Chicken/Turkey Nitrates?

Foam Steak · August 01, 2005, 02:14:12 PM

Any of you guys ever cure/brine a chicken or turkey using cure #1 or Prague #1? I heard it makes the meat pink, I am wondering about the flavor. What do you think?

Habanero Smoker · August 01, 2005, 03:18:47 PM

Some one on this forum does, but for me I want chicken to taste like chicken. I have had chicken cured with nitrite, and it tasted more like ham to me. The white meat was darker, but I would not have called it red. I did not cure it, so different cures and curing times may give different results.

MallardWacker · August 01, 2005, 03:44:42 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Habanero Smoker
 ..... I have had chicken cured with nitrite, and it tasted more like ham to me......
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">DITTO

SmokeOn,

mski
Perryville, Arkansas
Wooo-Pig-Soooie

If a man says he knows anything at all, he knows nothing what he aught to know. But...

Foam Steak · August 03, 2005, 10:55:55 PM

Thanks for the advice. Think I will try it on 1 bird and see how I like it.

Phone Guy · August 10, 2005, 11:25:52 PM

Mortons TQ has Salt, Sugar, Sodium nitrite and nitrate. I haven't used it on fowl only for makin' bacon.

jaeger · August 11, 2005, 07:45:29 AM

Foam Steak,
When curing poultry with a cure including nitrite, it will have a flavor much like a ham. The reason is simply that you are basically using the same mixture that you will use when curing a ham.
The thighs and drums (dark meat) will turn more of a pink color then the breast and wings. The dark meat will have more of a "pink" color than a roasted drum/thigh.
One thing to keep in mind, if you cure poultry with this same type of cure, go a little easier on the amount of mixture (or go heavy on the water to the mix) as poultry (especially chicken) will take on the salt flavor more than pork or beef.
Also, smoked/cured turkey thighs, boned out, make a wonderful bean soup or anything that you would add diced ham to![:p]

Doug

whitetailfan · August 11, 2005, 04:28:57 PM

Hey Foam,
Interestingly enough, I have seen a pattern, that my taste buds closely resemble those of the duckman, hab, and jaeger. In this instance though, I strongly disagree.

Pretty much my favorite chicken in the BS, is brined with Hi-Mtn game bird and poultry brine. I contains a small amount of sodium nitrate, and does in fact alter the colour of the meat. What it does not do is make it taste like ham.

I love the stuff and it has its own very unique flavour. Perhaps it is in the concentration, or brine time, but the flavour is not overpowering and tastes totally different from cured pork.

The short if it is, I totally agree with you at least trying it once and getting your own opinion. Given the low and slow of barbecue, it gives me personal comfort in knowing the the bird was at least somewhat cured.

whitetailfan
"Nice Rack"
Lethbridge, AB

Phone Guy · August 11, 2005, 05:17:10 PM

Info I found....

Salt, sugar, sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate. Salt and sugar both cure meat by osmosis. In addition to drawing the water from the food, they dehydrate and kill the bacteria that make food spoil. In general, though, use of the word "cure" refers to processing the meat with either sodium nitrite or sodium nitrate.

Sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate are the basis for two commercially used products: Prague powders #1 and #2. Prague powder #1 is a mixture of 1 part sodium nitrite and 16 parts salt. The chemicals are combined and crystallized to assure even distribution. Even though diluted, only 4 ounces of Prague powder #1 is required to cure 100 lbs of meat. A more typical measurement for home use is 1 tsp per 5 lbs of meat. Prague powder #2 is a mixture of 1 part sodium nitrite, .64 parts sodium nitrate and 16 parts salt. It is primarily used in dry-curing.

One other commonly available curing product is Morton's Tender Quick. It is a mixture of salt, sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate and sugar.

on this site http://www.bbqguide.com/meat_smoking_and_curing_faq.htm

Habanero Smoker · August 11, 2005, 05:45:14 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by whitetailfan
 Hey Foam,
Interestingly enough, I have seen a pattern, that my taste buds closely resemble those of the duckman, hab, and jaeger. In this instance though, I strongly disagree.

Pretty much my favorite chicken in the BS, is brined with Hi-Mtn game bird and poultry brine. I contains a small amount of sodium nitrate, and does in fact alter the colour of the meat. What it does not do is make it taste like ham.

I love the stuff and it has its own very unique flavour. Perhaps it is in the concentration, or brine time, but the flavour is not overpowering and tastes totally different from cured pork.

The short if it is, I totally agree with you at least trying it once and getting your own opinion. Given the low and slow of barbecue, it gives me personal comfort in knowing the the bird was at least somewhat cured.

whitetailfan
"Nice Rack"
Lethbridge, AB
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
I may give this cure a try, but I seem to be sodium sensitive when it comes to poultry. Even if it is a cure of just salt; too much salt makes it tastes like ham to me. If it turns out that I don't like it, there are plenty of people waiting for me to give up some smoked food [8D]

Phone Guy;
John posted a good summary of curing/brining on the recipe site http://susan.rminor.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14 . That also gives a lot of good information.

Phone Guy · August 11, 2005, 06:59:22 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Phone Guy;
John posted a good summary of curing/brining on the recipe site http://susan.rminor.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14 . That also gives a lot of good information.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Thanks I missed that one. Thats great info.
Mike

Foam Steak · August 12, 2005, 02:53:51 PM

Thanks Guys. I was just going to use my bacon or ham cure. I will tone it down a little so its not too salty.

16 days till archery season!