All purpose brine recipe wanted

[Richierich]

Having spent time searching and reading through various threads I find myself no nearer the answer.

Does anyone have a basic brine recipe that i can use, looking to cure hocks, small joins for ham, the odd tongue, Don't need it to be massively full of flavour, I think I will use further processing for flavour.

I have cure #1 and plenty of salt, what sort of quantities should I be using. There also seems to be some degree of variation as to how long to cure for. I don't plan to inject unless I can get away with it.

Also - off topic - can you freeze a terrine once made?

[wheels]

Richie

If you're asking if there's a standard brine that you can use in any quantity for small pieces of meat, then the consensus says No.

There are brines that you can use that are 'standard', However they require you to tailor the amount of brine you use to the size of the piece of meat.

If I get time, I'll post one later.

Phil

[Richierich]

Thanks Phil! I guess I am looking for a recipe that I can make up a brine in a large bucket and have a few pieces on the go in there. I bought a ham cure from the shop here and did some pork of varying peices, not all for the same time I think a hock had 7-10 days a larger piece had a couple of weeks. Did I get lucky with that thinking?

[wheels]

Richie

Here's a brine (based on Oddleys original 2:1 cure). I guess it could be classed as pretty standard.

Water 841g
Salt 100g
Sugar 50g
Nitrite (Cure #1) 9g
Total 1000g

You must only use half the weight of brine compared to the weight of meat. 1.5kg meat would equal 750gm brine etc. You must then brine the meat for 10 days per kg. So for 1.5kg = 15 days.

This will give 150 PPM Nitrite based on 10 days per kg being 85% towards equilibrium (The findings of NCPaul's tests). The salt and sugar ratio is about the same as Oddley suggested in his original - so I'm taking it as read that they're correct - after all, 2:1 curing's 'his baby'.

I would not personally save any remaining brine.

If you want to make each brine up specifically for a piece of meat I have put you an online calculator at:

http://www.localfoodheroes.co.uk/sausag ... andard.htm

Just input the meat weigh. Press the button, and it will give you the amounts. I'd keep the cure for smaller bits of meat - say below 2.5kg.

I hope this helps.

Phil

Edit: Posts crossed

[Richierich]

Phil,

Thanks for this! Will this work for multiple pieces of meat, each below 2.5kg say, or are we talking single pieces?

I can't see me ever wanting to do more than one, if so I could use multiple buckets I suppose.....

[saucisson]

To answer your second question I sliced up a terrine at Christmas, vac packed and froze and it hasn't seemed to have suffered at all.

Dave

[wheels]

Ah! That's a six million dollar question - logically if you had 3 pieces of meat totalling (say) 3 kg, you would use 1.5 kg of brine and cure for 30 days in total. But whether that is the actual case, in practice, is anyone's guess - or at least the subject for a lengthy debate!

Given the small amount of brine to meat, along with the need for close fitting containers, they shouldn't take up too much space - I guess you could even seal them in thick (vacuum type) bags if space is at a premium.

Phil

[Richierich]

I think vac sealing in bags is a brilliant idea. Will probably have to use Mrs RR to hold the bag upright or handle the sealer, I think laying the bag over might be a recipe for disaster otherwise!!

[wheels]

I was thinking more of just using the sealer bit - I'd hate you to get liquid in the vacuum pump.

Phil

[Richierich]

So did I, I have a Foodsaver, sadly you can't intitiate the sealer on its own, its a case of not putting the bag opening inside the vacuum slot, but far enough so it is over the sealing. Turn it on, it thinks it has pulled a vacuum and seals. Would like one that could seal only or both. It adds a few seconds to the process and the pump always runs, but nothing to worry about.

[Titch]

A terrific little calculator there.
Is there such a thing for Dry cures.?
we have a nitrite percentage of 10.7% in our Quikurit (brand name ) mix.
its a bit of a nuisance most recipes being for Cure#1 etc.
What we get for being transported I guess
Cheers.
Titch

[captain wassname]

What else is in there and how much?

Jim

[salumi512]

So did I, I have a Foodsaver, sadly you can't intitiate the sealer on its own, its a case of not putting the bag opening inside the vacuum slot, but far enough so it is over the sealing. Turn it on, it thinks it has pulled a vacuum and seals. Would like one that could seal only or both. It adds a few seconds to the process and the pump always runs, but nothing to worry about.

Are you sure your Foodsaver doesn't have a seal-only mode? It is typically what is used when you are making bags from a roll. Seal-only on one side and then vacuum and seal the other side, but in this case you would seal-only on both sides.

[Titch]

What else is in there and how much?

Jim

the rest is Salt.



Cheers.
Titch

[captain wassname]

Ill do me best for you
Phils calcs are designed to deliver 150 ppm of nitrite.So when he says 2.5 gms of cure #1 per kilo then you would need 1.25 gms of your stuff to get 137.5 ppm or 1.5 gms to get 165 ppm and best 1.4gms per kilo to end up with 154 ppm.
Hope this is clear.Hopefully we will get confirmation of my calcs but im sure Im right.
Just seen your sig:just done 50 years on Saturday.

Jim