sea salt + cure 1 in a brine?

[Oddley]

I normally notice the centre of the meat is a blood red colour. Or grey after cooking. But my times usually work out ok for me.

[jjr-6]

Ok then - last question before I leave you in peace and get stuck into my curing!!!

If the botulism toxin were present in the ham, would the long simmering process involved in the cooking stage kill the spores? I wouldn't want to rely on this obviously, but I'm interested to know the science behind it. I presume boiled ham is inherently safer in this respect than say, sausages, where it's less certain that the product is properly cooked?

Many thanks for all your help Oddley - I hope I might be able to return the favour sometime.

Regards,

John.

[Oddley]

John bringing the meat up to a done temp will change the toxin to harmless. But the spores are unaffected, this is one of the reasons we use nitrites. Too inhibit the bacteria that causes botulism, in the first place.

Please read through the forums these matters have all been discussed in detail. It was a pleasure.