Dry Cure question

[bundy]

Making my first Canadian Bacon and made the " Basic Dry Cure " by Hab. I used pure cane brown sugar instead of granulated sugar.......is that OK ?  And it seems like 1 Tbs of this cure per pound of meat is not much..not like a heavy butt rub? I had 2-3# pcs so rubbed 3Tbs of cure in each..sound right ??

Thanks

[KyNola]

The sugar is fine to use and yes, 1 tbsp. per pound is the correct amount.  Don't use more of it.  It is an entirely different thing than a butt rub.  Cure #1 is nothing to mess around with.  Using an excessive amount of Cure #1 can cause some significant health risks including death.

[beefmann]

Ky has you  set in the right  direction do not use more then the 1 tbsp per lb of meat,,, if it  is between 2 to 3 lb,,, then use 2 tbsp.. if you  have an  exact weight  then  you can be a  bit  closer to the 1 tbsp per lb,,, i  generally use 3/4 tbsp per lb.

i use the following  dry  cure

3/4 tbsp mortons tender quick per lb
1 tbsp brown sugar ( or can sugar ) per lb
1 tsp garlic powder per lb
1 tsp onion powder per lb
1 tsp ground mustard per lb

then let stand in the fridge 7 days, rinse, and smoke or  cook

[KyNola]

Beefmann brings up another good curing agent and a good point.  Morton's Tender Quick is a different curing agent than Cure #1.  It contains Cure #1 but also contains other ingredients and measures differently on a per pound basis.

[bundy]

OK, Thanks. I used for the cure mix, 8oz pickling salt, 4oz brown sugar and 1.4 oz of #1 pink cure.

Mixed well and applied 1 Tbs per # of meat. In the frig now for a week.

Thought about using Tender Quick but sounded like the members thought to much salt.

Thought 1.2oz of pink was a lot since only use 1tsp per 5# in sausage but guess I have a lot of cure left over.

[KyNola]

The cure mix that you have left will stay good almost indefinitely if kept in an airtight container.  You can use it to cure anything.  Use I tbsp. per pound of meat and you will be good to go!

[beefmann]

OK, Thanks. I used for the cure mix, 8oz pickling salt, 4oz brown sugar and 1.4 oz of #1 pink cure.

Mixed well and applied 1 Tbs per # of meat. In the frig now for a week.

Thought about using Tender Quick but sounded like the members thought to much salt.

Thought 1.2oz of pink was a lot since only use 1tsp per 5# in sausage but guess I have a lot of cure left over.

if you are  using insta cure # 1 it is 1 tsp per 5 lbs in a dry cure,,, in a  wet cure you  can  use up to 4.2 ounce and still be safe..

as for using  tender quick in a recipe most  recipes also add in salt  making the meat salter... where as i  dont and my  cured  cuts of  meat come out quite  good...

also as long as your 1.2 oz is at a  ratio of 1 tsp per 5 lbs you  will be safe

[Habanero Smoker]

Following the Basic Dry Formula I have posted on the recipe site, will be almost an exact 1:1 substitute for Morton Tender Quick, and should be used at 1 tablespoon per pound; the same as Tender Quick. Changing the type of ingredients will change the volume measurement. In this case using the brown sugar may change the volume measurement. Also over time it can make the cure mixture hard, and/or lumpy, difficult to use and hard to determine if it is still any good.

It would be better to follow the Basic Dry Cure recipe as posted, then if you want some brown sugar flavor apply molasses when you plan to use the rub.  Or use the suggestion in the recipe to grind raw sugar to about the consistency or white sugar and use that instead for the extra molasses flavor.

For whole muscle meat, you can use as much as four times the amount of sodium nitrite than you can with sausage, so in this case a little more or little less is not going to matter, other then not getting consistent results. For foods you plan to fry you want to keep the ppm down around 156 or below. Adding more cure will bring you above those levels. Occasionally to apply a small amount of sodium nitrite above recommended level will be alright, but you shouldn't make a habit of it. The Basic Dry Cure, as written may not seem to be enough to cure whole muscle meat, but it is plenty. More is not necessarily better.

Did you use 1.4oz. or 1.2oz or cure #1. The correct amount for your ingredients is 1.2oz. When using the Basic Dry Cure or Tender Quick you shouldn't add any additional salt, and the amount of salt in the Basic Dry Cure is only slightly less than what is contained in Tender Quick.

[bundy]

Sorry Hab, I made half of your recipe or 1.2oz. of cure #1

[Habanero Smoker]

No apology is necessary. I just wanted to clarify which amount you used, or if the 1.4 was just a typo.

I forgot to answer you question as to why you need to use more of the Basic Dry Cure for pound then you would Cure #1. As KyNola mentioned, both the Basic Dry Cure and Morton's Tender Quick have  additional salt and sugar added to their curing agents. To give you a better perspective the curing agents in those two cure mixes comes to 1% (or very close to that amount). In cure #1 the curing agent is at 6.25%, since cure #1 is more concentrated it is used at a smaller amounts.