Morton's Tender Quick Confused

[LanduytG]

First I have used TQ for years making venison summer sausage. My question is does TQ have Sodium Nitrite in it? I have looked and looked on the internet and cannot find the answer.

If it does what can I use for a cure that does not have nitrites?

I would like to get away from TQ because in the last few years it seems so salty. I was going to cut back on the amount used but afraid to.

Thanks for the help.

[LanduytG]

This forum is great, I just found out way my sausage is so salty. I have always gone by the package and added 1 table spoon of TQ per pound of meat. I found on the forum it should be half that. I'm going to have to make some more using some ground beef to give it a try.

But I still would like to know if TQ has nitrites in it.

Thanks
Greg

[KyNola]

Yes, MTQ has nitrites and nitrates in it along with salt and other ingredients.

[devo]

NOTE: Morton Tender Quick is not a meat tenderizer, or should either be used as a seasoning. These two premixes are essentially the same, and can be used interchangeably. Both are considered fast cures. The difference between the two is that the Sugar Cure has added dextrose and a packet of spice mix. They both contain a combination of high grade salt, sugar, plus both sodium nitrate (.5%) and sodium nitrite (.5%).

Like cure #1, these premix cures have been developed as a cure for meat, poultry, game, fish and sausage that require short curing times, and will be fully cooked. They are NOT interchangeable with cure #1; they measure differently. Unlike cure #1, you don't use any additional salt when making sausage.

NOTE: Morton Tender Quick is not a meat tenderizer, and the Sugar cures are not seasonings. These are cures that only should be used in recipes calling for curing meat fish, and poultry. They can be used in recipes that call for cure #1, but because they are measured differently and the salt they contain, they are not directly interchangeable with cure #1, or cure #2, saltpeter or Morton Smoke Flavored Sugar Cure.


Use 1/2 tablespoon (1 1/2 level teaspoons) per pound of ground meat and fat. If replacing Morton Tender Quick for cure #1 in a recipe, do not add the salt that the recipe calls for.


U.S. Measurements
Amount of Meat/Fat   Amount of Cure
Vol.   Wt.
1 lb.   1.5 tsp   .23 oz.
5 lbs.   7.5 tsp   1.15 oz.
10 lbs.   1/4 C + 1 Tbsp   2.30 oz.
15 lbs.   1/4C + 3.5 Tbsp   3.45 oz.
25 lbs.   3/4 C + 1.5 tsp   5.55 oz.

[pensrock]

I would first make sure I'm using the correct amount of TQ. Then if I felt it was too salty, if other salt is being added in the recipe I would cut back on that. If no other salt is added then you can rewrite the recipe and omit the TQ but replace it with the TQ ingredients including cure but cutting back on salt. I heard of other things beside nitrates for curing but have never tried any myself. So I have no comment on using them.

[LanduytG]

I use no other salts in my sausage, just the MTQ. But like I said I guess I have been using twice the amount of what I should have been using. I wonder why they don't put on the bag that you use 1/2 table spoon when using it in ground meats.
I need to do more research, my son-in-laws says their are whys of curing using whey and other natural things.


Thanks for all the replies.

[Saber 4]

There are some really good posts on cure's and brines on here that will get you on track, I recently made the jump from using pre-mixed hi mountain seasoning to using the recipes on here with Cure #1 and the difference is amazing.

[devo]

I don't recommend it but yes the natural thing is out there. Way more expensive and to me just a bunch of bull crap.

Celery Juice Powder

Celery Juice Powder contains naturally occuring nitrites and nitrates (which breakdown to nitrites with the help of bacteria native in meat itself). Celery Juice Powder is now commonly being used for giving sausages and meats a cured appearance and taste without the use of synthetic sodium nitrite/nitrate. Since nitrates take time to convert ('reduce') to nitrite and there is no consensus yet for a suggested curing time per amount Powder for consistent curing action. Products using vegetable based nitrites/nitrates (such as Celery Juice Powder) must be cooked prior to consumption.

Each packet (Net Wt. 1.25 oz.) can be used for 25 lbs. of ground meat.

1.25 oz. of Celery Juice Powder = approximately 8 tsp.

For 10 lb. recipes use 3 1/2 tsp Celery Juice Powder.


PLEASE NOTE THIS

*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".

[Habanero Smoker]

The below link gives you a good summary of the major cures and cure mixtures:
Curing Salts

The below link has a good discussion on Celery Juice Powder. For home use it is really not safe to use as a curing agent, but will add some flavor.
Celery Juice Powder
Make sure you read the NY Times article.

[KyNola]

LanduytG, short answer is to your question is no and yes. This is just my opinion and folks much more knowledgeable than me when it comes to curing will come along and give you much better advice.  Take their advice.  In most of today's cases, nitrites and/or nitrates are used in curing meats.  As has been mentioned celery powder can be used to cure meats, sausages and bacon but the food police in the US has not seen fit to say celery powder is a curing agent.  Celery powder is nitrite.

Old school curing where I'm from was a big salt trough.  Today I use a curing agent.   

[LanduytG]

Thank you HS for the New York Times link. I will be forwarding this to my daughter who is natural everything and gluten free fanatic. I have lived 56 years eating foods done the old way and fit as a fiddle. If eating good food is going to take a few years of my life then so be it. What gets me the most is the cost of organic or natural food. I bought half a beef last spring and total cost was $2.55 a pound. My daughter bought a grass feed antibiotic free beef and cost almost $6 a pound. 

Thanks
Greg

[NorthShoreMN]

A couple of additional sites you might check out:

http://www.meatami.com/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/44170
If the link doesn't bring it up Google American Meat Institute/Nitrite

The following is a report by the Canadian agency

http://www.cmc-cvc.com/en/nutrition-health/nitrite-cured-meat-products

I won't spend more for the alternative cures and then wonder if it's doing the job.  I trust the time tested proven cures..

[LanduytG]

Thanks for all these links. It has caused a lot of buzz in the family.

[Habanero Smoker]

Thanks for all these links. It has caused a lot of buzz in the family.

I know what you mean. I live in an area where for the past 20 years a lot of micro-organic farms have started, and a lot of people I know are into organic foods. I'm glad you read the NY Times article, basically nitrite are nitrites and nitrates are nitrates; no matter what the source. Celery juice powder is high in potassium nitrates (salt peter), and it points out what steps the industry takes to make sure there are not unsafe levels of residual nitrates and nitrites left in the meat.

I've read an article a few months back that the USDA is considering whether it will still allow manufacturers to continue to use the label "uncured" on the package when celery juice powder is used.