Morton Curing Salt, Tender Quick Home Meat Cure - PACK OF 2 Morton
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Morton Tender Quick Home Meat Cure, 2 Pack

$24.49

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Product Details

Morton Tender Quick is a fast-cure mix for curing meat, poultry or game in a home kitchen. Morton sells it in a 2 lb bag; this listing is a two-pack.

Morton says it gives meats a cured flavor and the characteristic pink color, and that it works particularly well with small cuts such as pork chops, spareribs and poultry, as well as salmon, shad and sablefish. It is a curing mix rather than a meat tenderizer, and Morton does not recommend it for pork belly or bacon.

Ingredients

Morton Tender Quick mix contains salt, the main preserving agent; sugar, both sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite, curing agents that also contribute to development of color and flavor; and propylene glycol to keep the mixture uniform.

Directions & Storage

CAUTION: This curing salt is designed to be used at the rate specified in the formulation or recipe. It should not be used at higher levels as results will be inconsistent, cured meats will be too salty, and the finished products may be unsatisfactory. Curing salts should be used only in meat, poultry, game, salmon, shad and sablefish. Curing salts cannot be substituted for regular salt in other food recipes. Always keep meat refrigerated (36° to 40°F) while curing.

Morton Tender Quick Home Meat Cure, 2 Pack $24.49

Questions About This Product

The things people actually want to know before they cook with it.

How much Tender Quick do I use per pound of meat?
One tablespoon per pound for dry curing whole cuts, and one teaspoon per pound for ground meat and sausage. For a wet cure, Morton dissolves one cup in a gallon of water. Do not raise the rate to try to speed the cure up. More curing mix does not cure faster, it only makes the finished meat too salty.
Is Tender Quick the same as pink curing salt or Prague Powder number 1?
No, and they cannot be swapped measure for measure in either direction. Tender Quick is mostly salt and sugar carrying 0.5 percent sodium nitrite and 0.5 percent sodium nitrate, used at about a tablespoon per pound. Prague Powder number 1 is 6.25 percent sodium nitrite in salt, over twelve times as concentrated, and is used at about one level teaspoon per five pounds. Using one at the other rate either badly under cures the meat or delivers a large overdose of nitrite.
Can I use Tender Quick to make bacon?
Morton does not recommend it for pork belly or bacon. Their stated reason is that belly varies too much in fat content for a single fixed rate to cure it consistently. Tender Quick is aimed at smaller cuts such as pork chops, spareribs and poultry, and at salmon, shad and sablefish. For belly bacon, use a product formulated for it and a recipe written for that product.
How long does the meat need to cure?
Cure time follows thickness rather than weight. Morton allows five days per inch of thickness for a brisket cured for corned beef, while pork chops half to three quarters of an inch thick need only one to two hours. Bone and fat both slow the cure, so a thick, bony cut wants the longer end of any range.
How much Tender Quick do I use for jerky?
One teaspoon per pound, the same rate Morton uses for ground meat and sausage, whether the jerky is sliced or ground. Mix it through with the seasoning so it is evenly distributed rather than sitting on the surface, and give the meat several hours or overnight in the refrigerator before it goes in the dehydrator or smoker.
Is Tender Quick a meat tenderizer?
No. Morton states plainly that it is not a tenderizer, despite the name. It is a curing mix that preserves the meat, sets the pink colour and produces cured flavour. Rubbing it on a steak to soften it will simply make the steak very salty.
Can I use ordinary salt, sea salt or kosher salt instead?
Not for curing. Plain salt has no nitrite, so it will draw out water and season the meat but it will not cure it, will not give the pink colour, and does none of the work nitrite does against Clostridium botulinum in low oxygen conditions such as casings, vacuum bags and long cold smokes. If you have no cure to hand, cook the meat fresh instead of improvising a substitute.
Can I make corned beef with it?
Yes, this is one of Morton's own uses for it. Their method rubs five tablespoons of Tender Quick and two tablespoons of brown sugar over a four to six pound brisket, seals it in a bag in the refrigerator, and cures it five days per inch of thickness before simmering it until tender.
What happens if I use too much?
The meat comes out too salty and the results turn inconsistent, which is why Morton's own caution is to stay at the rate the recipe specifies. There is no way to reverse it once the cure has gone in. Soaking the finished meat in several changes of cold water pulls some salt back out, but the flavour will not come all the way back. Weigh the meat and measure the cure rather than judging by eye.

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