Corned beef question (well, corned goose actually)

[Johnh57]

I've done corned goose a couple of times, once using len poli's recipe for carni salada that turned out quite good. I'm inclined to try a version of Oddley's corned beef recipe. A typical goose breast might weigh in at about 1 kilo, or slightly less. I would plan to do about 6 breasts at a time.

Oddleys recipe calls for both cure #1 and saltpeter. I'd like to not use the saltpeter and use cure #2 instead (i'm in the states, saltpeter is discouraged.) Rough calculations for 1 kilo of meat and a 4% nitrate content of instacure #2 would yield too high a concentration of nitrite.

If I've done my sums correctly, for 1 kg of meat, I'd need 2.81 gms of cure #1 and 0.33 gm of saltpeter. Using 4% nitrate conc. Cure #2, to get 0.33 gm of nitrate using cure #2, I'd need 8.27 gms of cure #2. That would yield 0.558 gms of nitrite, which is about 3 times as much nitrite as the recipe calls for.

Is this a problem? Can I get there from here? I also have access to tenderquick if that would be a better solution.

Edit to add to the confusion: I've seen where insta-cure #2 is 4% sodium nitrate, and I've also seen it advertised as 1% sodium nitrate. I can't say for sure what I have, the supplier (allied kenco) I purchased it from doesn't give that information.

John

[wheels]

Unless you plan on leaving them for a long period without refrigeration I don't see any reason why you can't just leave out the saltpetre and just use cure #1.

HTH

Phil

[SausageBoy]

I've done corned goose a couple of times, once using len poli's recipe for carni salada that turned out quite good. I'm inclined to try a version of Oddley's corned beef recipe. A typical goose breast might weigh in at about 1 kilo, or slightly less. I would plan to do about 6 breasts at a time.

Oddleys recipe calls for both cure #1 and saltpeter. I'd like to not use the saltpeter and use cure #2 instead (i'm in the states, saltpeter is discouraged.) Rough calculations for 1 kilo of meat and a 4% nitrate content of instacure #2 would yield too high a concentration of nitrite.

If I've done my sums correctly, for 1 kg of meat, I'd need 2.81 gms of cure #1 and 0.33 gm of saltpeter. Using 4% nitrate conc. Cure #2, to get 0.33 gm of nitrate using cure #2, I'd need 8.27 gms of cure #2. That would yield 0.558 gms of nitrite, which is about 3 times as much nitrite as the recipe calls for.

Is this a problem? Can I get there from here? I also have access to tenderquick if that would be a better solution.

Edit to add to the confusion: I've seen where insta-cure #2 is 4% sodium nitrate, and I've also seen it advertised as 1% sodium nitrate. I can't say for sure what I have, the supplier (allied kenco) I purchased it from doesn't give that information.

John

Leave out the nitrate or use the Tender Quik.


FWIW, Here's my recipe for a (nitrite only) Tender Quick replacement.
It's used the same as Tender Quick. One level tablespoon per pound of muscle meat or 1/2 a level tablespoon per pound of ground meat.

"Super Easy Dry Cure Mix

My cure recipe is inspired by Morton’s Tenderquick (but with nitrite
only) so that the cure is super easy to use……for dry curing…use one
tablespoon per pound of meat…for curing ground meats such as
sausage…use 1/2 tablespoon per pound of meat…it provides the cure and
the salt for the recipe…..no additional salt is needed."

17.5 oz salt
5.0 oz sugar
2.0 oz cure #1

SausageBoy

[Johnh57]

I am not planning on leaving it un-refrigerated for any length of time. Oddly's recipe called for a 10 day soak, most of the instacure #1 recipes I see indicate a 3-4 day cure. I was/am concerned about cure times.

If I use TQ, which is indicated as 0.5% nitrite and 0.5% nitrate and match Oddly's nitrate concentration, then the nitrite concentration is still a bit high, and the salt concentration is roughly 2x Oddly's recipe. Using 66.15 gms of TQ, would yield .33 gm of nitrate, .33 gms of nitrite, 1.32 gms of sugar, and 64.17 gms of salt. By comparison, Oddly' recipe calls for .33 gm of nitrate, 0.176 gm of nitrate (assuming 6.25 % concentration #1 cure), and 35.7 gms of salt (including the salt added and the 93.75% salt content of the #1 cure)

john

[wheels]

Seems to me that this is complicating things. Just use cure #1 and leave the saltpetre out.

Phil

[Johnh57]

Thanks Wheels - do I / can I / should I stick with the 10 day cure? - refrigerated of course.

[wheels]

It's purely a personal opinion, but I'd do everything as per the recipe but just omit the saltpetre. It could be argued that the timescale for the recipe is based on the saltpetre taking a longer time to work, but I'd still go with it.

HTH

Phil

[Johnh57]

Thanks Wheels - Todays project I think, have several breasts in the refrig I need to do something with!