Just so people understand, I'm going to preface by stating that I'm not trying to start a debate here, but this brings up a valid concern some people might have.
There has been questions as to the amount of cure in my recipe. Yes it is higher than the recommended amounts. This is because some of the cure becomes suspended in the maple syrup, and never comes in contact with the meat.
I was unaware that this has been questioned, but since you've mentioned it, I ran the numbers and here's my take on it.
The "suspended in maple syrup" statement doesn't really make sense to me because in my mind I'm thinking Maple syrup is water soluble and ultimately becomes part of the total concentrated brine surrounding the meat. But follow me for a minute because the Maple still factors into the weight of the mix...
A dry-rub creates a concentrated brine and no matter what some of the cure will remain in the brine.
Edit: I wonder if this is what was meant by "suspended in the maple syrup."A valid question would be: How do you factor in the maple syrup, and what formula(s) do you use to calculate nitrite levels in a dry-brine/dry-cure recipe? Only that can accurately show if the recipe is or isn't within recommended USDA limits.
My understanding is for Dry-Cured Bacon (or dry-rub cured), the calculation is based of the green weight of the meat at a rate of 200 ppm maximum (based on USDA processing inspectors calculations handbook - pg. 24).
Here are my calculations based on the recipe (as posted in this thread) and USDA formulas:
2 tsp Cure #1 = approx 12 grams
12 X 6.25% nitrite =
0.75 grams nitrite.Weight of the rub ingredients = approx. 204 grams (the maple syrup is part of the weight of the ingredients).
5 lbs meat = 2268 grams
Total Weight = 2472 gramsThe Math: 0.75 grams nitrite X 1,000,000 / 2472 grams = 303 ppm.
So the questions become:
1) Is this too high; is all of the nitrite absorbed by the meat? Maybe, but most likely not.
Edit: First, the calculation & the resulting 303 ppm assumes all of the brine stays in the bacon, which it doesn't. So at least some of the nitrite will stay suspended in the brine. Second, the reason for the 200 ppm limit on dry-cured bacon is because of nitrosamines being created when the bacon is fried (a cancer scare which has largely been debunked). The USDA allows as up to 625 ppm for all other dry-cured meats. 303 ppm is WELL below that amount.
Edit: One more factor to consider is MOST people using this recipe are going to do a post-cure soak to reduce salinity. This will also reduce excess nitrite that has not bonded to the meat.If a person does feel the 2 tsp of cure #1 in the recipe is too high, he or she could always back off to about 1.25 tsp for a 5 lb batch. That calculates to about 189 ppm which would keep it below the 200 ppm USDA limit, but still provide at least a minimum 120 ppm for a good cure.Either way,
BE SURE to adjust the amount of the mix according to the weight of the slab, like Rad did. This is for the salt & sugar levels as well as nitrite.
Again, this is just my take on it and I'm not trying to start a debate, this is serious inquiry so we can all understand this better.
