Cure #1, Morton Tender Quick, etc.

[smoker pete]

Need to go online and buy some supplies for curing and sausage making since I am unable to find a local source for many of the things I need like Morton Tender Quick, Cure #1, etc.  Want to do some Canadian Bacon and want to get into making a lot of sausage after drooling over the great successes posted on this Forum.

Quick question:  I see that many members use Cure #1 but I have seen where sometimes InstaCure #1 and/or Prague Powder #1 can be used.  Which one should I get that will give the more bang for my buck.  By that I mean more universally used.  Can I just buy Cure #1 for example?

I am accumulating spices, seasonings, rubs, etc as my meat smoking trek continues.  Do many people use and buy different sausage kits or do you mix all your own ingredients using recipes from the Master, Rytek Kutas, or others like Len Poli?

Other than the normal spices, seasonings that I can get at local grocery stores what are some of the things I need to have?  Things like Morton Tender Quick, Cure #1, ECA?, etc.  Shipping is always a big factor these days and I want to maximize my order.  Thanks for the help.

[Habanero Smoker]

Cure #1 is less expensive to use  than Morton's TQ, but for curing whole muscle meat you need to prepare your own mix by adding it to more salt and sugar. Morton TQ is convenient, because you can apply it right out of the box, and when substituting it in a sausage recipe, you don't add salt.

Cure #1 is a generic name for a cure blend that has 93.75% salt, 6.25% sodium nitrite. I is sold under many commercial names. The most common is InstaCure#1, Prague Powder #1 is another but I believe Prague Powder is now actually InstaCure. Some other commercial names include (their are more brand names on the market):
Pink Salt;
Tinted Cure Mix (TCM);
Tinted Curing Powder (TCP);
Prague powder #1;
InstaCure #1;
Modern cure;
D.Q. powder;
FLP;
L.E.M. cure;
Sure Cure;
Fast Cure;
Speed Cure

See Curing Salts

The following link has a list of common sausage ingredients, what they are used for, and the common measurement. I made this a private link, because the links within the document do not work properly. You will need to scroll up or down to review the list.

Sausage Ingredients

[smoker pete]

Thanks for the info HabS.

[dAWGS]

thank you

[Habanero Smoker]

Both of you are welcome.

When I get a chance I will redo the sausage ingredient list, and set it up like the FAQ section.