I've always let my cased sausages rest for 24 hours in the 'fridge, but was unaware of the conversion to nitric oxide gas. So although I was performing the sausage preparation correctly, I was not aware of the chemical transformation that was taking place. Thanks for another fun AND scientifically serious video! Now onto some pork, cheddar and jalapeno sausage slated for the smoker!
I let mine rest also but without cure...u hope I wasn't risking possible damage ti the sausage...no one has gotten sick yet thankfully but now im wondering should I have done that.
This is quite possibly the most educational channel on the tube. I am not just talking about sausage or Salumi or Charcuterie. I am speaking of educational value. Eric job well done
Great video, good information. Though i think you may have some people confused. If you are making sausage and cook it immediately there is no reason to properly cure it. The ground material has all been exposed to air and bacteria but as long as you stay out of the danger zone for less than 2 hours its completely fine. The only time you need to cure sausage is if your going to store it for later use and are going have have it in the danger zone for longer than 2 hours as in cold smoking. The same reason we can go buy ground beef or ground pork, keep it in the fridge for a few days and take it out and cook it. The cold of the fridge prevents bacteria from growing because cold is bacteriostatic. Even if you take the meat out of the fridge its completely fine as long as you stay out of the danger zone temps for under 2 hours and then cook it properly. If i'm making sausage for a party and i'm going to cook it immediately, i never use curing salts and has been completely fine.
And the science behind sausage making proper sausage making. I don't want to be using my food products making someone sick or sending them to the hospitals are worse than that a permanent residence. I will be looking for the video on curing my sausages.
It is good to drill more in the additives to sausages. There is a lot that is either not known amount the hobbyists or misunderstood. And this is specifically when it comes to safety. Also - with adding additives - one should cross check to commercially available products - specifically on the benefits that a hobbyists would have producing their product vs the commercially available. Flavor is one big part and cost of course but sometimes users may avoid commercial product because of a specific benefit they are looking for or lack of trust towards the commercial product. Either way - I am thankful you are bringing this subject to the front line.
I always let me sausages rest in the fridge over night before smoking, but I was told the reason was so the casings stick to the protein. Now I understand the real reason of why I should be doing it. Thank you.
Eric, I love watching your sausage making videos; the techniques and styles are amazing. I also have found your food safety videos very informative as a lot of videos out there are showing practices that can actually harm someone. You have opened my eyes in a couple of these.
Excellent explanation Eric, yet again. The Hazard you describe with excessive residual nitrite, or nitrate, is exacerbated when people use natural cures like celery powder. Studies show there is far more residual nitrate is foods when these cures are used making them potentially more dangerous, over time certainly.
Yes but celery powder won't do the same job as cure #1 or there wouldn't exist curing salts. You would have to add so much of it to do the same work,your product would suffer. Products in store that claim no nitrates, like salame, all have natural nitrates but you will notice they are only a semi dried product,and they do not last more than 4 days once package is opened and product exposed to oxygen/contaminants. Dry cure a salame yourself with cure #2, and you will see it lasts weeks in fridge after cut open. That's my experience with the topic. No harm in curing salts at all if used properly.
What "studies," you mean mainstream studies that look out for the all mighty power, control, and profit of the mainstream cartel systems? Buster, I have only been sick once in the last 15 years, with one bout of what we are told is "bronchitis" around 5 years ago, which I got rid of naturally with ginger and other spices, got rid of it in 2 days flat. I reason it was due to toxic synthetic fragrances, so I cut them out entirely and I no more respiratory nonsense to worry about anymore. I make my own sausage and use 1.5 to 2 percent salt per weight in grams of meat and around 1 tsp of celery power that I prepare myself in a large mortar and pestle from dried organic celery and all this to around 3 to 5 pounds of meat. Sometimes I may add another tsp, but only because I like the taste of celery, not because I am afraid of any "germ theory" nonsense. The human body and all animal bodies become toxic due to the consumption of anything synthetic, whether nitrites, nitrates, Vs, antibiotics, or anything else that is synthetic. "Amazingly" the human body and all animal bodies do very well with natural compounds. So, you keep on believing in logical fallacies, and I will continue following things that add up to make sense. Synthetic nitrites, lol, and people mindlessly wonder why they continue to fall ill. Please, please, oh please keep eating anything and all synthetic, while I stick to natural, and continue to not get sick. Also, please, please, oh please keep getting jabbed!!!!!!!!!!
What I don't understand is that our family has been making soppressata for generations without nitrites. There are only 4 ingredients, salt, fennel, paprika and cayenne pepper. The salt ratio is 1lb of salt to 35lbs of meat. We only make it in the winter and weather permitting, try to keep it out of the danger zone in our cold room but mother nature does not always cooperate.
I'm glad I watched your video I going to try and make a small batch of smoked sausage now I know to let it sit for 24 hours before smoking it. Thank you for the info.
SO, So nice to have such an articulate, well annunciated, clear and concise presentation let alone all the incredible info regarding sausage making. Thank you so much. !
Does it matter when you add the curing salt? If it turns into a gas, does it dissipate if you add it to cubed meat and let it rest overnight before grinding? Also, is it okay to add to ground meat and let that sit overnight before casing? Or is it best to add it right before stuffing the casings? Thanks for all the great info.
Thank you for that information. I have no problem with bacon or ham but my sausage never comes out with vibrant colors. Now I know why, My summer sausage comes out well but I always let it hang in the garage overnight to let it dry. Thanks for the info and Happy New Year.
Thank you so so much for this information my friend, im really getting deep into making my own bacon/jerky/sausage etc. and this video is exactly what i needed. 🙏🏽
The issue isn't what you cook it at, the issue is the internal temp of your sausage. If you can get the internal to 150f in under 2 hours, you should be ok. Odds are it's taking longer than that depending on the diameter. If you want to cook chicken sausage and drop the cure, you'd be better cooking/smoking at a hotter temp. Perhaps 200f - 225f
Thank you, Again, YT did not notify me. I was just watching the bacon vid. Went back for the tamales and saw this one. Happy New Year. God Bless and stay safe.
Thanks for this wealth of information. When making boudin, do you ever use curing salt and if I ever found the conditions right to need them, is there a video where you show the safe amount of curing salt that should be used?
how shelf stable is sn(6.25%)? i have a product called instacure but it only has around 1% of sn and it stopped working properly after a few months, called the company that sold it to me and they said yeah it has like a few months shelf life and i thought what a waste of time and money for me even though the stuff is cheap i did not want to go buy another pack only to use so little of it and for it to go to waste before im able to use it all,, so im wondering about these pink cures or prague powder if they are the same and if i can make them last longer by either vacuum sealing them after each use or some tight lid jar or just ziploc bag?
Very important topic Eric. Great video as always. I'll also add that years ago I tried sodium erythorbate in my dried salame just because sausage maker claimed it speeds up the conversion of the #2 cure as well as the #1. I'm not confident I noticed any difference in the end results. Have you used it for dried products? Maybe throw that in the video as well.
I do use it in dry cured products as well. It doesn't make the salami finish sooner it just speeds up the conversion process so that the final product has very little unconverted nitrites. You might notice a color enhancement but other than that there's no difference in the finished product.
it all depends on how you are cooking your sausage. If you are planning on smoking your sausage low and slow, then yes. If you are just planning on making a fresh sausage cooked hot and fast then no
Love to see a video of cure accelerator. And is there a taste difference between them? Bc I know encapsulated citric acid gives that tangy flavour. I’m guess most cure accelerators will lower the ph and do the same?
Can you do a brisket in brine to corned beef and what you use in it? Are you using curing salt and S. erythrobate ? I would really appreciate that thanks
I love this video and the easy to understand delivery!!! I’ve never used curing salts but I’m considering the use of celery seed powder…… does it pose the same risk if cooked immediately? (Obviously it won’t have time to cure, but my question is strictly health related)
Thanks Micah. Yes. Celery powder or beet powder, basically any form of Nitrite used in meats will have the same issue. BTW. You want Celery juice (or celery juice powder) to cure meat, not celery seed powder - I forgot to tell you the last time we talked.
@@2guysandacooler Oh ok! I sure appreciate you helping me! One more question….. would it work if we juiced store bought celery, or does it need to be more potent?
Juicing store bought celery would work. Here's the issue. Celery naturally contains both nitrites and nitrates. If you use Celery juice I would give it a full 24 hours before cooking. This will allow the natural antioxidants in celery juice break down the nitrates and nitrites. I don't personally recommend this method due to the uncertainty in the amounts that you should use. Hope that helps
Very helpful information, thank you. I made sausage, smoked a cold smoke and used cure no #1. I donot want to cook it so, I have a question: How long to wait until I can eat the dry aged sausage? Thank you.
Eric, thanks for sharing your knowledge; I also enjoy watching the videos. I had a question regarding the danger temperature zone. In your video on Drywors, the sausage is hanging in the drying box in that dangerous temperature zone for longer than two hours; why is it safe to consume that product when curing salts were not used?
For a sausage I intend to cold smoke, is it detrimental if I let it sit in the refrigerator for longer than 24 hours? Does it do any harm if I, say, let it sit for 3 days before smoking? This is for something like a smoked sausage or snack stick type application. Thank you!
If the cure is creating a gas does it work best to have the meat in a tightly sealed container for the 24 hrs? I usually cure then stuff after 24 hrs. To take a taste test before stuffing.
Great information, thank you! Since you have such an international audience, I believe it might be worthwhile to point out that the content of sodium nitrite varies greatly from country to country. In the USA, InstaCure #1 contains 6.25% sodium nitrite, whereas in Germany curing salt (Pökelsalz) contains 0.4 - 0.5%, and 0.6% in the UK. So, there is a difference of a factor of 10 or 12 between the USA and these countries in Europe.
Yep. It's interesting because Pökelsalz would be a lot like the "Tender Quick" product that Mortons sells. It's designed to be used at roughly 2% - 4% and no additional salt is added unlike insta cure which is added at .25%. I'm working on a video that helps people understand the ppm (parts per million) of nitrites that they are adding and what the safe limits are.
@@2guysandacooler Thank you for the quick reply and this information. I was not aware of Morton's "Tender Quick." I look forward to your new video on safe limits.
Is there any downfall to letting your meat cure in the fridge for more than 24 hours? Have seen conflicting arguments on this saying the cure breaks down and becomes Less effective? I Have a batch of summer sausage I plan on grinding and seasoning Friday night but won’t be able to stuff and smoke until Sunday night/Monday morning
I love the information you give in your sausage making videos. It has definitely taught me a lot about sausage making. I have a bottle of sodium erythorbate that I ordered from the Sausage Maker and have yet to use. So I would love to see a video about this product before I take another step forward in making sausage. Also is encapsulated citric acid a cure accelerator as well?
Many thanks Eric for your hard work on these videos and the time you spend reading and answering all the comments/questions. Just read about Ecocure # 1 and 2 on the SausageMaker site. Wow! My head is spinning. Is it a 100% 1:1 replacement for Instacure #1? Can I toss my traditional curing salts and switch to Ecocure? Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see "FDA Approved" on this new "Secret Sauce."
Great video! I wish I could show it to the place where I used to work. They'd go straight from stuffing to cooking with all of their cured sausages. Nothing I said could get them to change. They ground and stuffed at room temp as well. All around bad practices
@@2guysandacooler unfortunate indeed! I'm grateful for your channel and the others you've featured here. Even in the last few months I've gone leaps and bounds over anything I'd done previously when it comes to making sausage and charcuterie. Thank you!❤
Have a couple cure #1 questions. When I cure meat for sausage I first cut it into 1” to 2” cubes weigh it then add the appropriate amount of cure and the salt the recipe calls for then cover with a towel and refrigerate for 2 days. Then grind, mix, stuff and smoke to ~ 155° F. I have noticed that some recipes such as kabanosy after smoking say to hang at room temp. for 20 days and others say to bloom for 2 hrs. then refrigerate and if not consumed within a few days to freeze. So my questions are how long can I safely hang sausage prepared as above to dry before smoking and how long after smoking? also does the cure penetrate the fat or just the meat? Thanks in advance Also I have read many cure related subjects and watched countless videos and found a lot of useful information on witch cure to use, when and how but nothing definitive on what the time limitation is at room temp
So there are a few factors to take into consideration. The diameter of the sausage, the ph of the meat, and the conditions that it's hanging in. When you add cure #1 you are adding 1 layer of protection to your meat. Salt is another layer of protection, smoking is also another layer of protection, also slow cooking (which reduces moisture) is another layer of protection. So, there's lots of things going on here. Kabanosy is an interesting sausage because it's usually in a very small diameter casing (dries quickly). When you add salt and cure you will get roughly month of protection from the nasty bacteria, when you smoke and cook the kabanosy you will add another several layers of protection (by in essence pasteurizing the sausage and giving it smoke which is antimicrobial) . The 20 days of drying reduces the water activity making the product completely shelf stable. So you should be good to go. Every sausage is different depending on how it was processed and how large it is. There is no 1 rule that applies to all of them.
I'd like to see a video on the sausage accelerator. I'd also like to see your take on the health hazards/benefits of using yet another chemical in my sausages.
Buen Dia Eric Soy seguidor de tu canal desde hace tiempo y realmente te he aprendido un buen Soy fanático de las embutidos echos en casa Cuando nos sorprendes con algunos vídeos en español
Eric, I am new to sausage making and I have learned so much from your channel. Thank you for taking the time to produce such great content. I do have a question even after watching this video, can I add cure to fresh sausage that I do not intend to smoke? Would it still work in the same way? Flavor enhancement, color retention, etc.
Hi. Great videos. I have a question regarding curing salts and using "cowboy candy" peppers. I would like to try to make some sausages with jalapenos that have been made into cowboy candy. Cowboy candy utilizes vinegar. From my readings, vinegar is a no no to use with curing salts as it can produce a toxic substance that could be fatal. I could make fresh sausage with the cowboy candy and freeze them without #1, however I'd like to smoke some of them, and this would necessitate the use of #1. So, my question is how can i introduce the cowboy candy into the sausages and be safe. I would also like to make some snack sticks with the peppers but this requires cure also. Thanks in advance, Jay
Hi, this is Nick. I’m new on your channel. I did like your instruction and advises. I saw online the sausage maker, celery powder for cure. Do you have used it before? What is your opinion?
Hi Nick. Just to make sure I understand you clearly, did you say, " I didn’t like your instruction and advise"? What specific instruction or advice did you not like? As far as celery powder, I have used it before. When using celery powder, ALWAYS use a cure accelerator. You can use cherry powder or sodium erythorbate but one is needed. Also, not all celery powders are created equally, some impart a celery flavor to your meat. The one from the Sausage Maker is good and doesn't add too much of a celery flavor.
@@2guysandacooler I make Romanian traditional sausage: salt, black pepper, garlic, and paprika. After that cold smoke, and let it dry and sometime, I don’t like that dark color. I know some people are using cure salt 1, but I’m not comfortable…… and for long research I found this natural way to preserve sausage. It’s good for preserving prosciutto?( speck). Sorry, I apologize again for that 🫡
Great video. Question: Most sausage maker videos tell one to make a small patty to check that the spices are correct before stuffing. If the sausage mixture contains curing powder is this safe to do straight away? From what I am seeing here it is likely dangerous.
Fantastic information, a similar video on cure #1 in immersion brines would be great. I feel like it’s another area where cure #1 is commonly used incorrectly.
Another easy to digest and informative video; Thank You. I certainly would be interested in learning more about cure accelerators. Happy New Year and here's to continued success in 2023.
Love you videos, I'm starting to make my own venison summer sausage. I will be using celery juice powder, encapsulated citric acid, and spices. Conventional cures seem to give me migraine headaches while cjp does not. Do I need to wait after mixing in the encapsulated citric acid, or stuff & smoke right away? Does the cjp need to be a certain type that has other things added to it, such as a bacterial culture?
If you got CJP from a sausage making supply house, then it should be ready to go. CJP is fermented to reduce the number of nitrates in the end product making the number of nitrites more measurable. If you will be adding Encapsulated Citric Acid (it acts as your cure accelerator) then you should stuff the meat into the casing and cook right away. Let me know how it turns out
i always was under impression is that cure #2 used in dryed sausages such as salamis because it takes few weeks to decompose. but i thought that #1 will start decompose during cooking. when you hot smoke sausage it takes about 6-9 hours. are you saying that hot smoking will not help decomposing? also if nitric oxide does all the work it would be gone by time we start cooking what would. save from patagens? most of the literature says with #1 it is ok to start cooking immediately.
That is correct. The conversion to nitric oxide has to happen in order for the sausage to be safe to cook at low temps. You have to know that the actual conversion of nitric oxide actually takes over 3 weeks to fully convert. In the first 12-24 hours a good majority of the nitrites are converted (enough to protect your meat) but the rest of the conversion usually happens in your refrigerator after the sausage is cooked. There is lots to understand about this ingredient and unfortunately most people have no clue how it works. That is why there is so much bad information on the web. Speaking of which, could you link me the literature that states it's ok to start cooking immediately after adding cure #1. Reason being is because I've never seen that in print before and because that is very bad information. You should wait at least 12 hours after adding the curing salt to cook your sausages..
Sorry if this is a silly question, but why would you use a cure in the first place if you’re planning on eating the sausage the next day? When I make sausages, I don’t use a cure. I rest in the fridge for 24 hrs then eat or freeze. Should I always be using no 1 cure? Always assumed cures were for salamis etc.
It all comes down to how your sausage is going to be cooked/prepared. If the sausage is going to be in the "danger zone" temps for longer than 2 hours (and I'm talking about the meats internal temp) like when you cold smoke sausages or cook them low and slow, then you would use cure #1 to help protect it against unwanted bacteria. If you are making a fresh sausage that's going to be cooked hot and fast, then there's no need to use cure
If I was making this great and to the point video I would've breathily mentioned that in sausage making "curing" is not the only goal - another one is fermentation and it is the combination of 2 gives sausages their taste.
make the video, I'm very interested on excelerators, in fact first I have heard of these products, maybe a comparison for looks and taste, You got me started, I spend all my pocket and lunch money buying equipment.
Is ECA considered a cure accelerator? I make summer sausage and use ECA to get that tang And research said that when you use ECA you need to cook the sausage right away. I would love to know your perspective.
I've always let my cased sausages rest for 24 hours in the 'fridge, but was unaware of the conversion to nitric oxide gas. So although I was performing the sausage preparation correctly, I was not aware of the chemical transformation that was taking place. Thanks for another fun AND scientifically serious video! Now onto some pork, cheddar and jalapeno sausage slated for the smoker!
SWEET!!!! 🤤
I let mine rest also but without cure...u hope I wasn't risking possible damage ti the sausage...no one has gotten sick yet thankfully but now im wondering should I have done that.
Well.....I think I speak for everyone when I say we need a cure accelerator video.
Consider it done!!
And a similar video about cure #2! (And what the difference is at a chemical level)
I second Scott Life’s motion re: cure #2. Thank you for all your efforts to make us safer and better!
Im very happy about alls your videos. Happy new year for everyone , everywhere and still process your meat ! 🥩🥓🍗🍖😀
I also concur.
BTW, hope all had a blessed Christmas
Have Happy and SAFE New Year.
Thanks Eric, family and crew.
Yes to an cure accelerator video. Also information on the impact variables on nitrate/nitrite conversion such as.. Time, temp, pH, sugar etc
Spot on. It's about time someone cleared the air on Cure #1. Great video!
This is quite possibly the most educational channel on the tube. I am not just talking about sausage or Salumi or Charcuterie. I am speaking of educational value. Eric job well done
Great video, good information. Though i think you may have some people confused. If you are making sausage and cook it immediately there is no reason to properly cure it. The ground material has all been exposed to air and bacteria but as long as you stay out of the danger zone for less than 2 hours its completely fine. The only time you need to cure sausage is if your going to store it for later use and are going have have it in the danger zone for longer than 2 hours as in cold smoking. The same reason we can go buy ground beef or ground pork, keep it in the fridge for a few days and take it out and cook it. The cold of the fridge prevents bacteria from growing because cold is bacteriostatic. Even if you take the meat out of the fridge its completely fine as long as you stay out of the danger zone temps for under 2 hours and then cook it properly. If i'm making sausage for a party and i'm going to cook it immediately, i never use curing salts and has been completely fine.
I'm so glad to be able to listen to you and your sausage making techniques .
And the science behind sausage making proper sausage making. I don't want to be using my food products making someone sick or sending them to the hospitals are worse than that a permanent residence. I will be looking for the video on curing my sausages.
I've learned more from 3 of this guy's videos than I have in the last 3 years of TH-cam "Research" on curing meats. Will recommend!
Love to see a video on cure accelerators. As always very informative content, thank you.
Yes please! a video on cure accelerators would be great. Thank you
It is good to drill more in the additives to sausages. There is a lot that is either not known amount the hobbyists or misunderstood. And this is specifically when it comes to safety. Also - with adding additives - one should cross check to commercially available products - specifically on the benefits that a hobbyists would have producing their product vs the commercially available. Flavor is one big part and cost of course but sometimes users may avoid commercial product because of a specific benefit they are looking for or lack of trust towards the commercial product. Either way - I am thankful you are bringing this subject to the front line.
I love to watch how this channel grows. Great content. You have inspired a lot of my projects. ❤
Thanks so much 😊
I always let me sausages rest in the fridge over night before smoking, but I was told the reason was so the casings stick to the protein. Now I understand the real reason of why I should be doing it. Thank you.
Cure Accelerators video a big YES! This video answered my questions about fast curing. Thanks!
Eric, I love watching your sausage making videos; the techniques and styles are amazing. I also have found your food safety videos very informative as a lot of videos out there are showing practices that can actually harm someone. You have opened my eyes in a couple of these.
Awesome! Thank you!
Excellent explanation Eric, yet again. The Hazard you describe with excessive residual nitrite, or nitrate, is exacerbated when people use natural cures like celery powder. Studies show there is far more residual nitrate is foods when these cures are used making them potentially more dangerous, over time certainly.
Yes but celery powder won't do the same job as cure #1 or there wouldn't exist curing salts. You would have to add so much of it to do the same work,your product would suffer. Products in store that claim no nitrates, like salame, all have natural nitrates but you will notice they are only a semi dried product,and they do not last more than 4 days once package is opened and product exposed to oxygen/contaminants. Dry cure a salame yourself with cure #2, and you will see it lasts weeks in fridge after cut open. That's my experience with the topic. No harm in curing salts at all if used properly.
What "studies," you mean mainstream studies that look out for the all mighty power, control, and profit of the mainstream cartel systems? Buster, I have only been sick once in the last 15 years, with one bout of what we are told is "bronchitis" around 5 years ago, which I got rid of naturally with ginger and other spices, got rid of it in 2 days flat. I reason it was due to toxic synthetic fragrances, so I cut them out entirely and I no more respiratory nonsense to worry about anymore. I make my own sausage and use 1.5 to 2 percent salt per weight in grams of meat and around 1 tsp of celery power that I prepare myself in a large mortar and pestle from dried organic celery and all this to around 3 to 5 pounds of meat. Sometimes I may add another tsp, but only because I like the taste of celery, not because I am afraid of any "germ theory" nonsense. The human body and all animal bodies become toxic due to the consumption of anything synthetic, whether nitrites, nitrates, Vs, antibiotics, or anything else that is synthetic. "Amazingly" the human body and all animal bodies do very well with natural compounds. So, you keep on believing in logical fallacies, and I will continue following things that add up to make sense. Synthetic nitrites, lol, and people mindlessly wonder why they continue to fall ill. Please, please, oh please keep eating anything and all synthetic, while I stick to natural, and continue to not get sick. Also, please, please, oh please keep getting jabbed!!!!!!!!!!
What I don't understand is that our family has been making soppressata for generations without nitrites. There are only 4 ingredients, salt, fennel, paprika and cayenne pepper. The salt ratio is 1lb of salt to 35lbs of meat. We only make it in the winter and weather permitting, try to keep it out of the danger zone in our cold room but mother nature does not always cooperate.
I'm glad I watched your video I going to try and make a small batch of smoked sausage now I know to let it sit for 24 hours before smoking it. Thank you for the info.
SO, So nice to have such an articulate, well annunciated, clear and concise presentation let alone all the incredible info regarding sausage making. Thank you so much. !
Does it matter when you add the curing salt? If it turns into a gas, does it dissipate if you add it to cubed meat and let it rest overnight before grinding? Also, is it okay to add to ground meat and let that sit overnight before casing? Or is it best to add it right before stuffing the casings? Thanks for all the great info.
Thank you for that information. I have no problem with bacon or ham but my sausage never comes out with vibrant colors. Now I know why, My summer sausage comes out well but I always let it hang in the garage overnight to let it dry. Thanks for the info and Happy New Year.
Please do a cure accelerator video. You are so informative. You have helped me in my new hobby immensely
Very informative. All the best for the new year
Another great video with lots of good information. I would like to see the video on cure accelerators.
Thanks guys very interesting subject I think many people are unaware of , would be great to learn more about this
Thank you so so much for this information my friend, im really getting deep into making my own bacon/jerky/sausage etc. and this video is exactly what i needed. 🙏🏽
Thank you Eric. Great information. Since I smoke my chicken sausage at 150, I am dropping Cure #1 from that recipe.
The issue isn't what you cook it at, the issue is the internal temp of your sausage. If you can get the internal to 150f in under 2 hours, you should be ok. Odds are it's taking longer than that depending on the diameter. If you want to cook chicken sausage and drop the cure, you'd be better cooking/smoking at a hotter temp. Perhaps 200f - 225f
@@2guysandacooler Thank you so much Eric. I am grateful for your help on this and all your efforts. Wish you well.
Great Job!!! Clear, concise, and most importantly, correct.
Great information and yes a video on cure accelerators would be helpful. Making cold smoke chipotle sausage next weekend and looking for recipes
Thank you for this information and explaining the principles of Cure#1.
Very informative. You're doing an excellent job educating us. Appreciate it 👍
Excellent video. Very informative and entertaining 👍 Hope you’ve made that curing accelerator video. I’ll be looking for it. 👍❤️🖖
Another outstanding video!!
You have upped my charcuterie game exponentially, New Years was awesome!
Thank you, Again, YT did not notify me. I was just watching the bacon vid. Went back for the tamales and saw this one. Happy New Year. God Bless and stay safe.
Great stuff as always.
Thanks Eric for this video, it explains a lot. What books or literature do you recommend for in depth information about this topic?
Liked very much have bought all the accessories to make sausage this was very informative like to see a lot more videos
Thanks for this wealth of information. When making boudin, do you ever use curing salt and if I ever found the conditions right to need them, is there a video where you show the safe amount of curing salt that should be used?
Yes! Let's see the video on cure accelerators! Great video here!
how shelf stable is sn(6.25%)? i have a product called instacure but it only has around 1% of sn and it stopped working properly after a few months, called the company that sold it to me and they said yeah it has like a few months shelf life and i thought what a waste of time and money for me even though the stuff is cheap i did not want to go buy another pack only to use so little of it and for it to go to waste before im able to use it all,, so im wondering about these pink cures or prague powder if they are the same and if i can make them last longer by either vacuum sealing them after each use or some tight lid jar or just ziploc bag?
and still no reply help from anyone
Absolutely spot on again and yeah more info on accelerators please.
great content.!!! would you please talk about curing accelerators?
cheers from Mexico
Very important topic Eric. Great video as always. I'll also add that years ago I tried sodium erythorbate in my dried salame just because sausage maker claimed it speeds up the conversion of the #2 cure as well as the #1. I'm not confident I noticed any difference in the end results. Have you used it for dried products? Maybe throw that in the video as well.
I do use it in dry cured products as well. It doesn't make the salami finish sooner it just speeds up the conversion process so that the final product has very little unconverted nitrites. You might notice a color enhancement but other than that there's no difference in the finished product.
@@2guysandacooler thanks for confirming Eric
Excellent list of resources in the link Eric
Yeah, there's a mountain of information when it comes to using Nitrites in meat, the listed links are a great place to start...
Damn I'm glad I watched your videos before I started making sausages thanks for your time and expense just for us!
Great video! 😊
Do I need to still cure in fridge (not using curing salt) if I’m freezing the sausages?
it all depends on how you are cooking your sausage. If you are planning on smoking your sausage low and slow, then yes. If you are just planning on making a fresh sausage cooked hot and fast then no
Thank you!!
Great watch to start the year! Love your videos always! Can you make a video regarding cooking sausage yields? Thanks always
Love to see a video of cure accelerator. And is there a taste difference between them? Bc I know encapsulated citric acid gives that tangy flavour. I’m guess most cure accelerators will lower the ph and do the same?
Most cure accelerators don't affect the flavor. ECA is unique in that way
Great explanation. Nice job. 🏆
Solid video as usual from the cooler.
Eric, that was a great explanation. Thanks!
thanks for all your great videos😃👍
Can you do a brisket in brine to corned beef and what you use in it? Are you using curing salt and S. erythrobate ? I would really appreciate that thanks
Excellent... please dive into sodium erythorbate, would love that video
I love this video and the easy to understand delivery!!! I’ve never used curing salts but I’m considering the use of celery seed powder…… does it pose the same risk if cooked immediately? (Obviously it won’t have time to cure, but my question is strictly health related)
Thanks Micah. Yes. Celery powder or beet powder, basically any form of Nitrite used in meats will have the same issue. BTW. You want Celery juice (or celery juice powder) to cure meat, not celery seed powder - I forgot to tell you the last time we talked.
@@2guysandacooler Oh ok! I sure appreciate you helping me! One more question….. would it work if we juiced store bought celery, or does it need to be more potent?
Juicing store bought celery would work. Here's the issue. Celery naturally contains both nitrites and nitrates. If you use Celery juice I would give it a full 24 hours before cooking. This will allow the natural antioxidants in celery juice break down the nitrates and nitrites. I don't personally recommend this method due to the uncertainty in the amounts that you should use. Hope that helps
@@2guysandacooler You always help! Thanks!!!
Very, very good video, Eric. Thank you.
Very helpful information, thank you.
I made sausage, smoked a cold smoke and used cure no #1. I donot want to cook it so, I have a question:
How long to wait until I can eat the dry aged sausage? Thank you.
Eric, thanks for sharing your knowledge; I also enjoy watching the videos. I had a question regarding the danger temperature zone. In your video on Drywors, the sausage is hanging in the drying box in that dangerous temperature zone for longer than two hours; why is it safe to consume that product when curing salts were not used?
For a sausage I intend to cold smoke, is it detrimental if I let it sit in the refrigerator for longer than 24 hours? Does it do any harm if I, say, let it sit for 3 days before smoking? This is for something like a smoked sausage or snack stick type application. Thank you!
There is no harm in that.
If the cure is creating a gas does it work best to have the meat in a tightly sealed container for the 24 hrs? I usually cure then stuff after 24 hrs. To take a taste test before stuffing.
It doesn't matter as the gas is being released through the inside of the sausage
Thanks for sharing you knowledge gained from experiences - awesome!
As a cellular biology and chemistry nerd, I’d LOVE to see the Nitrite, NOX & Sodium Erythorbate reaction!!
Yes on a video about cure accelerators. Great show b
Excellent information, great video!
Great information, thank you!
Since you have such an international audience, I believe it might be worthwhile to point out that the content of sodium nitrite varies greatly from country to country. In the USA, InstaCure #1 contains 6.25% sodium nitrite, whereas in Germany curing salt (Pökelsalz) contains 0.4 - 0.5%, and 0.6% in the UK. So, there is a difference of a factor of 10 or 12 between the USA and these countries in Europe.
Yep. It's interesting because Pökelsalz would be a lot like the "Tender Quick" product that Mortons sells. It's designed to be used at roughly 2% - 4% and no additional salt is added unlike insta cure which is added at .25%. I'm working on a video that helps people understand the ppm (parts per million) of nitrites that they are adding and what the safe limits are.
@@2guysandacooler Thank you for the quick reply and this information. I was not aware of Morton's "Tender Quick." I look forward to your new video on safe limits.
Great content. That was well explained. Thanks!
This is the content I enjoy and the medium that makes effective learning for me. Thank you
Is there any downfall to letting your meat cure in the fridge for more than 24 hours? Have seen conflicting arguments on this saying the cure breaks down and becomes Less effective? I Have a batch of summer sausage I plan on grinding and seasoning Friday night but won’t be able to stuff and smoke until Sunday night/Monday morning
Awesome thanks what about number 2?
I love the information you give in your sausage making videos. It has definitely taught me a lot about sausage making. I have a bottle of sodium erythorbate that I ordered from the Sausage Maker and have yet to use. So I would love to see a video about this product before I take another step forward in making sausage. Also is encapsulated citric acid a cure accelerator as well?
Hey, this is also my exact scenario and question
Yes Encapsulated citric acid is a cure accelerator
Many thanks Eric for your hard work on these videos and the time you spend reading and answering all the comments/questions. Just read about Ecocure # 1 and 2 on the SausageMaker site. Wow! My head is spinning. Is it a 100% 1:1 replacement for Instacure #1? Can I toss my traditional curing salts and switch to Ecocure? Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see "FDA Approved" on this new "Secret Sauce."
Great video! I wish I could show it to the place where I used to work. They'd go straight from stuffing to cooking with all of their cured sausages. Nothing I said could get them to change. They ground and stuffed at room temp as well. All around bad practices
WOW. It's unfortunate but this craft is full of people who just copy other people doing it and often they are copying really bad/dangerous habits.
@@2guysandacooler unfortunate indeed! I'm grateful for your channel and the others you've featured here. Even in the last few months I've gone leaps and bounds over anything I'd done previously when it comes to making sausage and charcuterie. Thank you!❤
You are welcome. I'm glad the info is helpful
Have a couple cure #1 questions. When I cure meat for sausage I first cut it into 1” to 2” cubes weigh it then add the appropriate amount of cure and the salt the recipe calls for then cover with a towel and refrigerate for 2 days. Then grind, mix, stuff and smoke to ~ 155° F. I have noticed that some recipes such as kabanosy after smoking say to hang at room temp. for 20 days and others say to bloom for 2 hrs. then refrigerate and if not consumed within a few days to freeze. So my questions are how long can I safely hang sausage prepared as above to dry before smoking and how long after smoking? also does the cure penetrate the fat or just the meat? Thanks in advance
Also I have read many cure related subjects and watched countless videos and found a lot of useful information on witch cure to use, when and how but nothing definitive on what the time limitation is at room temp
So there are a few factors to take into consideration. The diameter of the sausage, the ph of the meat, and the conditions that it's hanging in. When you add cure #1 you are adding 1 layer of protection to your meat. Salt is another layer of protection, smoking is also another layer of protection, also slow cooking (which reduces moisture) is another layer of protection. So, there's lots of things going on here. Kabanosy is an interesting sausage because it's usually in a very small diameter casing (dries quickly). When you add salt and cure you will get roughly month of protection from the nasty bacteria, when you smoke and cook the kabanosy you will add another several layers of protection (by in essence pasteurizing the sausage and giving it smoke which is antimicrobial) . The 20 days of drying reduces the water activity making the product completely shelf stable. So you should be good to go.
Every sausage is different depending on how it was processed and how large it is. There is no 1 rule that applies to all of them.
@@2guysandacooler Thanks. Your videos are exceptional
Great video, thank you.
I'd like to see a video on the sausage accelerator. I'd also like to see your take on the health hazards/benefits of using yet another chemical in my sausages.
Buen Dia Eric
Soy seguidor de tu canal desde hace tiempo y realmente te he aprendido un buen
Soy fanático de las embutidos echos en casa
Cuando nos sorprendes con algunos vídeos en español
Thank you! Cure accelerator video please!
Eric, I am new to sausage making and I have learned so much from your channel. Thank you for taking the time to produce such great content. I do have a question even after watching this video, can I add cure to fresh sausage that I do not intend to smoke? Would it still work in the same way? Flavor enhancement, color retention, etc.
Yes. Think hot dogs. Just make sure you let the cure do its job before cooking.
Translucent potato face?
Excellent info and explanations.
Hi. Great videos. I have a question regarding curing salts and using "cowboy candy" peppers. I would like to try to make some sausages with jalapenos that have been made into cowboy candy. Cowboy candy utilizes vinegar. From my readings, vinegar is a no no to use with curing salts as it can produce a toxic substance that could be fatal. I could make fresh sausage with the cowboy candy and freeze them without #1, however I'd like to smoke some of them, and this would necessitate the use of #1. So, my question is how can i introduce the cowboy candy into the sausages and be safe. I would also like to make some snack sticks with the peppers but this requires cure also. Thanks in advance, Jay
just rinse the peppers off with water and add them at the very end of the mixing process. Should be fine
This video deserves a medal.
Thanks so much for sharing this info. I assume you should also let the sausage cure before. Old smoking, is this correct?
Yes
Please make that video on cure accelerators!!
Hi, this is Nick. I’m new on your channel. I did like your instruction and advises. I saw online the sausage maker, celery powder for cure. Do you have used it before? What is your opinion?
Hi Nick. Just to make sure I understand you clearly, did you say, " I didn’t like your instruction and advise"? What specific instruction or advice did you not like?
As far as celery powder, I have used it before. When using celery powder, ALWAYS use a cure accelerator. You can use cherry powder or sodium erythorbate but one is needed. Also, not all celery powders are created equally, some impart a celery flavor to your meat. The one from the Sausage Maker is good and doesn't add too much of a celery flavor.
@@2guysandacooler ohhhh sorry for my English 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️ I didn’t mean that I was trying to say I like your advice
@@2guysandacooler I make Romanian traditional sausage: salt, black pepper, garlic, and paprika. After that cold smoke, and let it dry and sometime, I don’t like that dark color. I know some people are using cure salt 1, but I’m not comfortable…… and for long research I found this natural way to preserve sausage. It’s good for preserving prosciutto?( speck). Sorry, I apologize again for that 🫡
Very important information
Thank you very much
Great video. Question: Most sausage maker videos tell one to make a small patty to check that the spices are correct before stuffing. If the sausage mixture contains curing powder is this safe to do straight away? From what I am seeing here it is likely dangerous.
Thanks been looking for this information
Another great video. Will watch the cure accelerator video. You did a nice video on Non Fat Dry Milk, Can you also do one on Soy Protein?
Fantastic information, a similar video on cure #1 in immersion brines would be great. I feel like it’s another area where cure #1 is commonly used incorrectly.
Another easy to digest and informative video; Thank You.
I certainly would be interested in learning more about cure accelerators.
Happy New Year and here's to continued success in 2023.
Love you videos, I'm starting to make my own venison summer sausage. I will be using celery juice powder, encapsulated citric acid, and spices. Conventional cures seem to give me migraine headaches while cjp does not. Do I need to wait after mixing in the encapsulated citric acid, or stuff & smoke right away? Does the cjp need to be a certain type that has other things added to it, such as a bacterial culture?
If you got CJP from a sausage making supply house, then it should be ready to go. CJP is fermented to reduce the number of nitrates in the end product making the number of nitrites more measurable. If you will be adding Encapsulated Citric Acid (it acts as your cure accelerator) then you should stuff the meat into the casing and cook right away. Let me know how it turns out
Hi Eric, thanks for this video. Can we use wine (or more stronger alcohol, cognac etc) instead of curing salts?
i always was under impression is that cure #2 used in dryed sausages such as salamis because it takes few weeks to decompose. but i thought that #1 will start decompose during cooking. when you hot smoke sausage it takes about 6-9 hours. are you saying that hot smoking will not help decomposing? also if nitric oxide does all the work it would be gone by time we start cooking what would. save from patagens? most of the literature says with #1 it is ok to start cooking immediately.
That is correct. The conversion to nitric oxide has to happen in order for the sausage to be safe to cook at low temps. You have to know that the actual conversion of nitric oxide actually takes over 3 weeks to fully convert. In the first 12-24 hours a good majority of the nitrites are converted (enough to protect your meat) but the rest of the conversion usually happens in your refrigerator after the sausage is cooked. There is lots to understand about this ingredient and unfortunately most people have no clue how it works. That is why there is so much bad information on the web. Speaking of which, could you link me the literature that states it's ok to start cooking immediately after adding cure #1.
Reason being is because I've never seen that in print before and because that is very bad information. You should wait at least 12 hours after adding the curing salt to cook your sausages..
great advice as always.
Sorry if this is a silly question, but why would you use a cure in the first place if you’re planning on eating the sausage the next day? When I make sausages, I don’t use a cure. I rest in the fridge for 24 hrs then eat or freeze. Should I always be using no 1 cure? Always assumed cures were for salamis etc.
It all comes down to how your sausage is going to be cooked/prepared. If the sausage is going to be in the "danger zone" temps for longer than 2 hours (and I'm talking about the meats internal temp) like when you cold smoke sausages or cook them low and slow, then you would use cure #1 to help protect it against unwanted bacteria. If you are making a fresh sausage that's going to be cooked hot and fast, then there's no need to use cure
If I was making this great and to the point video I would've breathily mentioned that in sausage making "curing" is not the only goal - another one is fermentation and it is the combination of 2 gives sausages their taste.
Thank you for this information👌
make the video, I'm very interested on excelerators, in fact first I have heard of these products, maybe a comparison for looks and taste, You got me started, I spend all my pocket and lunch money buying equipment.
Is ECA considered a cure accelerator? I make summer sausage and use ECA to get that tang And research said that when you use ECA you need to cook the sausage right away. I would love to know your perspective.
I have never used a curing agent and never had an issue. Am I just lucky? I cook my sausage right after stuffing.