whats the min amount of cure needed?

[tinger82]

I'm gonna start experimenting with ground deer and whole meat deer what's the min amount of cure per pound needed for each. Thanks guys love this site lots of great info

[pensrock]

For ground meat I use 1 teaspoon Instacure #1 for five pounds.

[Habanero Smoker]

For ground meat if you are making 1 - 4 pounds use 1/4 teaspoon per pound.

For solid muscle you may want to make a Basic Dry Cure, and use that at 1 tablespoon per pound. Once you measure out the amount of cure needed you can add additional ingredients.

[BigJohnT]

If your like me and when you get done trimming the meat you don't have exactly 5 lbs then take a look at my jerky recipe with a built in calculator for ingredients. It's at JT's Place the link in my sig.

JT

[NePaSmoKer]

If doing 1lb of either whole strip or ground use 1/4 level tsp and then take the tip of a knife and remove just a tad of the cure. I been doing this for 33 years and i'm still here  ;D  :D 


nepas

[KevinG]

It depends on whether you are using it as a brine or dry curing. I don't have my book with me, but think that you need 5 teaspoons for 1 gallon of water for a wet cure, otherwise the I think it's 1 teaspoon for 5 pounds dry.

[KevinG]

Ok, got the book (for those of you who are into by the book) it reads as follows:

20 teaspoons or 6 tablespoons for each gallon of water in a brine solution.
4 teaspoons for each 5 pounds of meat (whole) for dry cure.
1 teaspoon for each 5 pounds of meat comminuted for dry cure.

[Tenpoint5]

What "BOOK" you looking in Kevin?

[KevinG]

Meat Smoking and Smokehouse Design by Stanley, Adam and Robert Marianski. Not sure if it's the best to use, but it's the only one I've got that lists any amounts.

[Habanero Smoker]

Ok, got the book (for those of you who are into by the book) it reads as follows:

20 teaspoons or 6 tablespoons for each gallon of water in a brine solution.
4 teaspoons for each 5 pounds of meat (whole) for dry cure.
1 teaspoon for each 5 pounds of meat comminuted for dry cure.

Stanley, Adam and Robert Marianski books generally quote USDA guidlines, so they are probably accurrate. The main issue I have with their books is that they are not indexed.

The six tablespoons per gallon or 3 ounces is what I use for a brine for whole muscle like hams etc, but I'm not sure you want to use that amount in your jerky mix.

For solid mucle, that looks about right, but I generally make a Basic Dry Mix and apply that.

For meat comminuted for dry cure (or in other words ground meat/sausage), is correct. That is whan Pens stated earlier.

[KevinG]

I only included all because I wasn't sure if he was going to use a brine to soak his jerky in before drying. I've got a couple of recipes that do that, and there are a couple that use ground, so I included the comminuted, and finally if he wants to cure the whole side, and then make the jerky I included the whole dry cure.

[Habanero Smoker]

I only included all because I wasn't sure if he was going to use a brine to soak his jerky in before drying. I've got a couple of recipes that do that, and there are a couple that use ground, so I included the comminuted, and finally if he wants to cure the whole side, and then make the jerky I included the whole dry cure.

I believe you took my post wrong. I wasn't questioning why you posted the information.

Meat Smoking and Smokehouse Design by Stanley, Adam and Robert Marianski. Not sure if it's the best to use, but it's the only one I've got that lists any amounts.

I was responding to the above post, which lead me to believe you weren't sure if the information was correct, and to clarify what comminuted meat is to those who don't know.

[KevinG]

Ok, no problem. Just that I don't want to come off as an expert, you all definately have been doing this a heck of a lot longer than me.

[BigJohnT]

So far I'm an expert on what not to do with Kielbasa  ;D

JT