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Recipes · Informational

Curing and Curing Salts

Informational

Directions

  1. Using Nitrites
  2. Nitrites inhibit the growth of anaerobic bacteria, which logically inhibits toxin production. Nitrates turn into nitrites over time which makes them a time-release form of the inhibiting compound. Both are toxic to humans in high doses. Home cooks, therefore, are allowed to purchase sodium nitrite which has already been cut with salt, reducing the chance of accidental overdose.
  3. Nitrite is eventually used up in the meat during the curing process and converts to nitric oxide, which is not harmful and is safe for human consumption. The amount of nitrite in cured meats is not harmful at several times normal levels of consumption.
  4. Pink Salt
  5. Pink salt is a common name for a mixture of sodium chloride, or table salt, and sodium nitrite. It is also called InstaCure, Prague powder, and Pokelsalz in German. It is used on meat to prevent the production of botulinum toxin in meat. Pink salt is toxic to humans but is not present in finished, cured meats in a high enough dose to cause illness or death.
  6. Pink salt is dyed pink in color so it cannot be confused with table salt. This dyed salt imparts characteristic color and flavor to cured meats. Do not use pink salt like regular table salt. Do not sprinkle it on your food.
  7. There are two forms of Pink Salt, Cure No. 1 and Cure No. 2
  8. Cure No. 1
  9. Cure No. 1 pink salt is used to cure all meats that require cooking, brining, smoking, or canning. This includes poultry, fish, ham, bacon, luncheon meats, corned beef, pates, and other products. It is 93.75 percent table salt and 6.25 percent sodium nitrite. It is used at a rate of 1 teaspoon per 5 pounds of ground meat.
  10. If you are using it for a brine, you use 1/2 cup InstaCure No. 1 per gallon of water, plus 1 3/4 cup table salt, 2 1/4 tablespoon sugar, and any spices you wish.
  11. Cure No. 2
  12. Cure No. 2 is formulated for dry cured products such as pepperoni, hard salami, prosciutti hams, dried sausages, and other products which do not require cooking, smoking, or refrigeration. One level teaspoon (a mix of 1 ounce sodium nitrite (6.25 percent), 0.64 ounces sodium nitrate (4 percent) to 1 pound of salt) is used per 5 pounds of meat.
  13. The cures are not interchangeable so follow the recipe you use closely and use a recipe from a reliable source.
  14. Methods of Curing Food with Salt
  15. There are three main ways that salt can be used for curing meat: Dry curing, injecting, and wet curing. However, wet curing is usually the safest to do at home.
  16. Method 1: Dry Curing
  17. This method is best for ham, bacon, and small pieces of meat. To dry cure, put the meat in a container and surround it with salt. The meat should be in a cold environment (like your fridge) while dry curing.
  18. If you can’t control the temperature and humidity, then dry curing is unsafe. Thus, it isn’t recommended that you try dry curing at home unless you are a professional and have access to microscopes/analytical tools that can be used to check the safety of the meat.
  19. Method 2: Injection Curing
  20. Injecting involves using a syringe to inject a salty brine into the meat. Unless you have access to professional tools, it is tough to distribute the brine evenly throughout the meat. Thus, it generally isn’t recommended for DIY curing.
  21. Method 3: Wet Curing (Submersion)
  22. This is the best method if you are trying to cure small amounts of meat at home. It involves soaking the meat in salty brine. Meat already contains a lot of moisture, but the salt in the brine draws it out to create an equilibrium.
  23. With wet curing, controlling the amount of salt you use is straightforward. The brine will get through all the meat without making “pockets,” as can happen with injecting.
  24. Wet curing should be done in a refrigerator. Meat must stay submerged under the water during the entire process. If exposed to the air, bacteria will quickly start to grow. Small cuts of meat can be wet-cured in just a few days. Large cuts of meat can take weeks to wet cure. The meat must be cooked before consumption.

How Much Salt to Use in a Brine?

  1. The USDA recommends using one ounce of curing salt per quart of water. However, you can make a stronger brine if you like salty meat.
  2. Amount of Salt Per Quart of Water
  3. Brine Strength 5.7% (weak) 2.0 oz. (1⁄4 cup Kosher Salt)
  4. Brine Strength 7.5% (weak) 2.7 oz. (1⁄3 cup + 1 tsp. Kosher Salt)
  5. Brine Strength 15.3% (strong) 6.0 oz. (3⁄4 cup + 1½ tsp. Kosher Salt)
  6. How Do You Know When Meat Is Finished Curing?
  7. Curing is part art and part science. There is no exact amount of time for the meat to cure. It depends on your personal tastes, the type of meat, the size/cut of the meat, and the strength of the cure.
  8. However, here are some general guidelines to follow so you know how long curing will take.

Dry Curing Time

  1. You will know that the meat is cured if it reduces in weight by 35-40%. Large cuts of meat could take weeks or even months to finish!
  2. ---The only way to know if the dry cure is done is to weigh the meat. Use this formula
  3. Beginning meat weight X 0.65 = target weight when curing is finished

Wet Curing/Brining Time

  1. The brine takes approximately 24 hours to soak into ½ inch of meat. However, the type of meat, texture, and brine strength can all affect how long you need to cure the meat in a brine.
  2. *Avoid stacking meat in brine. If you stack two pieces of ½ inch meat, you now have a 1-inch slab of meat. It will take longer for the brine to get into the meat.
  3. Here are some general guidelines:
  4. Weak Brine: 3-4 days per pound

Stronger Brine: 2 days per pound

  1. If the meat hasn’t been cured long enough, the color will not be uniform throughout. You don’t have to worry about curing meat too long (assuming you’ve kept the temperature at a safe level). If the meat is cured too long and is too salty, you can always soak it in plain water to remove some of the saltiness.
  2. Remember that cured meat should be treated as though it is raw meat. To preserve meat with salt, you need to completely displace all the water in the meat, so curing will take much longer! Always play it safe and cook or smoke your meat after curing.

And, finally…

  1. When in doubt, throw it out. It’s better to play it safe than sorry!

Notes

Prof. Blonder has rounded some numbers to make the measurements easier to work with and because the volume of Prague Powder #1 can vary from brand to brand depending how the salt was ground. Prof. Blonder has also documented that measuring spoons can vary as much as 20% for dry measures (more for wet measures because the lips impact the meniscus). Humidity and how tightly you pack the measuring spoon are also factors.

That is why it is best if you use weights rather than volumes. But if you aim for 125 ppm and end up 2x higher or lower, it will still be safe to consume after cooking. Let us know how the calculator’s time estimate works for you (make sure to let us know all the conditions).