Calculations for Oddleys Wiltshire Immersion Brine

[Oddley]

A Modern cure taken from the One below

Theory only, do not use recipes.

WILTSHIRE
{Wet method}

Mix together:

5 Ibs. cooking salt. 2 Ibs. treacle.
4 ozs. saltpetre. 1/2 Ib. bay salt.
2 ozs. salt prunella. 1 oz. black pepper.
1/2 oz. juniper berries. 2 quarts beer.

BOIL all together, and cool slightly before putting over
hams; which should have been sprinkled first with cooking
salt and left for 12 hours to draw out blood, and wiped dry.
Turn hams daily for a month, rubbing pickle well in. Dry well
before storing. When cooking pickled hams, allow them to stay
in the water in which they are boiled for 2 hours after cooking.

To pickle 1 sides of bacon in 3 weeks, mix together:

5 Ibs. cooking salt. 4 ozs. saltpetre.
8 ozs. bay salt. 2 Ibs. brown sugar.
2 ozs. salt prunella.

1st day: Sprinkle with cooking salt to draw out blood.
2nd day: Wipe dry, rub well with pickle.
3rd day: Leave untouched.
4th day: Rub in pickle.
5th and 6th days: Leave untouched.
7th day: Rub in pickle.
For the next 2 weeks, rub in pickle every third day.

From Miss Susan Fisher, Wiltshire.
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Analysis of Old Recipe

First step to analyse the Ingredients in the above recipe we will assume the 1/2 pig weights 100 lbs I think the important parts are to find the percentages of Treacle and Black pepper as there only seems to be 4 pts of liquid ie. the beer and the meat will absorb 8 - 10% of it's own weight which is 10lbs I will assume all the pickle or brine is absorbed.

To change lbs to ozs 100lbs = 100 * 16 = 1600 ozs

Percentage of treacle in cure = Weight of treacle * 100 / Weight of Meat

Percentage of treacle in cure = 32 * 100 / 1600 = 2

Percentage of treacle in cure = 2 %

Percentage of salt in cure = Weight of salt * 100 / Weight of Meat

Percentage of salt in cure = 88 * 100 / 1600 = 5.5

Percentage of salt in cure = 5.5 %

Percentage of Black pepper in cure = Weight of Black Pepper * 100 / Weight of Meat

Percentage of Black pepper in cure = 1 * 100 / 1600 = 0.0625

Percentage of Black pepper in cure = 0.0625 %

Results

Treacle = 2%
Salt = 5.5%
Black Pepper = 0.0625%

Comment

I think the Overwhelming taste will be salt an treacle. Therefore due to the cost of beer I will not add any. The salt content I believe is too high for modern tastes so a level of 2% will be about right.
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Oddleys Wiltshire brine cure

Aims

To make an Imersion cure from the above cure with

8 pints of water
Prague powder #1 Ingoing 150 ppm or 150 mg/kg
Saltpetre Ingoing 100 ppm or 100 mg/kg
Treacle Ingoing 2%
Sea Salt Ingoing 2.%
Black Pepper Ingoing 0.0625%
Sodium Ascorbate Ingoing 550 ppm or 550mg/kg
Juniper berries 28 gm

Comment

As we know with the introduction of sodium ascorbate there will be a reduction in ingoing sodium nitrite to undetectable levels within 20 days this is where the potassium nitrate comes in it should produce some potassium nitrite in the latter stages of the cure to ensure the bacterial safety of the meat. In my opinion if the sodium ascorbate is left out the cure should still be safe to use it will have a slightly higher nitrite count but still within acceptable levels. It is only recommended to use this cure without sodium ascorbate if you are not going to fry the bacon produced.
****************************************************
Oddleys Wiltshire brine cure

Salt 3.4 lbs or 1542.2128 gm
Treacle 3.4 lbs or 1542.2128 gm
Nitrite 0.025 lbs 0r 11.577 gm
Potasium Nitrate 0.017lbs or 7.718 gm
Ascorbate 0.093lbs or 42.449 gm
1 Gallon water 10.0222663139 lbs or 4.546 kg
Black pepper 35 gm

Get cure #1 weight = ((Weight of Nitrite / 28.3495) * 17) * 28.3495

Get cure #1 weight = ((11.557 / 28.3495 ) * 17) * 28.3495 = 196.469

Weight of salt in cure #1 = 196.469 - 11.557 = 184.912 gm

Added Salt weight = 1542.2128 - 184.912 = 1357.3008 gm
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Oddleys Wiltshire Imersion brine Cure Adjusted Weights.

Water 8 pints 4546 gm
Salt 2.992 lb 1357 gm
Treacle 3.4 lbs or 1542 gm
Cure #1 0.432 lbs or 196 gm ( Nitrite % = 5.8824%)
Saltpetre 0.0176 lbs or 8 gm
Sodium Ascorbate 0.093lbs or 42 gm
Black Pepper 0.0728 0r 33 gm
Juniper berries 0.0625lbs or 28 gm

All calculated at 10% pump

Weight of Dry Ingredients = 3178 gm

Weight of water = 1 Gallon (UK) = 10.0222663139 lbs

Weight of Brine = ((weight of water per Gallon * number of Gallons / 2.2046) * 1000) + weight of Cure in grams
.:
Weight of Brine = ((10.0222663139 * 1 / 2.2046) * 1000) + 3178 = 7724.070

Weight of Brine = 7724.070 gm

Nitrite mg/kg or ppm = Weight of cure* % Nitrite in mix * % Pump * 1000000 / 100 *100 * Weight of Brine
.:
Nitrite mg/kg or ppm = 196 * 5.8824 * 10 * 1000000 /100 *100 * 7724.070 = 149.267

Nitrite mg/kg or ppm = 149.267

Saltpetre mg/kg or ppm = Weight of cure* % Pump * 1000000 / 100 * Weight of Brine
.:
Saltpetre mg/kg or ppm = 8 * 10 * 1000000 / 100 * 7724.070 = 103.572

Saltpetre mg/kg or ppm = 103.572

Sodium Ascorbate mg/kg or ppm = Weight of ingredient * % Pump * 1000000 / 100 * Weight of Brine
.:
Sodium Ascorbate mg/kg or ppm = 42 * 10 * 1000000 /100 * 7724.070 = 543.755

Sodium Ascorbate mg/kg or ppm = 543.755

Salt mg/kg or ppm = Weight of ingredient * % Pump * 1000000 / 100 * Weight of Brine
.:
Salt mg/kg or ppm = 1542 * 10 * 1000000 /100 * 7724.070 = 19963.568

Salt mg/kg or ppm = 19963.568

% Salt = Weight of Salt * 100 / 1000000 mg

% Salt = 19963.568 * 100 / 1000000 = 1.996

% Salt = 1.996

Treacle mg/kg or ppm = Weight of ingredient * % Pump * 1000000 / 100 * Weight of Brine
.:
Treacle mg/kg or ppm = 1542 * 10 * 1000000 /100 * 7724.070 = 19963.568

Treacle mg/kg or ppm = 19963.568

% Treacle = Weight of Salt * 100 / 1000000 mg

% Treacle = 19963.568 * 100 / 1000000 = 1.996

% Treacle = 1.996

Black Pepper mg/kg or ppm = Weight of ingredient * % Pump * 1000000 / 100 * Weight of Brine
.:
Black Pepper mg/kg or ppm = 33 * 10 * 1000000 /100 * 7724.070 = 427.236

Black Pepper mg/kg or ppm = 427.236

% Black pepper = Weight of Black pepper * 100 / 1000000 mg

% Black pepper = 427.236 * 100 / 1000000 = 0.0427

% Black pepper = 0.0427%

Exhaust weight of brine = (weight of Brine / (weight of Brine * % Pump / 100)) * weight of Brine
.:
Exhaust weight of brine = (7724.070 / (7724.070 * 10 / 100)) * 7724.070 = 77240.7 gm or 170.283304 lbs

Exhaust weight of brine = 77240.7 gm or 170.283304 lbs

Results

Nitrite mg/kg or ppm = 149.267
Saltpetre mg/kg or ppm = 103.572
Sodium Ascorbate mg/kg or ppm = 543.755
% Salt = 1.996
% Treacle = 1.996
% Black pepper = 0.0427%
Exhaust weight of brine = 77240.7 gm or 170.283 lbs

[Robert May]

AS you had done detailed calculations I was having a look through these to see if I could follow them and noticed
Oddley wrote

Weight of Brine = ((10.0222663139 * 1 / 2.2046) * 1000) + 277 = 7724.070

Weight of Brine = 7724.070 gm

I couldn't get this answer, what am I doing wrong?


best wishes
RM

[Oddley]

Thanks for pointing out that little error. it's nice to know somebody has actually checked through them. I did my best to make sure there were no errors but fortunately this one had no effect on the result. I have now put the mistake right. Please have another look through to see if you can see anything else. If you don't understand anything I would be happy to explain.

Weight of Dry Ingredients = 3178 gm

Weight of water = 1 Gallon (UK) = 10.0222663139 lbs

Weight of Brine = ((weight of water per Gallon * number of Gallons / 2.2046) * 1000) + weight of Cure in grams
.:
Weight of Brine = ((10.0222663139 * 1 / 2.2046) * 1000) + 3178 = 7724.070

Weight of Brine = 7724.070 gm

[Robert May]

Sorry Oddley I haven't checked anything through, as I said earlier as you had done some detailed calculations I was just going through them to see if I could learn anything

best wishes
RM