Your expertise please: Amount of Cure #1 needed???

[AKokkinos]

Hi to all. Finally received the Cure #1 I ordered - not available in Cyprus for individuals. So I am ready to get started with traditional Cyprus sausage. The recipe:

2000 grams pork coarsely ground (20 mm plate)
1.4% to 2% kosher salt - depending on your liking
black / red pepper
1% to 2% ground dry coriander (an absolute must)
0.5% whole cumin (optional)
500 ml dry red wine
(Some folks swear by pouring out a cup of the wine on a daily basis and replace it with a fresh cup of wine)

FRESH SAUSAGE
Mix everything and refrigerate for 4 days. Stuff and hang to dry at low room temp for 1-2 days (prick casing with a needle to allow extra wine to drop out)
Refrigerate. Cook before eating (FRY or GRILL). Freeze for about 3-6 months remaining uncooked sausage. This I have done many times and the sausage is excellent.

SMOKED SAUSAGE
Now to the tricky part. Finally got my WSM and I am ready to try my hand at smoking a batch of the sausage above. From all the posts I read here, I understand that the use of Cure #1 is an absolute must since I plan on smoking at temps about 180 - 200 degrees (as per the recommendations here). How much Cure #1 would I need in this case? Does the 2.5 gr per kilo still apply or does the addition of the red wine necessitates an adjustment of the amount used?

Looking forward to your help.

Thank you all

Andreas

[the chorizo kid]

i don't claim to be an expert, but it seems that the wine is irrelevent. here in the states i use 1/5 teaspoon cure #1 per 454 grams [1#] of meat, with or without wine. i figure the wine will evaporate when hanging. i'm still alive to answer posts, so this ought to be ok, but i suppose others will chime in.

[Oddwookiee]

I use 4oz of 5.22% sodium nitrite per 100lb of meat. That's manufacturer's spec, personally I'd get in touch with the company that sold the cure and find out exact nitrite percentage and what the recommend.

[AKokkinos]

Thank you very much. Doing the math, you are using 2.5gr of cure per 1000 gr of meat. Now my other question is: does the wine brine affect this amount or not?

Thank you

Andreas

[vagreys]

The amount you need depends on the sodium nitrite content of the Cure #1 you have. The concentration should be noted on the label or packaging. Unfortunately, Cure #1 isn't the same the whole world 'round. In the US, it is generally 6.25%, but in the UK it may be 5.882% or 5.22% or 5.669%. Elsewhere, it could be different, and in all cases depends on the manufacturer. So, to calculate the amount you need, you need to know the nitrite concentration for your batch of Cure #1.

[Oddwookiee]

I don't ever count any nitrites except what I add in and am totally, completely sure of. I don't dry cure at work (no sterile drying area) but I do use red wine in my salami (smoked & cooked, not dried). The only thing I count on wine for is taste- any nitrite addition is not accurately measurable and therefore not useful to me.

[vagreys]

...Now my other question is: does the wine brine affect this amount or not?

Are you referring to red wine's ability to break down nitrite to nitric oxide?

[AKokkinos]

Goodmorning to all the kind souls who tried to help me. Apologies for the stupid unclear question. Let me try once again: 1 kg of meat would need 2.5 gr of Cure #1, 2 kg would need 5gr and so on (for dry-curing). In wet curing, would I consider say the 500 ml of wine as extra mass / volume and need to increase the cure in order for it to be effective?
For example: 1 tablespoon of salt in 1 liter of water gives a specific salinity. If I double the water, then I need to double the salt in order to maintain the desired salinity. Is this concept applicable to Cure #1 as well in a wet environment or as a newbie I am way off planet Earth?

Thanks to all once again

Andreas

[Oddwookiee]

In all the sausage I make, I do not count the water as part of the total weight for needed nitrite. If I have 50lb of meat, I need X amount of sodium nitrite. I use water to dissolve the nitrite for better dispersion, so if I'm using wine, I'll use the wine as part of the volume of water- ie, using 2 cups of wine, then the water goes down by 2 cups. Nitrite is measured by meat, nothing else.

[vagreys]

Goodmorning to all the kind souls who tried to help me. Apologies for the stupid unclear question.

Not a stupid question, at all. I apologize for fumbling around for an answer.

...1 kg of meat would need 2.5 gr of Cure #1, 2 kg would need 5gr and so on (for dry-curing). In wet curing, would I consider say the 500 ml of wine as extra mass / volume and need to increase the cure in order for it to be effective?

No. The amount of nitrite you are calculating is going into the meat and that remains the same. The amount of nitrite you need is based on the weight of meat, only, and does not include the weight of other ingredients going into the mix.

[AKokkinos]

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You made it possibler for me to get started.

Andreas