Morton Curing Salt, Tender Quick Home Meat Cure, 2 Pound

I can't get this locally anywhere. I use it to make corned beef brisket and buckboard (rasher) bacon regularly (1T per pound of meat, cured in the fridge at 5 days per 1" thickness) and German-style pork chops occasionally, smoking the pork chops adds tons of depth. Not only is the end result much-much cheaper than store-bought, the flavors are far better and I have complete control of what goes into my food.If you have a problem with nitrite and nitrate then this isn't something your want to buy - you'll want to avoid celery too. But if you like good eating and want to make your own while maintaining food safety (the nitrites and nitrates are there to protect against botulism bacteria in addition to altering the texture, color, and flavor) then this is what you want for these basic curing tasks. It makes for an exceptional corned beef after 5 days per inch thick. And if you like back bacon (unsmoked) or Canadian-style bacon (unsmoked) then this gets you those very well. You can kick it up a half dozen notches by smoking your cured meat over some nice wood if that's your thing. Best pastrami you'll ever eat.If your objective is air dried, aged, cured sausages and whole muscle (copa, pancetta, etc..) then you might rather explore cure #1 and cure #2 methods. Morton TQ is similar but it isn't those.It's not "fast food" cooking! Expect to wait for your meats to cure if you'd like to do this. Getting in a hurry is a recipe for failure.

This product definitely help with the smoke ring penetration into the meat when smoking in a smoker. Does not affect the taste of your meat other than the solmoke gets deeper into the meat, enhancing the flavor. Great value, versatile for many meats. Great quality. Definitely recommend!!!!!!! A++++++++

THE RECIPE I USED2 tbs curing salt (leveled, not mounded)2 tbs kosher salt (non-iodized)1/4 cup dark brown sugar (firmly packed)1 qt water (warm to hot, tap)Curing solution:I've had several different people give me different suggestions on this one, but I use warm/hot tap water to dissolve the solids (I don't use boiling water), then whisk until completely dissolved. I also allow the liquid mixture to come to room temperature prior to putting the meat in.To minimize risk of contamination by other things in the fridge/ off flavors, I always put the mixture+meat in a liquid safe container that has an air tight lid, but I think this is more personal preference than anything.Meat Used:19oz (wet weight prior to curing) pork tenderloin (comparison of before and after weight to come soon)TimingAllow to cure for ~3-4 days in the refrigerator, submerged in liquid (doesn't cure if it's not in the liquid). If you have problems with the meat staying submerged, put something heavy and water safe like a bowl or small plate on top of the meat prior to closing the container. I might reduce this by a day next time to bring down the salty flavor just a bit, though it was good "as is," my husband prefers slightly less salty pork compared to my preference. You'll feel the meat is firmer when it's cured.Smoke at 250F with hickory chips for about 2.5hrs. Make sure the smoker is preheated prior to adding the meat. Time depends on cut of meat, but this gave a wonderful flavor for the tenderloin we had.RESULTSThis solution gave the meat a beautiful color and the firm but not overly dry texture you'd expect from a nice piece of smoked meat. I unfortunately don't have pictures from this last batch because everyone loved it so much we ended up eating the entire smoked tenderloin at one dinner! Pictures to follow the test described below.TIPS FOR ADJUSTING FLAVORI've had several people tell me that you can slice a small piece off the meat and cook it to check the flavor as you go, so you can fine tune your recipe and the salt content of the meat. The timing above has worked pretty well for me so far, but I'll likely do this on the next run to see if it changes the final product. I'll post the comparison when it's done.You can see a little bit goes a long way when curing meat, so this pack should last us for a while.USES/ WARNINGThis product is used to cure meats and should not be used in place of regular table salt as it contains preserving nitrates and nitrites. This is NOT a meat tenderizer to be sprinkled on food just prior to cooking.CONSThe price is good for the quantity, but I use such a small amount since we live in a city and don't have space for a large smoker or storage for large amounts of meat while curing, having a smaller package option would be nice.WHY THIS BRANDI chose this particular brand over others because it's what my family used to prefer when they wanted to brine or cure meat to smoke or dry down to jerky.ITEMS MENTIONEDWESTERN 78075 Hickory BBQ Smoking Chips

Found on YouTube to use this when smoking brisket in an electric smoker to create a restaurant level smoking ring. Works perfect. Prior to using I was only getting a light 1/16in ring. Using this I get a full dark 1/4 ring. Smoky flavor is more pronounced and I tast no extra saltiness or any other flavor from using.

I've been using both TQ and Prague #1 for decades, and have to buy it either in the South or on here. I cure almost anything cooked outdoors for longer than an hour, except for red meat, for both food safety and taste reasons. TQ is a complete cure that contains salt and sugar and enough Sodium Nitrite/Nitrate to protect against pathogens.I go by the recipe. If it calls for TQ I don't try to convert to Prague powder, and vice versa. TQ is probably safer, and better for brines as it contains lots of salt, where prague has a much larger Sodium Nitrite component (6.25%) and although the rest is salt, you only use a 1/4 tsp per pound of meat, so you need to add your own salt if necessary.It's also good as a freestanding dry cure for certain meats, making the process easier than using Prague Powder.

There is a whole science behind curing meat. If you want to cure your own meat, Tender Quick works great. But, please read up on the process and especially how much to use before you start. Especially important to realize that Tender Quick and pink curing salts (Instacure #1 and Instacure #2) are NOT directly interchangeable. There are calculations you can make to use one or the other, but if you are new to this, just use exactly what your recipe calls for.What I like1. Easy to use and easy to cureWhat you need to know1. Meat curing gone wrong can lead to very bad things (like botulism!). Be careful2. This contains a lot of salt. If you are using Tender Quick, you won't need to add salt.Please try this: make you own hot dogs (there are lots of recipes on line). They are the best hot dogs you will ever eat in your life and they contain only real, ground meat!!