British BBQ Society Forums

I have been waiting for a suitable time to brine a 3lb - 4lb piece of brisket for Corned Beef or Pastrami, with a recipe that is on the Internet that said 28g of pink salt to a gallon of water. That converts to 6 T spoons.

Another recipe for Corned Beef says 2 T spoons. That is a big difference!!

Is 6 T spoons of pink salt unsafe at that level? Why would it be suggested that 3 times more/less is the correct amount?

I have since seen a site that says the max US permitted level is 5 level T spoons per Quart. That is 20 T spoons per gallon!!???

I am even more confused now. Does anyone use Prague Powder #1 and what dilutions do you use to get the job done and are still are safe to use?

Many thanks.

Follow a tried and true recipe. 'pink salt' isn't necessarily the same as prague powder (except that they are often both pink), In theory prague powder #1 SHOULD be standardized 6.25% nitrite but it may not always be.

I would suggest asking at forum.sausagemaking.org if you have questions and follow a tried and true tested safe recipe - the ones at http://lpoli.50webs.com/ are excellent - that guy knows his stuff.

If you do use a prague #1 - just make sure from the manufacturer that it is 6.25% nitrite (not nitrate) - then you should be able to follow Len's recipes safely. Read his articles on the site too - very informative.

Excessive nitrates/nitrites may well be toxic - in the long term.

Buy some salt beef cure from weschenfelder.co.uk

Much easier/safer and gives you all the instructions you need.

slemps wrote:Buy some salt beef cure from weschenfelder.co.uk

Much easier/safer and gives you all the instructions you need.

All of the cures that I have tried from Weschenfelder are way too salty for my taste when used as they suggest.

aris wrote:Follow a tried and true recipe. 'pink salt' isn't necessarily the same as prague powder (except that they are often both pink), In theory prague powder #1 SHOULD be standardized 6.25% nitrite but it may not always be.

I would suggest asking at forum.sausagemaking.org if you have questions and follow a tried and true tested safe recipe - the ones at http://lpoli.50webs.com/ are excellent - that guy knows his stuff.

If you do use a prague #1 - just make sure from the manufacturer that it is 6.25% nitrite (not nitrate) - then you should be able to follow Len's recipes safely. Read his articles on the site too - very informative.

Excessive nitrates/nitrites may well be toxic - in the long term.

Be very careful where you purchase your curing salts from. You should make sure that your supplier can provide you with lab test certificates for the batch that you are buying. Weschenfelder can do this with the cures that they sell but many cannot. I recently purchased some Cure#1 online (not from Weschenfelder) and when I had it lab tested I found that it actually contained no Nitrite - only Nitrate. Whoever made it was either careless or was buying suspect ingredients themselves.

Yes Aris is correct to get you to check the components of the Prague Powder that you buy. Most will be 6.25% nitrite - but not all. Do not use anything that does not specifically tell you the strength of the ingredients.

Hi

I had problems too but used the "Cure calculator" on the Local food hero's web site and it turned out perfect

Would agree with Kiska, use the calculator.

By weight of the meat -
0.25% cure #1
3% salt
1% sugar

Works every time! Use it as a dry cure - rub into the meat and place in a ziplock bag, cake tub or something similar. Cure for 7 days, flipping the meat every day. No need to soak before smoking. Add extra spices if you like.

wade wrote:All of the cures that I have tried from Weschenfelder are way too salty for my taste when used as they suggest.

I've only used their bacon dry cure and the salt beef brine but I didn't have any issues with those.

However, curing is not something you can write instructions for perfectly. While it is easy enough to state that you need x% of your total meat weight, the time you leave it cure is going to change depending on the shape, thickness and fat content of your meat.

I would not be at all surprised to hear that companies err on the side of caution to ensure safety.

IMO the instructions are where you start and then you alter from there if required.

Regarding being careful where you buy cure from, agree completely. It is not worth the risk to your health to save a few £££. A Nitrate/Nitrite mess up could mean the difference between a good cured sausage and a week in hospital (or worse!).

S.

With that formula above you run no risk of over-salting so feel free to err on the side of caution and leave it for longer if it's a thick piece of meat. The 0.25% cure #1 does comply with recommended usage of cure #1 as it is sold in the UK (i.e. a blend of 93.75% salt and 6.25% sodium nitrite)