Cure #1 turned white

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Cure #1 turned white

Postby yotmon » Fri Apr 18, 2014 1:33 pm

I have a small pack of cure#1 which reached its use by date in January. However, I did use it on a loin a few weeks back and it cured it okay. Yesterday I was given a fresh pack of cure#2 and when comparing the two packets side by side I realised that the pink colour of the cure#1 had completely drained, leaving it white. It has been kept in a dark drawer away from sunlight so its not been naturally sun-bleached.

Anyone know if this is an inbuilt indicator to show the lack of vigour or is it still okay to use. I'm about to cure a 2kg piece of leg of Pork using the injection/immersion method. Will the cure#1 be okay or should I substitute it with the fresh cure#2 and if so, would I have to re-calculate the amount ?

Yotmon.
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Re: Cure #1 turned white

Postby vagreys » Fri Apr 18, 2014 3:44 pm

I have no idea. I can tell you that a lot of red food dyes are unstable and break down over time, though, fading or turning brown, depending on the coloring.
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Re: Cure #1 turned white

Postby Tasso » Fri Apr 18, 2014 4:13 pm

From everything I've read on the subject (on the internet, not necessarily from authorities), the pink is just a colorant, not an indicator. That said, I found a thread from last October on this forum that says it is possible for the nitrite in the cure to convert to nitrate. See Product Shelf Life.

You could test a small bit of meat and cure to see if it's active. Maybe mix a couple of grams with salt in the proportion you're going to use for the ham, carve off a thin bit of the meat, and apply it as a dry cure. If it's active, it should cure a 1/4 inch thick sliver of meat in a day. After curing, you can cook it, and you will be able to tell by appearance and flavor if the meat was cured.

Then again, cure #1 is pretty inexpensive. If in doubt, I'd buy some fresh cure for an important project, and use the old cure for chickens, turkeys, or pork chops that I planned to cure for only a few days and then cook or hot smoke thoroughly and consume immediately.
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Re: Cure #1 turned white

Postby DiggingDogFarm » Sat Apr 19, 2014 12:39 am

Color fade is common with Cure #1....no biggie!




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Re: Cure #1 turned white

Postby yotmon » Sat Apr 19, 2014 8:34 pm

Thanks for the replies guys, I've used the cure#1 to make the ham - turning a nice red colour as we speak. The pork joint turned out to be 2.5 kg so had to re-calculate all the brine cure, more haste- lest speed as they say over here ( and maybe over there. ) I think I'll keep on using the cure#1 for the mean time, appears to still have its potency. Had a good weekend as its been my birthday, - 200g of cure#2, 600g of ground white pepper, a bottle of Saint Emilion red wine, Tom Kerridge's Proper pub food book and also Ruhlmans Charcuterie book. It's good when those near to you start to recognise your interests. :wink:
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Re: Cure #1 turned white

Postby Tasso » Sun Apr 20, 2014 4:44 am

Happy Birthday yotmon. I'm glad to hear your ham is off to a good start.

What are you planning for that cure #2? Will you use it to make a fermented sausage? I want to do a proper Spanish-style fermented Chorizo one day, but right now I don't have a way to maintain acceptable temperature and humidity during the long fermentation process. I must say that I'm shocked at the number of recipes I've found on the web for making fermented sausages that omit cure #2. I suspect that irrational fear of nitrates and nitrites in cured foods has led many people to prefer the risk of botulism over food safety.
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Re: Cure #1 turned white

Postby wheels » Sun Apr 20, 2014 12:57 pm

Happy birthday Yotman.

Do you and your Cure #1 share the same birthday? :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

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Re: Cure #1 turned white

Postby yotmon » Sun Apr 20, 2014 5:39 pm

wheels wrote:Happy birthday Yotman.

Do you and your Cure #1 share the same birthday? :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Phil


Don't know if cure#1 was around in 1958 :shock: I'm doing one your 'Pauline's ham' yet again. It's looking a good colour and won't be long before its filling my sandwiches 8)

Tasso, I'm hoping to start fermenting sausage soon as I also received a sachet of Bessastart - never heard of it myself, so good to see that someone close did a bit of research.

Talking about out of date - I'm cooking a full leg of lamb for my Easter dinner (2.25kg) that's been in the freezer since last April, pity that there's only the two of us to enjoy. Mint sauce already prepared . The lamb is resting now while the roast spuds crisp up and the cheese sauce on the Cauliflower gets a nice golden glow. Can't wait :drool:
Thanks again. Ste.
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Re: Cure #1 turned white

Postby wheels » Sun Apr 20, 2014 7:31 pm

Enjoy your meal Ste.

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