that was grilled.  Here is an article that seems to describe what I'm recalling. 



			https://theravenouscouple.com/2010/01/nem-chua-recipe-vietnamesoe-fermentedcured-pork.html
		




dernektambura said:


> No sir... I have a butcher who mixes his own cure #2 and I got it for years from him... But I stopped 10 years ago for being easier to by on net and go after them if cure is wrong...


Measuring accurately  is only one issue.  Commercial mixtures of Cure #1, #2, and also Tender Quick  are not simply 'blended'.  They are blended in such a fashion to cause the active ingredients to be 'suspended' in the salt carrier.


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## indaswamp (Aug 28, 2021)

dernektambura said:


> Indaswamp, honestly, do you think any salami can be of heavenly taste in 30 days
> it can be done but....


The drying needs to be finished in 30 days so the product is shelf stable. Flavor development will continue afterward.....

Cacciatore salami is a good example. dried in 4 weeks....


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## dernektambura (Aug 28, 2021)

Agree but what if you fuk it up on Relative humidity?
Lets say your RH is low and yoy "cure" (dehydrate) to fast...?? Then midle is soft and un-dehidrated... Yes...it will still be chewable but....? Taste... You mix soft inner with dry outer part... Is it presentable? Maybe, unless comes someone who knows process from to...


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## dernektambura (Aug 28, 2021)

indaswamp said:


> The drying needs to be finished in 30 days so the product is shelf stable. Flavor development will continue afterward.....
> 
> Cacciatore salami is a good example. dried in 4 weeks....


My point is: you and I can go back and forth but...there is always "scratching under surface" with questions like this... The best you can do is read, read and read topics and answers...


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## MariaL (Aug 28, 2021)

Thank you all for your information shared! 
So I'm concluding, I can't do anything about it but try and smoke it? Also I made 10 kgs last night without cure but 3% salt added, because I can't have access to it. What is the best way to go?can I stuff it tonight in hog casing to make links, should I smoke it? 

Any ideas?


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## tallbm (Aug 28, 2021)

MariaL said:


> Thank you all for your information shared!
> So I'm concluding, I can't do anything about it but try and smoke it? Also I made 10 kgs last night without cure but 3% salt added, because I can't have access to it. What is the best way to go?can I stuff it tonight in hog casing to make links, should I smoke it?
> 
> Any ideas?



The best way would be to grill them.

If you want to smoke them, they must be fully cooked within 4 hours to be safe.
Fully cooked is an internal meat temperature of 165F degrees or 74C degrees will make the meat safe of bacteria and/or any potential parasites.

Those are your options.

*****Do NOT* smoke at low temperature for a long time.  *The internal meat temperature must hit 140F/74C degrees within 4 hours.  Be sure to take it to 165F/74C internal temp for max safety.*

I grill sausages without cure #1 all the time and they come out great :)

This will keep you safe. I hope this info helps :)


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