Steve_A (Tatoosh)
TVWBB Super Fan
I have a small amount of Morton Tender Quick (MTQ) a friend brought over from the States. I have a much larger package of Cure #1 on the way. So I thought I'd try to make my own MTQ here.
But one thing puzzled me about using the MTQ for bacon. It has both Sodium Nitrite and Sodium Nitrate. Yet when I read about using Cure #2 which also has Sodium Nitrate, the literature always admonishes us NOT to use it for fried foods such as bacon. So why does MTQ get an exemption for making bacon when Cure #2 does not?
After doing some math, which is not my strong suit, I came up with the following figures for my own MTQ style cure but without any Sodium Nitrate in it so no concern about using it with bacon or any item you might grill at high heat. I plan to use local sea salt and refined sugar along with the Cure #1 (aka Prague Powder #1 or Pink Salt).
This is based on creating 1 pound or 453.59 grams of MTQ style cure ...
Ersatz MTQ Standard 79/20/1 Percentage Ratio
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI> Salt 297.0 grams
<LI> Sugar 90.6 grams
<LI> PP#1 63.78 grams
[/list]
Ersatz MTQ Sweet Percentage Ratio 69/30/1
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI> Salt 253.0 grams - 2 cups 2 Tbsp Sea Salt
<LI> Sugar 136.0 grams - 2/3 cup 1 Tbsp
<LI> PP#1 64.0 grams - 3.4 to 3.5 Tablespoons
[/list]
I added estimated volume measurements since not everyone has a precise gram scale. Adjustments for different types of salt would need to be made since Kosher Salt is a different volume than Sea Salt.
The initial percentages are based on published figures for Morton Tender Quick, the Sweet Ratio is from a discussion in a different forum about a "better" salt to sugar ratio.
But one thing puzzled me about using the MTQ for bacon. It has both Sodium Nitrite and Sodium Nitrate. Yet when I read about using Cure #2 which also has Sodium Nitrate, the literature always admonishes us NOT to use it for fried foods such as bacon. So why does MTQ get an exemption for making bacon when Cure #2 does not?
After doing some math, which is not my strong suit, I came up with the following figures for my own MTQ style cure but without any Sodium Nitrate in it so no concern about using it with bacon or any item you might grill at high heat. I plan to use local sea salt and refined sugar along with the Cure #1 (aka Prague Powder #1 or Pink Salt).
This is based on creating 1 pound or 453.59 grams of MTQ style cure ...
Ersatz MTQ Standard 79/20/1 Percentage Ratio
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI> Salt 297.0 grams
<LI> Sugar 90.6 grams
<LI> PP#1 63.78 grams
[/list]
Ersatz MTQ Sweet Percentage Ratio 69/30/1
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI> Salt 253.0 grams - 2 cups 2 Tbsp Sea Salt
<LI> Sugar 136.0 grams - 2/3 cup 1 Tbsp
<LI> PP#1 64.0 grams - 3.4 to 3.5 Tablespoons
[/list]
I added estimated volume measurements since not everyone has a precise gram scale. Adjustments for different types of salt would need to be made since Kosher Salt is a different volume than Sea Salt.
The initial percentages are based on published figures for Morton Tender Quick, the Sweet Ratio is from a discussion in a different forum about a "better" salt to sugar ratio.