self life of cure & powder dextrose

[smokingthemidwest]

Hello everybody. I had a question on the self life of cure#1 and powder dextrose? I was thinking about buying a 5 pound container of each, But did not know how quick i had to use it up. I do hams,bacon, and getting ready for deer season so i was going to stock up. Any help would be great. Thank you

[FLBentRider]

Five pounds of cure #1 is a lot.

It does last just about indefinitely if stored properly.

I'm not sure about the dextrose.

[Habanero Smoker]

Cure #1 will last a long time if properly stored, away from heat and light. If over time it gets hard lumps you will need to through the whole batch out. If it forms lumps that easily breaks apart with light pressure it is still good. As mentioned above 5 pounds is a lot, but if you are going to be doing a lot of curing using a brine (pickle) then it may not be that much; since you will be using 3 - 6 ounce of cure per gallon of water.

Dextrose (glucose) is just a simple sugar, it should have an indefinite shelf life. Even if it hardens, you can put it in a processor and break it up.

[smokingthemidwest]

Thanks everybody. Yeah i need to spell check before i post (self). I was going to get a 5 pound bucket of cure from the sausage maker.com. cause i can only find it in four ounce package local.  But i did not want to get it if it will go bad.  i do a lot of bacon and hams that require a lot of cure at once in the brine.  Thanks everybody for your input.