Too much Cure#2?

Air dried cured Meat Techniques

Too much Cure#2?

Postby gbguy71 » Thu Sep 25, 2014 10:37 pm

I'm starting a batch of bresaola and lomo and wanted to try something different so I looked at a number of books, websites, etc. and wrote down recipes that looked interesting. What surprised me was the big variation in the amounts of cure #2 used.

The InstaCure package says 1 level tsp for 5 lbs of meat. This is commonly expressed as 6 grams. As percentage of meat weight this is .26 percent.

Here are the percentages, from my calculations, I have seen in a number of recipes:
.3% Rhulman/Polcyn Bresaola
.66% Boetticher/Miller Bresaola
.4% Justin Everett Lomo
.6% Marianskis Lomo Embuchado
.25% WrightFood Lonzino

Boetticher/Miller ("In the Charcuterie") and the Marianskis ("Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages") both have more than double the amount of #2 that InstaCure says is needed. Both are very well respected sources, so I'm wondering if I'm missing something?

These are whole muscle cured meats and are generally processed the same, so I can't think of a reason for the variations in quantities. Will "too much" affect the taste? Is this just a case of "better safe than sorry" and add more cure #2 than needed?

Any answers/comments?

TIA
/Ed
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Re: Too much Cure#2?

Postby wheels » Fri Sep 26, 2014 7:50 pm

Ah, that's one big can of worms you've just opened! :lol: :lol:

I'll stick my head up over the parapet hoping that it doesn't get shot off!

0.25%/0.26% will give a mg/kg (also known as PPM - parts per million) of about 150 - 156, a figure which complies with the US requirements for nitrite in comminuted items - sausage/salami etc (<156PPM) and dry cured bacon (<200PPM). It is way below the amounts allowed for nitrites in dry cured items (<625PPM) and for nitrate (2187PPM) - mainly, it's thought, due to the amounts required in Country/Virginia Hams.

Conveniently, this 0.26/0.26 percentage also gives a level that complies with EU regs (for most things) of 150mg/kg, along with the Australian (generally <125mg/kg) and Canadian regs (ask BriCan!).

As far as I am aware, only the US regs have such a vast difference between different types of products.

I can't speak for any of those authorities but I'm guessing that Matt (Wrightfoods) is happy to use the EU levels as I believe is Jason from the excellent Cured Meats Blog.

In fact, I think that there's a thread here where he says so!

As to the others? I guess that they were dubious, as I was initially, as to whether 150mg/kg is sufficient for longer cured meats. This document helped change my mind:

http://www.gencat.cat/salut/acsa/html/c ... pdf/14.pdf

I'll leave others to add more.

HTH

Phil
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Re: Too much Cure#2?

Postby gbguy71 » Wed Nov 05, 2014 10:29 pm

Phil,
Sorry to be so late with my reply to a wonderful and detailed post by you. It was perfect!

Thanks!!!
/Ed
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Re: Too much Cure#2?

Postby DiggingDogFarm » Thu Nov 06, 2014 1:17 am

Yeah, always an interesting topic! :D

Add to the above the fact that , here in the USofA, there are at least 3 different "Cure #2" formulas.

6.25% nitrite and 1% nitrate. (SausageMaker)
5.67% nitrite and 3.63% nitrate. (Butcher & Packer)
6.25% nitrite and 4% nitrate. (Allied Kenco)


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~Martin
Unsupervised rebellious radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, self-reliant homesteader and adventurous cook. Crotchety cantankerous terse curmudgeon, non-conformist and contrarian who questions everything!
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