I am looking for any information on a "sweet cure" for curing meat. We cure our own hams, smoke our own sausage, etc. and have heard of a sweet cure. We would like to try it out, but do not know any of the ingredients or exactly what needs to be done. Any help would be appreciative.

-- David Hoff (David_Hoff@hill-rom.com), November 06, 2000

Answers

This is from Putting Food By, chapter on Salting Meat: "The term "pickle" is used in some manuals to designate a sweetened brine which contains some sugar as well as salt. "Sugar cure" usually means adding one-fourth as much sweetener as there is salt in the mixture; this amount of sugar is important as food for benigh favor- producing bacteria during long cures."

Home Butchering and Meat Preservation says essentially the same thing for Country-Style Hams: "The cure is a mixture of salt, sugar and sodium nitrate in specific amounts. For 100 pounds of meat, you would mix 8-10 pounds salt, 1-3 pounds sugar and 2-3 ounces sodium nitrate. You shouldn't vary these amounts beyond the ranges give. Too much sugar could create a slimy ham. ..."

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), November 06, 2000.