# new to smoking



## jag58ca (Apr 14, 2012)

Hi all.I'm new to smoking and  wanted some information on doing jerky. I have an electric smoker and did a batch last week...turned out great, but I didn't use a cure.

I would like to get into snack sticks  and hopefully sausages next. I just wondered as to how to go about using a cure..the cure I bought is called picklecure concentrate.

 a local spice and  sausage company tiold me it was to use, now can I use it as dry and with a marinade?...thank you in advance


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## forluvofsmoke (Apr 15, 2012)

jag58ca said:


> Hi all.I'm new to smoking and  wanted some information on doing jerky. I have an electric smoker and did a batch last week...turned out great, but I didn't use a cure.
> 
> I would like to get into snack sticks  and hopefully sausages next. I just wondered as to how to go about using a cure..the cure I bought is called picklecure concentrate.
> 
> a local spice and  sausage company tiold me it was to use, now can I use it as dry and with a marinade?...thank you in advance


I'm not sure I've heard of that particular cure. Does it contain Sodium Nitrite? By the name alone, I'm assuming it's SodiumNitrite, which is for a pumping pickle and brine-cure, such as for hams, but most any cure #1 (Sodium Nitrite) can be used for brine-cure solutions, dry-cure rubs and wet-curing jerky (I specify wet curing because with small pieces you can't possibly apply a dry cure evenly and at the proper rate, so a wet-cure somewhat takes care of those problems). Cure #1 (Sodium Nitrite) is intended for meats which will be heated to fully cooked temperatures, and *not* for dry-cured and fermented sausages or whole muscle meats which will not be fully cooked.

Be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions on amount per pound for wet-cure of jerky (with a small amount of water, say 3-4oz per lb of meat, with cure mixed in along with spices, then mixed with meat). BTW, being it's a concentrate, which is intended for commercial use in high quantities, you'll need to* accurately* measure or weigh the cure in very small quantities. Also, you need reasonably accurate weights of the meat with a food or postal scale, so you know how much cure is needed. Concentrated cures are not intended for home-curing, and certainly not for the novice, so please do exercise due caution...this a toxic substance and can cause illness/injury if not used properly.

Have you checked out the Jerky Forums? Tons of threads regarding other's questions and recipes, etc.

Also, there are some possible issues regarding food safety (bacteria) when processing jerky without curing, in specific, drying of the meat before it reaches a fully cooked temperature. Without curing the meat, bacteria can become heat resistant in low moisture-environments, which can allow them to survive in dried meats even if it reaches safe, fully cooked temperatures *after* it is dried.

This site explains the non-cured jerky issues/precautionary measures very well and how to reduce the risks:

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FactSheets/Jerky_and_Food_Safety/index.asp

Just want to help you learn more about making jerky safely, cured meat or not.

If there is something else in specific that you need to know about, or I haven't answered your question completely, please do fire away. Myself or someone else will be along to help you achieve safe and successful jerky making.

Please, do us all a favor and drop a thread in the Roll Call Forums so we can properly welcome you to the family here at SMF.

Eric

BTW, I don't make jerky with uncured meat...not worth the extra hassles and risks involved. Curing allows for a much more flexible process for smoking/drying regarding temps,times and finished product quality and safety, IMHO.


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## chef jimmyj (Apr 15, 2012)

Welcome to the SMF Family...It would be really helpful if you posted the listed Ingredients and Pecentage of each ingredient in your Picklecure Concentrate. Also include any instruction provided by the manufacturer. Our main concern is the amount of Sodium Nitrite and Salt. This will allow us to point you in a safe direction...JJ


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## jag58ca (Apr 15, 2012)

After I posted my question I kinda thought I should have listed the cure...all it says on the 1 kg package is, salt,sodium nitrate,sodium bicarbonate,glycerol as mfg aids

I bought it from a local store here that deals in sausage making equipment and supplys.


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## jag58ca (Apr 15, 2012)

by the way....it says on the package use 2 tablespoons to 25 pounds of meat, so would 1 teaspoon be correct for 5 pounds? I'm kind of nervous to use this stuff now.and the package does not list the ratio of whats in it


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## forluvofsmoke (Apr 15, 2012)

1 tsp for 5lb would be close, but that's a 1/6th cut instead of 1/5th.

Eric


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## forluvofsmoke (Apr 15, 2012)

BTW, that's cure #2, not cure #1...it's not what you want for jerky.

Eric


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