oops

[don24]

so iwas making the cure that habanero smoker uses for Canadian bacon (my first time by the way)and i miss read the amounts. when it said to use 1 tbs spoon of curing salt i did that but continued to measure at 1tbs instead of 1tsp for other ingredients (garlic,brown sugar,onion)when i realized my mistake i adjusted my curing salt up to compensate for the 3x increase in other ingredients .now i have alot of extra mixture ,is this a good general cure can i use it for say regular porkbelly or other pork cuts. i think its fine to do but I'm a rookie and its only a stupid question if i don't ask,that's what i tell my self anyway .so stop laughing at me and answer please any suggestions of uses would be nice to.

[GusRobin]

There is no stupid question or stupid action that you can do that someone else probably didn't already ask or do. We don't take ourselves too seriously so yes you may get laughed WITH but not AT.
With all that said, I don't have a clue as to the answer but it is something I would like to know for the next time I screw up the measurement. I am sure one of the curing experts will be along soon.

[Up In Smoke]

Don,
were you mixing the cure? or are you actually curing a piece of meat?

[don24]

i mixed to use .i started a canadian bacon but have tons of mixture left.Im cofident that the ratios are correct now its just that i have so much left over.

[squirtthecat]

I'd say if the ratios are correct and you are 100% sure it was evenly mixed - it would be OK to use again..

[don24]

what other things is this good for.1tbs basic cure with 1tsp brown sugar,1tsp garlic powder,1tsp onion powder,per pound of meat is what i have mixed .got maybe 30 lbs of meat worth of mix left.i have 12 lbs of canadian bacon curing in it and want to make something other than more cb with it.

[squirtthecat]

I think you could cure a pork belly with it for bacon.   Would be a slightly different flavor of bacon w/ the onion & garlic, but I bet it would still be good.   ;D

[Habanero Smoker]

It can be used for any meat that you would use a dry cure for. It will be difficult to measure and apply, but I would guess you will need 2 tablespoon of your cure mix per pound. For cuts that are 2" thick or less you can use the "Salt Box Method"; which is a dredging method (which I personally don't like). The dredging method is rolling the meat around in the cure until it is well coated. You spread the cure out in a pan and press the meat into the cure, making sure all sides are well covered, and you work the cure into all crevasses. After the meat is well coated you then place it in container to cure.

One issue you should be aware of, sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate can be chemically altered when exposed to certain spices, seasoning, herbs and other ingredients. That is why when you purchase some commercial cure mixes, the cure is packaged separately. At this time I have not located a list of those ingredients that can alter nitrites and nitrates. To be on the safe side you should use up your cure mix within 3 to 4 days.