i have a question for you guys.
If i find a sausage recipe that is not meant to be smoked, can i just add the insta cure or tender quick and smoke it then?
Also what do you guys use. the insta cure 1, 2, or tender quik
thank you
You want Cure #1.
I think it is 1 teaspoon per 5lbs.
I have both but prefer #1. Most of the recipes I see use cure #1. Also, while I think you can use either or in most cases, you should adjust the salt content if you use MTQ in place of cure #1. It is easier to just add cure #1 when I want to use a cure.
cure #1
Use cure#1.
1 tea per 5 lb and take out 1 tea of salt the recipe calls for.
Cure #1 and cure #2 are NOT the same.
TQ has salt, sugar and some other things that I cant remember, unless the recipe calls for it I wouldnt use it.
As other's have stated cure #1 is easier to use. You should reduce the amount of salt in your recipe by the amount of cure #1 you have added.
For Morton's Tender Quick, if that is all you can get your hands on then you use that at a rate of 1.5 teaspoons (1/2 Tablespoon) per pound of meat and fat. Since it already has salt and sugar, you need to eliminate any salt and sugar that the recipe for the fresh sausage calls for.
Here is a list of common cures, and how they are use in sausage.
Curing Salts (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?736-Curing-Salts)