Question regarding cure

[dilly]

I looked everywhere for TQ, "pink salt", prauge powder etc and came up with nothing.  I finally got hooked up with an Ahmish (Mennonite) Butcher who agreed to sell me some "cure".  This stuff is pure white and looks like salt.  I asked the lady when I picked it up if it was like Mortons TQ and she said it is  more "pure" (she meant stronger) and said she wouldnt go more that a half cup to gallon of water...my question is...what the hell is it?  Does it sound like Cure#1 to you guys and should I proportion it like Cure#1?  I want to try curing several wild turkey drumsticks and thighs and she said it would work quite well.  They use it for all their hams and cottage rolls etc....PLEASE HELP!

[NePaSmoKer]

It might be their own concotion. I lived in Amish/Menonite country and they made thire own cure. I would be carful with how much you add.

If your looking for insta cure #1 http://www.sausagemaker.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1707

nepas

[Mr Walleye]

Dilly

If I remember correctly you're in Canada. Cure #1 seems to be hard to find in parts of Canada, not as much of a problem in Western Canada where I live. Anyway, I will try to find the post with the links to places in Canada to buy it. As far as what they gave you??? I would ask them for specific use directions or the specific ingredients.

Mike

[Mr Walleye]

Dilly

Here is the post with a number of Canadian suppliers.

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=9676.0

I've used JB Sausage in Regina SK mostly, mainly because they are 40 minutes away from me. I have heard from a number of guys they like dealing with Atlas Cutlery in Edmonton AB. Atlas Cutlery also has a catalogue of their products available.

Mike

[Habanero Smoker]

I agree with Mike; ask them what it is and for specific directions on use. They may have given you pure sodium nitrite, or pure sodium nitrate; but most likely it's probably salt peter which is no longer used in the States because the results of saltpeter is inconsistent.

[dilly]

OK, thx for the tips guys. I spoke with the butcher today and he gave me the following break down.
1 gallon water
1 cup salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cure

for dry application, he said 1 Tbsp per 25lbs of meat.  That sounds proportionally similar to the other mixes I have read using #1 etc.  He further said a rule of thumb was whatever salt you use, use half the amount again in cure.  Its sodium nitrate apparently.

Sound about right? :-\

[Mr Walleye]

OK, thx for the tips guys. I spoke with the butcher today and he gave me the following break down.
1 gallon water
1 cup salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cure

for dry application, he said 1 Tbsp per 25lbs of meat.  That sounds proportionally similar to the other mixes I have read using #1 etc.  He further said a rule of thumb was whatever salt you use, use half the amount again in cure.  Its sodium nitrate apparently.

Sound about right? :-\

Dilly

Are you sure he said "Sodium Nitrate" as opposed to "Sodium Nitrite? If that's correct and it is "Nitrate" it's cure #2. Here's some information from the Sausage Maker site.



Which cure do I use--#1 or #2?


Insta Cure #1 is used to cure all meats that require cooking, smoking, and canning, and is also used when making jerky.  Meats requiring Insta Cure #1 would include poultry, fish, hams, bacon, luncheon meats, corned beef, pates, etc.


Insta Cure #2 is specifically formulated for dry cured products.  These products don't require cooking, smoking, or refrigeration.  Insta Cure #2 can be compared to the time-release capsules used for the common cold—the sodium nitrate first breaks down into sodium nitrite and then into nitric oxide to cure the meat over extended periods of time.


            What is Insta Cure #1 made of?


Insta Cure #1 is made of a small amount of sodium nitrite on a salt carrier.  (1 oz. of sodium nitrite is mixed with 1 lb. of salt.)


            What is Insta Cure #2 made of?


Insta Cure #2 is made of a small amount of sodium nitrite along with sodium nitrate and salt.  (1 oz. of sodium nitrite is mixed with .64 ounces of sodium nitrate to each pound of salt.)

[dilly]

Not sure exactly but he did say during our conversation that he uses it wet (pickle) when he does hams and back bacon etc mixed like I described and uses it dry on bacon and stuff like that.  I told him what I was doing (wild turkey drum sticks) and he told me to mix it wet and soak them in the brine/cure.  He said I could cut down the sugar if I didnt care for the sweetness.

How long do you think they should soak? I was gonna try 24 hrs.  What happens if they sit too long?

[Habanero Smoker]

Going by the directions he gave you, those are the measurements you would use if it were Cure #1 or sodium nitrite (1/2 cup will equal about 4.5 - 5 ounces of cure), but people use salt peter in the same way. So you need to know if it is sodium nitrite, or sodium nitrate. They act differently, and require different times. Sodium nitrate does not provide any protections until it begins to break down into sodium nitrite. That is why Cure #2 has both sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate. The sodium nitrite starts to protect immediately, but will only provide protection for a week or two at room temperature. After that the sodium nitrate, continues to break down releasing more sodium nitrite throughout the curing process.

Looking at the brine, for turkey legs I would only brine around 6 hours. The sugar helps take the edge off the salt taste, and it is common to see brines with equal amounts of salt and sugar. In this case, if you include the cure, you will have about 1.5 cups of salt. When I make a pickle (brine) I generally will reduce the amount of salt by the amount of cure (or keep the combined two at about 1 cup per gallon), but that is my preferrence. I am curing for flavor not to preserve anything over an extended period of time.

[dilly]

Great info guys.  I learn a lot on this site.  Thanks very much.
I am going to give them a whirl this weekend and will try to post pics and results.  Wild turkey legs are flavourful but VERY tough so I will be cooking low and slow and forsee using some tinfoil at some point as well.