Cure vs marinade

[12AMNSX]

I made my first batch of jerky using a prepared cure/spice from Hi Country and the results were good.  However, I noticed that one of the main ingredients is MSG and after reading more posts I am not too thrilled with the sodium nitrite stuff.  I'd rather not use either.  After looking up jerky recipes through Google, I found a lot of them don't call for either.  My thoughts are to use a marinade without the chemicals, smoke at a higher temp at first to bring the meat up to 160, then lower temp for the remainder of the time and keep the finished jerky in the fridge.  Any thoughts???

[NePaSmoKer]

Insta Cure #1 or pink salt, "preserves color,keeps rancid flavors away and most importantly, prevents many bacteria, particularly those which cause botulism poisoning, from growing."


I make allot of jerky. Why would you take the temp to 160* then lower it? You might be looking at some jerky that has some bad results like posted above. 

nepas

[smokeitall]

I use instacure #1 or pink salt in all of my jerky recipes.  I like keeping the temperature a little lower and drying it out versus cooking it.  I may change the way I do it once the change jar gets enough in it for an 80L.

Nepas do use instacure in your jerky when using the dehydrator?

[NePaSmoKer]

I use instacure #1 or pink salt in all of my jerky recipes.  I like keeping the temperature a little lower and drying it out versus cooking it.  I may change the way I do it once the change jar gets enough in it for an 80L.

Nepas do use instacure in your jerky when using the dehydrator?

Only if i start at a low temp like 130-140

nepas

[Habanero Smoker]

I just want to clarify that MSG is not a cure. It is a flavor enhancer that works well in boosting flavor, but increases the sodium levels, though some people have allergies to MSG which cause migraine like headaches.

[12AMNSX]

Insta Cure #1 or pink salt, "preserves color,keeps rancid flavors away and most importantly, prevents many bacteria, particularly those which cause botulism poisoning, from growing."

There seems to be some concern about sodium nitrite and diseases including cancer.  Why take the risk when I can find a safe alternative?  I know there will be arguments in both directions with many claiming sodium nitrite as safe.  But with the explosive number of cancer cases in this country, I'd rather avoid it.  I also avoid MSG whenever possible.

Consuming processed meats increases the risk of pancreatic cancer, says new research conducted at the University of Hawaii that followed nearly 200,000 men and women for seven years. According to lead study author Ute Nothlings, people who consumed the most processed meats (hot dogs and sausage) showed a 67% increased risk of pancreatic cancer over those who consumed little or no meat products.

But researchers failed to accurately identify the culprit responsible for this increased risk of pancreatic cancer, says one author. The true cause of the heightened cancer risk is the widespread use of a carcinogenic precursor ingredient known as sodium nitrite by food processing companies, says nutritionist Mike Adams, author of the just-published Grocery Warning manual at: http://www.truthpublishing.com/GroceryWarning.html

Nearly all processed meats are made with sodium nitrite: breakfast sausage, hot dogs, jerkies, bacon, lunch meat, and even meats in canned soup products. Yet this ingredient is a precursor to highly carcinogenic nitrosamines -- potent cancer-causing chemicals that accelerate the formation and growth of cancer cells throughout the body. When consumers eat sodium nitrite in popular meat products, nitrosamines are formed in the body where they promote the growth of various cancers, including colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer, says Adams.

"Sodium nitrite is a dangerous, cancer-causing ingredient that has no place in the human food supply," he explains. The USDA actually tried to ban sodium nitrite in the 1970's, but was preempted by the meat processing industry, which relies on the ingredient as a color fixer to make foods look more visually appealing. "The meat industry uses sodium nitrite to sell more meat products at the expense of public health," says Adams. "And this new research clearly demonstrates the link between the consumption of processed meats and cancer."

Pancreatic cancer isn't the only negative side effect of consuming processed meats such as hot dogs. Leukemia also skyrockets by 700% following the consumption of hot dogs. (Preston-Martin, S. et al. "N-nitroso compounds and childhood brain tumors: A case-control study." Cancer Res. 1982; 42:5240-5.) Other links between processed meats and disease are covered in detail in the Grocery Warning manual.

Adams wrote Grocery Warning to warn consumers about the toxic, disease-causing ingredients found in everyday foods and groceries. "There are certain ingredients found in common grocery products that directly promote cancer, diabetes, heart disease, depression, Alzheimer's disease, osteoporosis and even behavioral disorders," Adams explains. His Grocery Warning manual covers them all, teaching readers how to prevent and even help reverse chronic diseases by avoiding the foods and food ingredients that cause disease.

According to Adams, consumers can help reduce the cancer-causing effects of sodium nitrite by consuming protective antioxidants before meals, such as vitamin C and vitamin E. But no vitamin offers 100% protection. The only safe strategy is to avoid sodium nitrite completely.

Adams especially warns expectant mothers to avoid consuming sodium nitrite due to the greatly heightened risk of brain tumors in infants. Parents are also warned to avoid feeding their children products that contain sodium nitrite, including all popular hot dogs, bacon, jerkies, breakfast sausages and pizzas made with pepperoni or other processed meats. "Sodium nitrite is especially dangerous to fetuses, infants and children," says Adams.

Sadly, nearly all school lunch programs currently serve schoolchildren meat products containing sodium nitrite. Hospital cafeterias also serve this cancer-causing ingredient to patients. Sodium nitrite is found in literally thousands of different menu items at fast food restaurants and dining establishments. "The use of this ingredient is widespread," says Adams, and it's part of the reason we're seeing skyrocketing rates of cancer in every society that consumes large quantities of processed meats."

Some companies are now offering nitrite-free and nitrate-free meat products, which are far healthier alternatives, but those products are difficult to find and are typically available only at health food stores or natural grocers. Consumers can look for "Nitrite-free" or "Nitrate-free" labels when shopping for meat products. They can also purchase fresh meats, which are almost never prepared with sodium nitrite.

The new research on processed meats points to a chemical toxin as the cause of the increased cancer risk. A heightened cancer risk of 67% is "gigantic," warns Adams. "This is clearly not due to macronutrient differences. This is the kind of risk increase you only see with ingredient toxicity. Something in these processed meats is poisoning people, and the evidence points straight to sodium nitrite."

I make allot of jerky. Why would you take the temp to 160* then lower it?

The idea is to heat the meat to a temperature that will kill any of the bad stuff and store it in a way that prevents any bad stuff from returning.

[12AMNSX]

OK, so my idea isn't working out too well.   >:(

When the temp is high enough to heat the thickest piece of meat, it does a great job of burning the smaller pieces.

So, as much as I hate to do it, I think I'll have to go back to the sodium nitrite process.  Bummer.

[Habanero Smoker]

If you are making your jerky from solid muscle (not ground meat), you don't need to add sodium nitrite. Salt is a cure, it is just slower acting and not as efficient as sodium nitrite, but it does work well for this type of jerky. As you have discovered most jerky recipes for solid muscle do not call for sodium nitrite, but use salt.

If you are making jerky from ground meat, then you need the sodium nitrite.

[bflosmoke]

Pardon my ignorance but is insta cure #1 /pink salt a sodium nitrate product or salt based
bflo

[NePaSmoKer]

Pardon my ignorance but is insta cure #1 /pink salt a sodium nitrate product or salt based
bflo

Cure #1 consists of salt and sodium nitrite.

Instacure 1 is a mixture of 1oz of  Sodium Nitrite (6.25 %) to 1 lb of salt


nepas