HELP

[HuntinFool]

I usually use a different type of cure.  Neighbour wants me to do 20 lbs worth of roasts (see my Elk!! post).  I ran out of cure and all I have is TQ. 

The meat goes into a brine, so it's diluted with water and other ingredients....so, my question is, how much TQ should I add to about 1 gallon of water?  I then pump the roasts with a syringe...
Is it bad if I use too much? Besides being bad for you, what happens to meat that is overcured??

He said he tried my recipe once and used TQ and his meat turned out to be mushy/pasty in the middle....What could that be attributed too?

Thanks All!

[Tiny Tim]

I'm just guessing on your last question...if it was mushy/pasty in the middle, it wasn't fully cured.

[Habanero Smoker]

I agree with TT. Did your friend mention what color the meat was in the area it was mushy. If it turned brown to grayish brown when cooked it was not cured long enough, or he had a large cut that should have been pumped (injected) with the brining solution. The amount of brine injected should be 10% of the weight of the meat, and the injector needle should be long enough to reach the center. If the center color was lighter red then the outer areas that is also a sign it did not cure long enough, or not enough nitrites were present to fully cure.

For Morton Tender Quick or Sugar Cure (plain); you use 1 cup of cure, per quart of water. So for a gallon you will need 4 cups of cure. If you mix the brine according to these directions you don't have to worry about too much nitrites. When Morton or any cure is diluted properly, if you over cure by a day or two, there is nothing to worry about. Beyond that it may be overly salty. Do NOT use Morton Smoke Flavored Sugar Cure, it is not interchangeable with the other Morton cures. It is for dry curing, and should never be used as a wet brine (pickle).

First let me say that using cures at home as directed is safe. Using too much cure is not safe. Nitrites can be toxic if not used as directed. therefore cures should always be used as directed. If you use too much cure, which is adding too much nitrites to the meat, the worse - there may be too much residual nitrites left in the meat, which could be at toxic levels; depending on how much over the recommended amount was used. Lesser problems with using too much, is that the end product will be salty. Also too much cure can cause nitrite burn, which is oxidation that can color the meat greenish in all or some areas, or sometimes the color can be white.

[classicrockgriller]

Thanks for the info Habs.

That is good to know.