Did I ruin my brisket???

rfdvrcasey

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I've been following these forums for a while but this is the first time I'm posting. I'm making some corned beef and the recipe I'm following calls for 2 tsp of pink salt but I mistakenly used 2 TBLS. I'm worried that A) it may not be safe to eat and B) it will affect the flavor. Is there anything I can do? Fresh water soak?
Thanks in advance for and advice.
 
By pink salt, I assume you are referring to Prague powder #1 and not something like Himalayan Pink Salt or Hawaiian Pink Salt?

If it is a curing salt, that's 6 tsp, 200% more than what was called for.... If it is a wet cure (submerged in curing brine) you can adjust the water for proper dilution, if it's a dry curing in a bag, I personally wouldn't use it.

But more importantly pink salt should be weighed and calculated according to the weight of the meat. A reliable recipe, from experience, will always weigh the ingredients of the cure, salt, and sugar for accuracy, consistency, and for safety.

If you're really interested in curing meats, then invest in one of these recommended books for sausage making and curing meats....

I would suggest doing some reading before you make the leap so you have an understanding of some of the processes...... It is important that you follow the recipe using exact amounts as well as the proper procedures to maintain a safe meat product. When in doubt read and read again, and ask questions if you need to.

There are many great books and guides on curing and sausage making. I am sure almost everyone who posts may have a few recommendations for books on sausage making. These are by far the best books for basic and advanced sausage making. They start with the basics and move forward to help you master the craft of sausage making. Contains true recipes before the use of chemical enhancers/additives, and fillers were added to stretch the amount of commercial production.

While there are many books out there that all contain enough information to get you off to a good start, there are a few books that I would highly recommend.


First Recommendation..

Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages by Stanley Marianski and Adam Marianski
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This is a book that covers everything from making a smokehouse, to curing meats, and making sausage. Very easy to read with a great collection of recipes and techniques for the beginner. This book is actually two other books ("Meat Smoking And Smokehouse Design" and "Polish Sausages, Authentic Recipes And Instructions") combined into one single book plus more on making sausage and curing meats. Most are simple one Kilogram recipes, so you can make a small batch of the product before deciding to make a large batch. This also makes it easier to make a larger batches with easy multiples. The use of a metric scale in sausage making and curing makes the process much more accurate and provides a consistent product time after time.


Second Recommendation..

Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing by Rytek Kutas and Ben Kutas
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This is often called the definitive book on sausage making. The explanation of how cures work, and what they are for, just this understanding to a beginner is worth the price of the book. However the smallest quantity the recipes is for ten pounds, so a beginner will have to properly calculate and scale down the recipes. The book is equally helpful to the beginner or the advanced. Some of the recipes are a little too salty for my taste, but I just make a note and reduce the salt in the next batch. The book also contains a some stories that are entertaining. *** DO NOT BUY THE BOOK / DVD COMBO, in my opinion the DVD is worthless even to a beginner, but that's just my personal opinion.


Third Recommendation..

Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn
51Xa69CUiVL._AA160_.jpg

This is a great book, although it lightly touches the basics, I feel the book is more for an intermediate or advanced sausage maker. Most recipes are in five pound batches, but I suggest you scale them down to try them before making a large batch. You'll find that you will have to tweak a lot of the recipes to your individual liking / tastes. This book takes sausage to the next level with using some top shelf ingredients as well as some hard to find ingredients to make sausages that could be considered in the "gourmet" classification. Michael Ruhlman has many proven recipes, but you must have an understanding of the basics before you try to get into the gourmet type recipes contained herein.



Also keep in mind that there are many great resources on the World-Wide-Web (Internet), but reference books are always good for checking factual information when in doubt.

I would stress to all beginners to use only a tested and proven recipe from a reliable source, there are many recipes I have found on the Internet that I would have concerns about. Just because it's out there doesn't mean it is correct. Also the use of an electronic scale that also has a metric mode is an invaluable must have. The weighing of the cure is critical to food safety, so if everything is properly weighed and not measured, you will have a great product in the end.

Here is a brief guide to what basics are needed to make your own sausage.
http://www.lets-make-sausage.com/Sausage-making-equipment.html


Resources for tested recipes:

The Marianskis have a website which is another great resource:
http://www.meatsandsausages.com/

Len Paoli's Recipe site
http://lpoli.50webs.com/Sausage recipes.htm

The Spicy Sausage
http://thespicysausage.com/sausagemakingrecipes.htm

Sausage Mania
http://www.sausagemania.com/tutorial.html

Lets Make Sausage
http://www.lets-make-sausage.com/Sausage-making-equipment.html

Sausage Making Org
http://forum.sausagemaking.org/

Northwest Smoking
http://web.archive.org/web/20010214020112/http:/home.att.net/~g.m.fowler/frame/Sausage1.htm


and so many more....
 
I made a similar mistake with a pork belly a couple months ago...after getting the correct %'s to weight of the pork belly, I started over and threw the original out. Turned out awesome.
 
IamMadMan is really a mad scientist. Listen to his advice.

BTW, where in CT are you?
 
I would not mess around with pink salt, if by pink salt, you really mean cure #1 or cure #2, Prague powder or Tenderquik.

Use measurements in weights, and really, pay attention to the process.
 
Throw it out..... Too risky...... Hard to throw out meat. But in this case best off in the garbage.
 
Everyone is saying toss it. Is it a wet brine? if so, when did you start it. If it was really recent (like yesterday or today), dump the brine, rinse and repeat like IamMadMan recommended (and the shampoo bottle say). If it is ready to come out of brine then follow the others and feed it to the coyotes.

A few hours in brine will not work to far into the meat.
 
I've been following these forums for a while but this is the first time I'm posting. I'm making some corned beef and the recipe I'm following calls for 2 tsp of pink salt but I mistakenly used 2 TBLS. I'm worried that A) it may not be safe to eat and B) it will affect the flavor. Is there anything I can do? Fresh water soak?
Thanks in advance for and advice.

Rinse it off with cold water and cook it, report back Ct neighbor.


The current USDA Minimum is 125ppm and the Maximum is 200ppm Nitrite for Brined/Pickled Meats. So even if your recipe was minimum your 3 times the amount would put it far above maximum. I find most recipes shoot for the middle, so based on an estimation of 165ppm your over-cure would be at the estimated rate of 495ppm.

While you may be able to rinse or soak some of the cure out, there is no way of telling just how much you have rinsed/leached and at what level the cure in the meat is currently at. If it was a curing brine and you just started it, you can dilute to the proper ratio as indicated above.

Nitrites and nitrates are perfectly safe when used in the proper quantities. Nitrites and nitrates are used to prevent botulism when cold smoking or curing meats, because both provide the perfect environment for the formation of botulism toxin. Extreme caution must be exercised in using these cures; never use more than the weighed amount called for in the recipe. All curing agents are designed to be used and weighed at the rate specified in the formulation or recipe. When used as directed, curing salts are safe for home use.

It is also important to remember that more is not better, because it can be toxic. Nitrates can change normal hemoglobin (the chemical in the blood responsible for oxygen transport) to methemoglobin. Nitrates increase the methemoglobin count, thus reducing the ability of the blood to transport oxygen to cells and organs. Oxygen starvation can lead to a bluish tint of the lips, ears, and nose in slight cases, and severe cases can lead to respiratory problems or heart problems. It also effects children and those with even minor health problems in a more severe manner.
 
The current USDA Minimum is 125ppm and the Maximum is 200ppm Nitrite for Brined/Pickled Meats. So even if your recipe was minimum your 3 times the amount would put it far above maximum. I find most recipes shoot for the middle, so based on an estimation of 165ppm your over-cure would be at the estimated rate of 495ppm.

While you may be able to rinse or soak some of the cure out, there is no way of telling just how much you have rinsed/leached and at what level the cure in the meat is currently at. If it was a curing brine and you just started it, you can dilute to the proper ratio as indicated above.

Nitrites and nitrates are perfectly safe when used in the proper quantities. Nitrites and nitrates are used to prevent botulism when cold smoking or curing meats, because both provide the perfect environment for the formation of botulism toxin. Extreme caution must be exercised in using these cures; never use more than the weighed amount called for in the recipe. All curing agents are designed to be used and weighed at the rate specified in the formulation or recipe. When used as directed, curing salts are safe for home use.

It is also important to remember that more is not better, because it can be toxic. Nitrates can change normal hemoglobin (the chemical in the blood responsible for oxygen transport) to methemoglobin. Nitrates increase the methemoglobin count, thus reducing the ability of the blood to transport oxygen to cells and organs. Oxygen starvation can lead to a bluish tint of the lips, ears, and nose in slight cases, and severe cases can lead to respiratory problems or heart problems. It also effects children and those with even minor health problems in a more severe manner.

Like I said, Listen to IamMadMan. He IS the Mad Scientist.
 
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