Curing salt in Ottawa [General]

2009 Aug 31
I am contemplating wet-curing and then smoking a ham for use in sausage making that is to occur over the next few months. Generally, I don’t use nitrates/nitrites in my cured products, but as this is going to be for other people and because I want the cubes of ham to stay really pink within the sausages, I think I will use curing salt when brining the ham.

Does anyone know where it can be found in Ottawa, or if there is a forum already addressing this? Thanks in advance.

2009 Aug 31
I think Tracinho that it's mentioned in this thread: ottawafoodies.com/forum/1252

Exact quotes are:
"MBD- You can get curing salt at nicasro's on merivale @6.99/kg the ratio is 2% by wieght of the meat, so a kg goes along way!"

"You can also buy pure sodium nitrate at 168 market, kowloon and uni, you need to mix it with salt to make your own "ready cure" or "tcm". Go on line to find out the exact ratios. I believe its 93.75% salt and 6.25% nitrate."

Do I get a taste of the final product for doing the legwork? ;-)


2009 Aug 31
Hahah...if I pull all this together (and the sausages are excellent) I will definitely save some for sharing.

Thanks...

2009 Aug 31
the sausage kitchen in the market sells all that type of stuff as well....

2009 Aug 31
Tracinho.. I'd settle for you showing me how to cure meat...salt, sugar, or easy cure.

2009 Sep 1
Alright Pete I will keep you posted...this will be my first sausage experience so I will be learning at the feet of a friend who knows what is going on. But the wet-cured ham should be pretty straightforward.

2009 Sep 2
I got some at the Parma Plus at Greenbank@ Huntclub shopping plaza. sold as salt petre. ask for it at the pharmacy counter. $ 6.95 for a small bottle. As you only need a little it goes a long way.

2009 Sep 5
What is the problem with nitrates in curing? I see "Nitrate free" and wonder what that means to the general public.

2009 Sep 6
bouche, it is generally accepted that nitrates (or nitrites, which nitrates willingly become) are carcinogenic. High temperatures exacerbate the effect, which gives us yet another reason to heat hot dogs in water rather than on the grill.

I do prefer Knackwurst grilled though, so I can't ask anyone to keep nitrate laden foods off my grill without being a hypocrite! (It's the nitrates that allow cooked meat to be pink rather than grey.)

2009 Sep 7
Nitrates shnitrates! Carcinogens will be produced by the Maillard reactions between sugars and nitrogen rich proteins in high heat, with or without added nitrates. Granted, putting cured meats and high sugar bbq sauces on the grill will produce even more carcinogens compared with uncured meats, but this hasn't stopped me from indulging in a pound of bbq pork from Chinatown every once in a while. Like everything else in life...all things in moderation.

All things considered, a boiled beef brisket or a cured tongue sandwich, nitrates included, will still be healthier than an uncured rack of ribs sauced and charred to a crisp on the grill.

2009 Nov 27
Just to ask:

i compound my own mixture of

93.75% salt and 6.25% nitrate, by weight.

Then use in the following:

1 gallon water
2 cups Morton’s kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 ounce (5 teaspoons) pink salt (see Note)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons pickling spice (above or store-bought) (Thank-you Mr. Ruhlman, I am borrowing your book from the library.)

To cure:

One 5-pound well-marbled (first-cut) beef brisket.

The brine, not the pink salt, scaled up or down depending on the weight of meat.

Right?

I have read so much stuff that I am now thoroughly confused. But this is my plan.

BTW: I am so jealous of all that ham. I've given up eating it lately, since what I can afford is rubbish, and it would take a long time for our household to eat a ham. However, I am thinking about some bacon and breakfast sausage that might actually taste like food.