# Tender Quick has me confused!



## delarosa74868 (Sep 28, 2012)

The bag says 1 tablespoon per pound of meat.  People say 1 1/2 tsp per 5lbs of meat. My last batch was pretty salty, is the 1 1/2 tsp per 5lbs correct?


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## jrod62 (Sep 28, 2012)

Go with what is on the bag. They know what works for "Tender Quick"

when you say  _*"People say 1 1/2 tsp per 5lbs of meat*_" are they talking about Tender Quick or cure 1

its not the same.


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## fpnmf (Sep 28, 2012)

http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?736-Curing-Salts


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## roller (Sep 28, 2012)

Go with the bag but I know its a little sality...


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## diggingdogfarm (Sep 28, 2012)

delarosa74868 said:


> The bag says 1 tablespoon per pound of meat.  People say 1 1/2 tsp per 5lbs of meat. My last batch was pretty salty, is the 1 1/2 tsp per 5lbs correct?



Yes. Morton Tender Quick and Cure #1 are definitely not the same thing or used at the same rate!

Morton Tender Quick is used at a rate of one tablespoon per pound of whole cuts of meat (bacon, corned beef, etc.)...half a tablespoon (1-1/2 tsp.) per pound of ground meat (sausage, etc.).

~Martin


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## delarosa74868 (Sep 28, 2012)

DiggingDogFarm said:


> Yes. Morton Tender Quick and Cure #1 are definitely not the same thing or used at the same rate!
> Morton Tender Quick is used at a rate of one tablespoon per pound of whole cuts of meat (bacon, corned beef, etc.)...half a tablespoon (1-1/2 tsp.) per pound of ground meat (sausage, etc.).
> ~Martin


Would sliced jerky meat fall under whole cuts or ground meat?


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## delarosa74868 (Sep 28, 2012)

What kind of cure is this? would this be better to use than TQ? Im just going to wet marinade in teriyaki. 













C9F20753-8364-49C5-962A-E407FB18B694-24796-000006E



__ delarosa74868
__ Sep 28, 2012


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## fpnmf (Sep 28, 2012)

Looks like cure#1..

Read the link I provided in post #7...


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## diggingdogfarm (Sep 28, 2012)

Yes, it's cure#1.
It's better to use than Tender Quick because you can tweak the salt content to your liking.

~Martin


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## woodcutter (Sep 28, 2012)

I've been using that Lem cure for buckboard bacon as the package directions say. It is never too salty. I think is better that TQ for that reason and I believe TQ has both Nitrate and Nitrite. Everything I've read says no nitrate only nitrite for bacon because nitrate turns into a carcinogenic (nitrosamines) when heated above a certain temperature which happens when frying bacon.

Someone please tell me if I'm wrong about this. I find nitrates and nitrites a little confusing sometimes.


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## smokinhusker (Sep 28, 2012)

DiggingDogFarm said:


> Yes, it's cure#1.
> It's better to use than Tender Quick because you can tweak the salt content to your liking.
> 
> ~Martin


X2


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## fpnmf (Sep 28, 2012)

Woodcutter said:


> I've been using that Lem cure for buckboard bacon as the package directions say. It is never too salty. I think is better that TQ for that reason and I believe TQ has both Nitrate and Nitrite. Everything I've read says no nitrate only nitrite for bacon because nitrate turns into a carcinogenic (nitrosamines) when heated above a certain temperature which happens when frying bacon.
> 
> Someone please tell me if I'm wrong about this. I find nitrates and nitrites a little confusing sometimes.


Here's a very interesting read about that subject..

http://ruhlman.com/2011/02/meat-curing-safety-issues/

http://ruhlman.com/2011/05/the-no-nitrites-added-hoax/


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## diggingdogfarm (Sep 28, 2012)

http://ruhlman.com/2011/02/meat-curing-safety-issues/

re: No Nitrates Added Hoax.....

From the blog post above........
_"It’s my belief that companies advertising their products as “nitrite-free,” are either *uninformed themselves or are pandering to America’s ignorance* about what is healthy and what is harmful in our foods.  In other words, the term “no nitrites added” is a *marketing device*, not an actual health benefit."_

They're not uninformed, pandering or using the terms as a sneaky marketing device, they're doing what the 'rulers' at the almighty USDA tell them to do as far as labeling goes. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






From USDA materials.....

*"The USDA currently does not recognize naturally occurring nitrates as effective curing agents in meats, so if using Celery Juice Powder for products being sold to the public, the end-products must be labeled "Uncured"*

_*"Bacon can be manufactured without the use of nitrite, but must be labeled "Uncured Bacon, No Nitrates or Nitrites added" and bear the statement "Not Preserved, Keep Refrigerated Below 40 °F At All Times" — unless the final product has been dried according to USDA regulations, or if the product contains an amount of salt sufficient to achieve an internal brine concentration of 10% or more, the label does not have to carry the handle statement of "Not Preserved, Keep Refrigerated below ___" etc. Recent research studies have shown for products labeled as uncured, certain ingredients added during formulation can naturally produce small amounts of nitrates in bacon and, therefore, have to be labeled with the explanatory statement "no nitrates or nitrites added except for those naturally occurring in ingredients such as celery juice powder, parsley, cherry powder, beet powder, spinach, sea salt etc." *_

~Martin


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## woodcutter (Sep 29, 2012)

Good article. I feel better knowing about how the small amount of nitrate used in curing with TQ is not going to be harmful when making bacon.

Thank you for clearing this up for me.


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