Brine Volume vs. Cure1 concentration?

[Epicurohn]

Question: I have two recipes from Rytek Kutas that seem to have an abnormal amount of Cure1, Salt, Dextrose and Water. The overblown recipes are for Smoked Beef Tongues and Peppered Beef Rounds:

5# Beef Rounds, 2" thick
� cup Cure1
�# Salt
1# Dextrose
1� Gal Water

Cover the rounds with ground pepper and cure for 7 days covered in brine in 34-38�F fridge. Smoke in stokinette.

Recipe for tongues is similar without the pepper and the dextrose. I compared these amounts to the Corned Beef recipe of the same author and others posted here and at other sites, even after compensating for the dilution of the extra water (500% more), there is still a higher concetration of Cure1 by 60%.

#1. Is the use of such a large amount of brine OK?

#2. Is the extra concentration of Cure1 permisible? Is it due to the type of cuts (tongue vs. Round vs. Brisket, etc.)?

#3 Could this be a typo?


Happy New Year to all and thanks,

David

[Oddley]

Here is the analysis of the above recipe, what you have to remember is the pickup of a brine in the meat is between 8 - 10%. I always calculate on 10%. I have made a few guesses as to weights, such as 1/2 cup of cure #1, I've estimated it at 113 gm so the calculations are based on the weights shown. I have also guessed that you are working on US gallons, which weigh less than imperial gallons.

5# Beef Rounds, 2" thick 2268 gm
� cup Cure1 113 gm (At 6.25% nitrite = 128 ppm)
�# Salt 227 gm (0.3738 % of final product)
1# Dextrose 454 gm (0.7476 % of final product)
1� Gal Water US 4727 gm

This seems fine too me.

[Epicurohn]

Thanks for your input Goodley. Could Kutas' Corned Beef recipe be short on Cure1 at 1 Tbsp per 5# of brisket?

David

[Oddley]

I can't really tell. I'm afraid to work it out, I would have to see the full recipe.

[Epicurohn]

Sorry I mispelled your handdle, Oddley.

Corned Beef recipe:

25 # Beef Briskets
5 Qt Water
3/4 cup Salt
1/3 cup Cure1
1/2 cup Dextrose
1/2 cup Picklin Spice


Cure for 14 days. Boil until tender.

[Oddley]

Hi Epicurohn

The ingoing nitrite in the corned beef recipe is about 90 ppm. Again I've had to estimate the weights. I really don't like measurement by volume, especially with chemicals.

[Epicurohn]

Sorry about quatities in volume. I still don't have a good weight scale in 1 gram increments, only 15 gram increments. The recipe is printed in volume though.

I apologize for running through the entire arithmetic but I seem to be missing a step here on the Beef Round Recipe:

Cure1 113 grms X 1,000 = 113,000mg @6.25% = 7,062mg Sodium Nitrite in Brine.

7,062 X 10% = 706mg pickup by 5# (2.27 kg) of meat. 706 / 2.27 = 311 mg/Kg.

Please indicate were I went wrong.

Anyhow a difference for the ingoing Nitrite at 128ppm for the Beef Rounds and 90ppm for the Corned Beef is almost 30%. Any explanation for this?

[Oddley]

EDIT: Due to recently discovered information, these recipes are to be used at 10% pump only This is not an immersion cure


Beef Round Recipe

5# Beef Rounds, 2" thick 2268 gm
� cup Cure1 113 gm (At 6.25% nitrite = 128 ppm)
�# Salt 227 gm (0.3738 % of final product)
1# Dextrose 454 gm (0.7476 % of final product)
1� Gal Water US 4727 gm

Weight of brine 5521 gm

---------------------grams premixed cure * % Nitrite in mix * % Pump * 1000000
PPM or mg/kg = -----------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------100 *100 * Weight of Brine

-------------------------113 * 6.25 * 10 * 1000000
PPM or mg/kg = ---------------------------------- = 127.9206 ppm
----------------------------------100 *100 * 5521


*****************************************************************
Corned Beef recipe:

25 # Beef Briskets
5 Qt Water 4727 gm
3/4 cup Salt 169 gm
1/3 cup Cure1 74 gm
1/2 cup Dextrose 113 gm
1/2 cup Picklin Spice (Whole spices, not soluble so don't count)

Weight of brine 5083 gm

---------------------grams premixed cure * % Nitrite in mix * % Pump * 1000000
PPM or mg/kg = -----------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------100 *100 * Weight of Brine

-------------------------74 * 6.25 * 10 * 1000000
PPM or mg/kg = ---------------------------------- = 90.9896 ppm
----------------------------------100 *100 * 5083

I can't see any reason for the difference. I would prefer the 128 PPM to the 90 PPM ingoing, on both.

[Epicurohn]

I finnaly got it.

New Question: What is the recommended Nitrite content comming IN (Eurepean Standards, FDA, USDA?)? What about residual Nitrite levels once the meat is cured and cooked? Is there a difference in levels for cured meats vs. sausages (besides the fact that sausages don't loose most of the nitrite in spent brine)? Cure dossage along different linds of meats (poultry, beef, pork, seafood, etc.)? What about Cure2?

Thanks,

David

[Oddley]

Below is a link to the UK rules:

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1995/Uksi_19953187_en_4.htm

latest rules in .pdf format

http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sfp/a ... v11_en.pdf

[Epicurohn]

Oddley,

Isn't the weight of the meat taken into consideration in this equation?

David