"Edwin Pawlowski" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Kent" > wrote in message
>> The 5lb of pork shoulder is 1/3 of a 15lb boneless pork shoulder I bought
>> at Costco. It's sitting in the frig in its 1 gallon bag waiting for the
>> brine. I think I'll get about 2 quarts of brine into it, maybe a bit
>> less. Your comment makes me think I should go a little higher with the
>> Tenderquick/water ratio, maybe to 2oz of Tenderquick per quart of brine.
>> Thanks for your thoughts,
>>
>> Kent
>
> Why would you increase the ratio? Stronger solution is not better. You
> need a bigger bag too. Filling half with water won't leave enough room
> for 5 pounds of meat. Do the math, it won't fit.
>
If you're trying to increase the salt and nitrate concentration in the meat,
you use a higher concentration of salt and nitrate per liter of h20 with a
small brine/meat ratio than you would with a large vat of brine and a high
brine/meat ratio. If you use 100 liters of brine and 1 kg of meat and let
it equilibrate forever, at some point the Na% ratio of brine/meat will be
close to the same. If you use an equal amount of brine and the same weight
of meat if it all equilibrates you will end up with half of the salt in the
brine and slightly less than half in the meat. You must include the original
concentration of salt in the meat you began with the math. While this is
theoretically true it obviously doesn't happen. The salt in the brine
doesn't quite make it into the meat. All works better with a large
brine/meat ratio, and and with a large brine/meat ratio you should have to
use less salt. When I'm desperate I have to use the ziplock bag and the
higher salt concentration of brine.

I'd appreciate your thoughts about this Ed, Thanks,

Kent