<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chris Allingham:
[qb]So the real question is, "At what temperature will Marc be running the WSM?" If he's shooting for something below 140-150*F (which can be done with a little practice) then a cure may be warranted. If he's running at 200*F or so, then maybe not.[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Even that wouldn't be an issue because all jerky marinades have such a high concentration of salt and because the temps are still very high compared to curing a ham in a smokehouse at 40 degrees. Basically, the TenderQuick in a recipe for WSM jerky is just being used as an expensive form of salt.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>[qb] My sneaking suspicion is that one reason TenderQuick turns up so often in recipes is that it's more readily available in retail stores like Walmart in some parts of the country. Since it's easy to buy, people use it even though it contains ingredients that aren't needed for the task at hand. But is any harm done?
[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Yes, I think availability is why the Morton product is chosen. However, what I don't understand is why people are even doing sodium nitrite cures on many of these recipes. There are very few things that can be done on a WSM smoker that fit into the cold-cure or cold-smoked category where sodium nitrite cures are appropriate. Sodium nitrite is for hams, bacon, and other things that are cured in the absence of heat.
We all complain about the "brine" that the grocery stores pack their pork in. But, that is basically a "Tender Quick" cure, done for the store's convenience because it extends the shelf life of fresh pork products by basically turning all their pork into mini-hams. TenderQuick is a ham brine.
Used in appropriate quantities, I don't think there is ANY harm in using a sodium nitrite cure. It will have some impact on the texture and color of the finished product, but it generally won't hurt anything. It's just unnecessary.
Prague Powder #1 (6.25% sodium nitrite/93.75% salt) is available from
www.alliedkenco.com for a buck or two a pound (you use 1 tsp per 5 pounds of meat).
If a WSM grillman ever needs a cure product, that's the one that makes the most sense and, even then, the only time I would consider it marginally necessary would be for smoking home-made sausage. It's not even strictly required for that with the WSM's smoker temps, but sausage is enemy number one for botulism. In fact, the word botulism comes from the Latin word for sauasage!