using Morton Tender Quick in brine

[Mark]

I have a friend that used this stuff to brine some chickens and he said they came out great and tasted like ham. I also learned that Canadian bacon is bonless pork loin cured with stuff like this?

Anyone have any experience using sodium nitrite and/or potassium nitrate in their brines before smoking? If so, how'd it turn out?

[parrothead]

Although I am a staunch supporter of bird brining, I have not tried the tender quick. Just coarse kosher salt. I would like to hear anybody's experience with this also.

[ckkphoto]

I've used it. I like using it with pork butts and with ribs. I like the flavor and the "pink" looks good in shredded pork. I have tried it with brisket. It kinda threw me the first time, and I honestly can't remember whether I liked it or not. I wouldn't hesitate to try it (injecting) with brining a turkey. Might help to keep the breast tender while the dark meat finishes cooking.

[Mark]

I got a 10 lb pack of frozen chicken quarters that cost only $3 I'm going to experiment with. Aside from giving a ham taste and pink color throught, this stuff allows smoking in the "danger zone." I did a search and below are the more informative links:

http://www.mortonsalt.com/consumer/products/meatcuring/index.htm
http://www.cookshack.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=15&t=000504
http://www.americasbbq.com/general_store/product_details/830.htm
http://www.alliedkenco.com/data/data_sheets/morton_curing_directions.htm

[BBQchef33]

isnt that stuff like MSG??? If it is.... i cant touch it.. the wife has violent reactions to it. Like instant migrane, throat closes up.. cant breath.... passes out...


really messes up dinner.

[parrothead]

Sounds like Phil wants you to send him some chicken when you are done Mark.

[Mark]

The Morton website does not list MSG as an ingredient.

[rbinms33]

I don't think it's the same. I can get some pretty nasty headaches from MSG too. Always used to wonder why I got a headache after eating KFC, they use a lot of MSG in their stuff. Anyways, we buy the frozen boneless/skinless chicken breasts from Kroger and they're frozen in a (5 or 15%?? can't remember which) potassium nitrate brine. It's never had a bad effect on me (knocking on wood).

I remember we used to use the Sugar cure stuff when we slaughtered hogs. I couldn't have been more than 12-13 yrs old but it was a "first frost" of the year ritual. I never could understand how you could leave meat out like that without it spoiling......but we did....and to my knowledge, nobody ever got sick off any of it.

[Solidkick]

I remember we used to use the Sugar cure stuff when we slaughtered hogs. I couldn't have been more than 12-13 yrs old but it was a "first frost" of the year ritual. I never could understand how you could leave meat out like that without it spoiling......but we did....and to my knowledge, nobody ever got sick off any of it.

I remember that too! I was always amazed at the steam rolling off the intrals in the cool air. Damn, those were the good old days, makes me miss my Daddy and Grandpa...........

[parrothead]

I always got stuck digging the hole for those entrails. Goat gut mod. or pig or cow or whatever we were raising that year.

Yeah I geuss that does bring back memories of many a crisp fall morning.

[rbinms33]

I remember that too! I was always amazed at the steam rolling off the intrals in the cool air.


Heheheheh....that was the first time I got sick. We had a hog hanging up by the hind legs and Grandaddy was splitting the rib cage with a hammer and hatchet. The "chitlins" were falling in his way so he told me to hold them up out of the way. All that steam rolling up in my face....the only thing on my stomach was about 3 cups of coffee....and then one part fell across the hatchet and he smashed it with the hammer and it flew up in my face. Gives the term "sh*tfaced" a whole new meaning. Needless to say, I tossed my cookies when that happened.


I always got stuck digging the hole for those entrails.


Never had a problem giving away the chitlins. People down the road would come over and get them. Stretch 'em out, put the water hose in one end and turn the water on. Ever seen a fire hose when they turn the water on? That's exactly what it looked like.

Does bring back memories though. Yeah, it was nasty.....yeah, it was hard....but man, there's few things that compare to tenderloin sliced into medallions, pan fried and put into a biscuit.....mmmm....mmmm....mmmm.

[BBQchef33]

OMG!!!! This makes me glad to be born and raised in the city. Closest think I've seen to this stuff is roadkill. I cant even clean a perdue chicken, never mind something gut a fish without tossin my cookies, and you guys a burrien entrails and shoot hoses :shock: up guts... HOLY SH*T!!!! God bless ya's...

Im going to the deli. :roll:

[parrothead]

City slicker!

[willkat98]

I'm with Phil. You folks sound like you had a hell of an upbringing.

Only guts I saw was when someone would tie an M80 to a cat's tail and scare it up the tree. Guts and **** come flying down all over the place.

The gypsys on the corner had a horse in there basement, and a one horned goat in the yard, as the legend goes.

[rbinms33]

You guys crack me up. Me thinks it's time for a class field trip to the local slaughterhouse. :shock:

I promise, you'll never look at a steak or pork chop the same way again!

[willkat98]

In the city, your taught that meat grows from a seed right in the cryovac bag.

Then you hear about a truck flipping over on the way to the stockyards and theirs piggies running around in the street.

So then you remember the "this little piggie goes to market" ryhme and think its just a bunch of people with no shoes on.

[hobo_pie]

I offered to bring "fresh" pig to one of the Bashes...Phil told me not to....didn't like the thought of something breathing one day and in the smoker the next I guess

Ray

[BBQchef33]

Sorry, my take on that is is I'm gonna eat anything thats lookin at me, i want to wake up with it the next day. :twisted:

[rbinms33]

In the city, your taught that meat grows from a seed right in the cryovac bag.


Ohhhhhhhhhh....I think I've heard of that. Something about taking some White Castle burgers and letting them dry out so you can break them open and get the seeds out.

[willkat98]

If Whiteys grew from seeds, I'd be one happy (and continuosly ****ting) farmer

[Mark]

Yeah right; and milk & eggs come from cartons. Now back on track: making smoked chicken taste like smoked ham seem like it could be a useful technique. Like I said, I'm willing to try it. I'll report my findings.

[rbinms33]

Yeah, I kinda got off track with my talk of hog slaughtering too.....but that's the only time I can ever remember using it. Don't remember cooking or "prepping" other meat with it. That's why I'd like to hear what your results are.

[parrothead]

making smoked chicken taste like smoked ham

Mark, I brine every bird I cook. Regular brine not tenderquick, and after smoking it it tastes more like ham than bird.

[Mike(Mi)]

Pardon me if I help take this freewheeling excursion back to topic, but... The sodium nitrate and nitrite in Tender Quick help retard the growth of ugly critters in your meat. That's why it tastes like ham. The same stuff goes into ham, bacon, hot dogs, baloney, etc. Some people like the pink touch it gives to meat and I guess some don't. My Brine recipe calls for 2 TBs, I usually cheat it down to just one.

[chad]

Putting nitrates/nitrites into the type of food we cook is overkill since we are, usually, not trying to preserve the meat. You guys are correct in that the nitrates are what "pinks" the meat -- and is an indication that a preservation type brine is in use.

Normally, for birds that are to be eaten shortly after cooking I'd use one of the other brines -- I know I've seen reference on the forum to maple, honey, and other brines.

But then each of us has our own idea of what we like. Heck, if you like pink chicken/turkey that tastes like ham - go for it!! :D

[ckkphoto]

Did a pork shoulder this weekend with tender quick brine. 1 cup TQ, four cups water. 1 QT apple juice, a lot of vinegar. 2 drops of insanity sauce, pepper. Injected the shoulder and soaked in brine over night. Cooked four hours on apple then six on mesquite. Did a rack of ribs with just Southern Flavor (Thanks Bill!),. No rib leftovers, and my two couples carted away the rest of the pulled pork. I like it pink. It just looks better.

Next time I would like to add bourbon to the brine. Anyone done it and good at it?

[Mark]

Did a pork shoulder this weekend with tender quick brine. 1 cup TQ, four cups water. 1 QT apple juice, a lot of vinegar. 2 drops of insanity sauce, pepper. Injected the shoulder and soaked in brine over night. Cooked four hours on apple then six on mesquite. Did a rack of ribs with just Southern Flavor (Thanks Bill!),. No rib leftovers, and my two couples carted away the rest of the pulled pork. I like it pink. It just looks better.

Next time I would like to add bourbon to the brine. Anyone done it and good at it?

Min'es kinda similar

Monday night I cut up 3 big Tyson chickens and started brining them. Here's the brine recipe I came up with:

Pour 1 beer in a mixing bowl
Add 1 tbsp of Tender Quick per lb of meat
Add 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup cider vinegar, 1/2 cup soy sauce and spices to taste
(I added a thumb-sized piece of ginger, half an onion and a tbsp of both cayenne and garlic)

This should marinate for 4 to 5 days @35 to 40 deg. F. Temperature is relatively unimportant but I'm still gonna hot smoke it.

Will go into the smoker this Saturday morning and hopefully ready for the Rams/Panthers game.

Greg: if your out there, thats pretty much what you ate at my place (less the Tender Quick).