Cure vs marinade

[Sarowe]

There are a few recipes here for jerky marinade that do not use any additional cures.   Joes recipe looks very good.  Do I need to add a curing salt to this for safety?

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[DivotMaker]

Absolutely!  Never marinade jerky; cure it!  Look for cured jerky recipes, or add Instacure #1 to your favorite brine.  If it's a dry rub cure, use Instacure (Prague powder) #2.  Uncured jerky is asking for trouble, quick!

[Pork Belly]

It depends if you are cooking for yourself or someone you don't like. The Cure keeps you from dying so it's kind of a big deal.

You can use a wet marinade, just add the appropriate ratio of cure to weight of meat.

[DivotMaker]

It depends if you are cooking for yourself or someone you don't like. The Cure keeps you from dying so it's kind of a big deal.

You can use a wet marinade, just add the appropriate ratio of cure to weight of meat.

+1!  Well-said, Brian! Pure honesty!

[Sarowe]

So here is the marinade posted by Joe, another member


1/2 cup soy sauce (I use Kimlan Ponlai soy sauce ... it's killer)
1/2 cup worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup aged white balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce (I use La Choy)
1/4 cup molasses
2 tbsp liquid smoke (delete this if you're doing it in the smoker)
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp cracked black pepper
2 tsp red pepper flakes

If I wanted to add a cure what guidelines would you suggest?

[DivotMaker]

How much curing salt depends on the amount of meat you are curing.  Too much can be toxic, and too little won't get the job done.  I use equilibrium brining, which is very precise.  To add cure to a marinade, I'm not sure.  You might want to learn about equilibrium brining; it's not that hard.  You use a calcutor, and a scale, and you end up with very predictable - and repeatable - results.  You can factor-in the ingredients of Joe's marinade.  Here's a link to the difference in brines:

Brines 101

Here's how I cure jerky with an EQ brine:

Brine-Cured Jerky

[Sarowe]

Interesting read.  Thank you

[DivotMaker]

Interesting read.  Thank you

Your welcome!  Understanding the science of brining has elevated my skill level immensely.  I can now predictably, and repeatedly, get the results I'm looking for!