What happens if you go over the curing time?

[ped]

Hi there

I currently have my first pastrami curing and am curious to know what is the outcome if I leave it in the cure for too long?, does it just make the meat salty and unpallatable or is there a health risk because of the cure1?

[wnkt]

You can always soak the meat after curing, in several changes of water to leach some of the salt out.

[ped]

Thanks wnkt, I appreciate that but I would like an answer to the question not an answer to the result of what the outcome might be?! if that makes sense? (probably not ).

[wheels]

Ped, are we talking dry cure? Injection Cure? Brine Cure?

Phil

[ped]

Brine cure Phil

[Jogeephus]

I've made a few salt licks out of pigs legs before.

[wheels]

Depending on the recipe it may become very salty and may exceed the recommended levels for nitrite/nitrate. There is more chance of this with brine recipes calling for short curing times rather than the longer 'equilibrium' cures. Did you have a particular cure in mind?

Phil

[ped]

Yes,I got the pastrami cure from a thread on this site but for the life of me I can't find it!!, but it involved just a 5% salt solution and as was the case for the person who originated the thread/cure I do not intend to boil it but to actually hot smoke it. The cure was 5% salt 2.5% sugar and .5% cure1 per 1ltr of water.
So I believe that my only concern should be the saltyness rather than anything else?, but am very happy to be advised otherwise?? !! (before I kill myself)

[wheels]

Just to be sure - What weight meat in what quantity of brine? But, unless you had a small pork chop in an oil drum of cure you ain't going to be killing yourself!

[ped]

1.78kg meat in 3 litres brine

[wheels]

I make the absolute maximum that the nitrite can be in that around 175 mg/kg. It's a gnat's above the EU max but still below the US one. I'd be perfectly happy to sit down and eat it.

Phil

[Yannis]

I make the absolute maximum that the nitrite can be in that around 175 mg/kg. It's a gnat's above the EU max but still below the US one. I'd be perfectly happy to sit down and eat it.

Phil

Phil with "absolute maximum" do you mean that all of the nitrite is absorbed by meat ? If this is the case then it is 525mg/kg

BTW is there a formula to calculate the maximum amount of the nitrite in a brine that can be absorbed by meat ?

Yannis

[wheels]

I make the absolute maximum that the nitrite can be in that around 175 mg/kg. It's a gnat's above the EU max but still below the US one. I'd be perfectly happy to sit down and eat it.

Phil

Phil with "absolute maximum" do you mean that all of the nitrite is absorbed by meat ? If this is the case then it is 525mg/kg

BTW is there a formula to calculate the maximum amount of the nitrite in a brine that can be absorbed by meat ?

Yannis

I based the 'maximum' of the level of nitrite that would be in the meat at equilibrium.

Phil

[ped]

Phil, could you give a breakdown of your calculation so that I can understand, in the context of the meat weight that I am brining?

Many thanks

[wheels]

I'll do that - come back to me if I've not remembered in a couple of days.

Phil