You can read this info a hundred times and not really understand it. You have a natural instructor ability. You make it easier to understand. Thanks.

Really great video Eric. I’ve been playing around with cured meats for a couple of years now and this is the clearest most concise explanation of the difference between cure # 1 and cure # 2. Thank you.

I have to praise your work, not only with the videos, but for the way that you manage the comments. Reading the comments people learn the details. It seems to me that you have grown a fine group of followers, who ask interesting questions, that you answer properly. Thanks.

Thank you so much for that information it will help me a lot. Keep up the great work Eric you’re an amazing teacher.

Fantastic description. I’m just getting started with curing meat, and you presented the concepts in an easy to understand method. Thanks Again

Yes, absolutely on the live question and answer project! Love your work!

FINALLY! Some clarification! Thank you for making this video.

Thanks for simplifying this. I put off making dry cured meats or a long time because I didn't know which cure to use.

THANKS for teaching a simple and comprehensive understanding of these two primary curing mixes.

Its a shame that only 500 people clicked this video, never mind Eric keep up a good work, this is awesome explanation. Although in europe we use nitrite salt with 0.5 to 0.9 ,percent , for your recepies I have to do some math.

Great info, kudos for keeping it together and not making a single slip!

Another Great and Informative Video. Your explanations on this topic are excellent.

Great info Eric. 👍

Thank you so much Basically number one is for most home recipes.

Love how this guy is out here teaching people how to safely make their own cured meats. Bravo! Too few know how to preserve foods now, and it is a shame. I am curious as to how using coarse salts (kosher salt, big flaky sea salts) as opposed small salts (pickling, non-iodized table) effects the curing process.

❤ Thanks for this video Eric. I messaged you on your website but this answered all my questions. Keep up the great work!!

Impossible not to understand the differences! Gr8 vid as always 🎉🎉🎉

Thanks. For many a thin ice wary. Love your energy.

Thank you for such an informative video. So glad I watched this before preparing a corn beef.

This is a brilliantly simple explanation, thank you

Hello. You have very good recipes and manner of presenting them in your videos. Please, can you tell for how long approximately can be stored vacuumed ready finished (35% loss) with added cure no.1 for Capocollo, Spanish lomo, Braseola and Calabrian pork. Thank you in advance.

Love your site. The recopies are wonderful and varied. Love being able to adjust for the weight of my meats. If you can consider a live Q&A where questions are submitted before the session, it will flow better. It can get really boring watching a tuber saying hello to everyone as the roll into the chat. It's my American attention span, sorry. You have a great site.

Excellent video...thanks for the clarification...another question I would ask is whether high heat reacts with sodium nitrite creating these cancerous stuff...eg frying bacon...a lot of people seem to be mentioning this...

2:35 Cuts to the chase

thank you for that great info on using cure #1&2.

Thank you so much for this video.. very good explanation...you have help me a lot

Thank you so much for a complete and accurate description. Can you provide your advice on a general rule for the amount of each cure to use by weight (in ratio to the weight of meat used, preferably in G and KG). Even the sausage maker uses volume measures in their instructions, which imo is a horrible way to get an exact measurement. I've been making dry cured meats for about a year, and there is so much bad information out there. It's frankly shocking, and often unsafe. I've even seen people recommending the use of both 1 and 2 in the same recipe. I remember the difference between one and two by thinking 1 is like an i, so it's nitr i te. Cure number 2 has 2 ingredients, nitrite AND nitrate. Your videos are excellent, and much needed. I might go elsewhere to explore recipes, but I always double check your videos to ensure safety. I can't recommend them enough.

Great video Eric! I have seen so many questions arise lately in the online forums over cures. I wish that you would have added Morton Quick Tender to this video too.

Just the imformation i wanted to hear! Thanks

Very informative and easy to understand. Thank you.

Excellent information....what happens if you cure at a lower temperature, the time frame may be extended past the 30 days. which one #1 or #2

Great stuff, very comprehensive!

Great explanation! I learned something new at the end regarding Nitrate Oxide gases. The only thing I wish you'd mentioned is to carefully measure the Cure based on the weight of the product being cured per the instructions on the cure (recipes sometimes get it wrong due to misprints or ignorance). My biggest pet peeve on cured meat trends lately are all the cured meats in the store labeled 'nitrite/nitrate free' which are made with celery powder/juice - a source of nitrite. ;) It's like labeling something 'salt free' and then listing 'Sodium Chloride' on the ingredient list instead of 'Salt'...

Excellent explanation!! Thank you sir!!

Awesome explanation !!!

Very good description!

Very well explained thanks

So helpful! Thankyou

I moved to Turkey. Now if I want pork products, I have to make it myself. Thanks for the videos 😊👍

Thank you! I've done this wrong a few times now.

Very well done Eric! I must throw out a question (only because I'm one of your more annoying fans as you already know!) about starter cultures and nitrates/nitrites. I have followed your recent recipe for chorizo which turned out excellent! I stuff the mince into hog casings (about 34mm) and use Instacure #1 because I find that after 2 weeks the chorizos are ready to consume (sort of semi-soft as I like it). I used SPX starter culture for several reasons...1) I don't have Flavor of Italy and 2) I like the fermenting time/temperature of the SPX as well as the flavor of the end process. My question is this...I seem to have discovered that I shouldn't be using Instacure #1 with this particular culture and should instead, use something like F-LC (don't like the fermenting parameters). Am I doing something wrong by using this starter culture or can I safely continue with this 'recipe'(Instacure #1 plus SPX)? Making a fresh batch this week and would appreciate knowing if I'm doing this correctly. Thanks so much in advance....

Thanks Eric!

I get your point, but knowing that Cure#2 has both nitrates and nitrites I feel more comfortable with using #1 for cooked and #2 for aged. IMHO it's just a simpler approach. Good job!

On the right hand side of the last screen shots of your video there is red on it. Good video thought i want just a plain ham recipe please.

Hey, what about guanciale, you should use cure#2 since the production time is way longer than 30 days but you must cook it when making carbonara? Is it safe to cook it?

What a great video !!

Hey thanks so much for your videos they are so informative and I've learned so much just by watching and listening to you. I understand now much more about cures one and cures 2 but my question is if I use cure number one for sausage and I wait the two days before I put my meat that I'm not going to cook in the freezer but I don't eat that meat for 4 months down the road should I have used car number 2 or does it not matter since it was frozen and still only use cure number one Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family

Great video (again), what is meant by processing time - if something is ready to eat in 30 or less days but is not going to be consumed for a while longer e.g a big slab of bacon will take a while to get though, would you still use no.1?

If your doing a wet cure with instacure #1 and it calls for 3 oz per gallon of water and you don’t have enough to cover your meat. Can you just top up with water or do you need to make up another 1 gallon batch with 3oz again. Thanks

Great info Thanks 😊

Great explanation and video very informative! I do have a question about #2 and cooking. I am about to start two projects, a country ham and a pancetta, both will age over the 30 days. But I would like to eat both in their raw state as well as in cooked preparations. You said #2 isn’t for cooked meats, is that a hard and fast rule and if so is there a solution?

QUESTION: Nope still confused for the projects I am trying to do. I want to preserve meats long term off-grid using both a brine barrel method as well as dry salt packing meats. I’m struggling to find reliable information on how to do this. I want to use Prague powder to inhibit botulism, but presume they would be “cured” and “ready” to eat within a 30 day window while I want the ability to store them much longer than that. And so I’m still not certain which one I would want.

Love your video's. What's the deal with the prison fence in the background?

Ok o want to make venison ring bologna . I’ve looked at a ton of recipes for it . Where I’m at they use Morton tender quick . All the recipes have different amounts for the same quantity . What would the proper amount of cure for a 10 to 15 lbs batch? Also would tender quick be call instacure #1 . Thanks for you help Eric .

Great advice didn’t know that

Hey great video, thanks for responding to my questions, you're basically my go to for instruction. I have an in depth question that you may have touched on but I have recently made a cacciatore salami and was fermented and now in curing chamber for about 12 days, it will probably lose its 40% within a day or two. It was a thinner approx. 25mm(1") casing so I expected to be done this quick (80%RH, 55*F). However, I did use Cure #2 for it and I have also seen this video a while ago and knew the Cure#1 up to one month, then Cure#2 for longer processing time. My intentions though were to vacuum seal and let equalize for a month after the drying was done so it will be eaten at around the 45 day from stuffing mark. Will I be safe to eat this? It is looking perfect and smells wonderful and firming up fantastic and would hate to have to toss it. What's your thoughts....

Hi Eric, I am one of the fan of your channel and I subscribed in the last few weeks and start making some pepperoni salami and chorizo but my dilemma, is I live in Thailand and I search for starter culture and it seems that I cannot find under that name. Is there any other name that I can look up and find for making pepperoni, and chorizo and etc.? thanks again and love your channel chairs.

Keep up the great work

Hey guys liked everyone of your videos and subscribed with no hesitation awesome work guys. Question? I Picked up a sling of I'm thinking deer salami from a friend he got from a meat processing shop. When he gave it to me he said it already had been hanging in his cool pole barn but I needed to continue to let it hang for another 30 days. The processing place used a mahogany casing where most deer sausages and things are used. After full curing stage /ready to eat, the casing shrinks slot and the salami is very very hard, but delicious. Is there a process where they take the Salami right from the cold smoker and can hang in a cool atmosphere to age. From seeing my buddies Barn where he had 50 of these small slings of salami from the processing, I can't imagine the processing place having a chamber with everybody's sausage in it as far as room. That's what makes me think they cold smoke it and then send you on your way to let it hang at home. Trying to figure out this process when I process my own deer next year into dry hard salami. I have a curing chamber but there's no way I'll ever build one big enough to cure that much deer salami.

Hi Eric,making some fermented cold smoke summer sausage in muslin cloth in 21/2 to 3” in diameter I use #1 cure because the s.s. is hung @ 13c for 24 to 28 days after smoking and is dry enough ready to eat,what I am not sure of is they say it should be shelf stable for a long time should I be adding #2 cure?

Can you help me please. I purchased a pork belly and want to make bacon. This is the curing salt the butcher gave me. Martin’s Canadian Tender Knick. Label reads… For home meat curing. All types of meat products, especially small cuts of meat. NOT A TENDERIZER Net Wt: 907g (2 LB) Sodium Nitrite (0.5 %) Sodium Nitrate (0.5 %) Refrigerate 4-6 hours (NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR CURE #1) Says for bacon also but according to your video would this not be #2?

Silly Question can we do a taste test immediately when using cure #2 for sausages? For example if we are preparing the ingredients and taste before putting the sausage in the casing. Can we taste the mixed meat which has cure #2 in it? Or is it dangerous? How to do a taste test then? Thank you so much

Great. We'll presented, I like the beard tbh. But great work all round and very informative. Thank you.

Great video . Can I use cure number one in the making of salt beef where I but the beef in a salt brine for 7 days ?

Tnx

great work

Great explanation! What is the best source to determine the correct amount of cure #1 per pound of meat (venison, beef, pork, etc)

So I made a coppacola recently using your recipe for in the fridge, using aging wrap. It was a very small cut of muscle...less than a pound. I started the cure using #2 on Feb 7...cured a few days and then wrapped and hung in fridge...my target weight was reached on March 1....could I have used #1?...and also should I have? I'm concerned the Nitrate may not have turned to gas with the short processing time

What’s up with the razor wire?

dear Eric, thank you very nice video.if I want to make a billon.long term storage, is it worth making an ambassador based on instacure#1?

What about curing pork loin without a casing? excess Salt or calculated amount of cure #1?

If I’m marinating my meat for 24 hours. Cooking in a dehydrator at 165f, vacuum sealing right away with an oxygen bag. Should I use a curing salt ? If so how much per pound?

Question: When using Cure#2 for salami, do you mix the #2 with sea salt in the salami mix? Or just the #2?

Not clear on what to use if your processing time from start to ready to consume is just two weeks but you are not planning on consuming for months, e. g., making sausage for Easter in November.

Q&A would be great but time zones will hurt as I’m in Australia.

Great info! What cure would you normally use if your are making a small diameter salami that ordinarily would be ready within 3.5 weeks but you choose to leave it curing in your chamber for 4-6 weeks to get a much firmer texture and drier product?

Thanks for the information. By the way, interesting background with the razor wire fence. It appears you either filmed this from prison or California. :)

A quick question about moisture. Is taking a product to the recommended water loss a safety issue, or simply a preference? I'm asking because I like cured meats very wet by most people's standards.

Sounds like I Would I use cure #1 for jerky?

I have started several projects including some muscles that weigh just under 2 pounds. They are curing in the fridge for 1-2 weeks right now. I only had cure 1 at home and used that. The question is: can I apply Bactoferm or another agent during the dry curing step to offer more protection if my meat is going to be dry curing for >31 days?

Great video Eric! What if you use cure #2 instead of cure#1 when something will be finished drying within 30 day?

Hey Eric great videos BTW..I do have a question about cureing salt #1 or #2 we always sample our sausage before stuffing into casings..is it safe to sample after you just added #1 to your recipe before it had time to blend or do its thing?? thanks for your help.

I use the UMAI process for Sopresetta and Chorizo with Instacure #2. The Chorizo dried to 40% loss in 17 days. Is it safe to eat at this point?

hi from australia i have a question on the best way to store dryed meats for example can i keep in the fridge and for how long what is the best way to wrap e.g vacuum seal or are there better ways

MEN YOU MAKE MY DAY

Hi, sorry to come on an older vid of you ... someone gave a so called curing salt as a sample and mentioned on it ... NITRATE SALT ... however, watching you vid Nitrate is featured in Cure2 alond with Nitrite ... so ... is there a curing salt with NITRATE only?? ... hope you see this comment and can help me out on this please. Thanks and much appreciated

Are the cure amounts the same with a wet brine?

Hello, How about if my salami is ready in lets say 3 weeks so I use #1 but I cant eat the whole batch in the following 1 week and I plan to store it for a few months in the fridge, is it safe or should I use #2? Thanks!!

❤❤❤

Hi I’ve done a I capocollo with a dry age steak wrap I’m not sure how to get a hold are you but I’ve got some questions I let it cure for two weeks it’s been in the fridge after the cure since 8 January there’s green mold on it a couple little spots and some spots of white mold I feel like it’s ruined could you shed any light pleaseIf there’s someway I can send you a picture I’d like to

Do curing salts expire? Will they last longer stored in the freezer?

If I make sausages and then cook them in the next two days. So it will be safe to use cure #1? 0.25% of it's weight? Thx Eric!

Live stream would be great!

Any info on using pink curing salt number 1 for braising?

Let me start out by saying that I have watched most of your videos and they are Awesome. I am going to Jump in with both feet to start trying to make some of the Amazing (Dried/Fermented) Salami and Sausage you are making. I have been making sausage for 40 years and want to up my game and have the home time to do it nowadays. I'm looking to buy a ph meter and equipment to build a Chamber and Inkbird ITC-308 Temperature Controller and IHC-200 Humidity Controller Combo. Look at the Apera Instruments AI3713 PH60S-Z Smart Spear pH Tester for Food and Solid Sampling pH Measurement its a bit pricy and see on the sausage makers site they have a MILWAUKEE PH METER. What are your thoughts on the Milwaukee Meter?

Is Cure #1 up to 30days only counts once it's dry hanging or it even counts as while the meat is curing in the sealed bag for two weeks in fridge. Because you only mention 3-3.5weeks drying.

Is there a minimum curing time for the cure #1? Sounds like there should be, because not all nitrite may get converted otherwise

I make salami in 32mm hog casings, using cure number 2, it usually takes less than 30 days to finish up, however I then keep in the fridge vac sealed for months, how concerned should I be ? Will the nitrate keep converting when it is in the fridge vac sealed ?

When you say ready, does that mean eaten? Dries sausage can be ready in 30 days but not eaten for weeks after that. Thanks

But here is something I never hear discussed or explained clearly - the adding of a cure to (wet) pickle cured meat preservation like salted pigs tails, beef, lamb or pork riblets, and others that you plan on storing IN brine long term. The curing time is under 30 days but it sits in liquid for weeks, months or a year+ even..is it still cure #1? No one talks about wet cure..I might be the only person consuming it.🤷