AllenOK
Executive Chef
I've got to agree with Micheal in FW about this, as well as UB.
Morton's Tender Quick is a readily available product to use to cure meats. In a cookbook I was reading 18 months ago ("Charcuterie: The Art of Curing and Preserving Meat", by Chef Bryan Polcyn and Micheal Ruhlman), they mentioned Tender Quick, as well as another product, called "pink salt". The pink color is a harmless food coloring, added to be a visible reminder that the product IS NOT regular salt. However, the ratios of saltpetre to other ingredients are set and you don't have to worry about getting to much of one compound and not enough of another compound.
Also, definitely read up on the differences between "nitrates" and "nitrites" (YT, your experience is requested here). Once of them (I can't remember which) activates immediately to kill any microbes and render the protein an "unfit environment" for microbial growth. The other compound (I think it's the nitrite) degrades over time into the first compound, and acts as a "time-release" chemical that keeps the protein an "unfit environment" for microbes over a long period of time. This compound is only used in products that are going to be stored at room temperature for longer periods of time.
To the original poster, what is wrong with the Corned Beef in your area? Is it thawed or frozen when you buy it? Does the package container a spice packet to add to the boil when you cook it? How long do you cook it?
Morton's Tender Quick is a readily available product to use to cure meats. In a cookbook I was reading 18 months ago ("Charcuterie: The Art of Curing and Preserving Meat", by Chef Bryan Polcyn and Micheal Ruhlman), they mentioned Tender Quick, as well as another product, called "pink salt". The pink color is a harmless food coloring, added to be a visible reminder that the product IS NOT regular salt. However, the ratios of saltpetre to other ingredients are set and you don't have to worry about getting to much of one compound and not enough of another compound.
Also, definitely read up on the differences between "nitrates" and "nitrites" (YT, your experience is requested here). Once of them (I can't remember which) activates immediately to kill any microbes and render the protein an "unfit environment" for microbial growth. The other compound (I think it's the nitrite) degrades over time into the first compound, and acts as a "time-release" chemical that keeps the protein an "unfit environment" for microbes over a long period of time. This compound is only used in products that are going to be stored at room temperature for longer periods of time.
To the original poster, what is wrong with the Corned Beef in your area? Is it thawed or frozen when you buy it? Does the package container a spice packet to add to the boil when you cook it? How long do you cook it?