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[sureshot]

Just curious which store has a better selection butchers and packers or CTR?

Thanks
Andy

[Au revoir, Gopher]

The Silk Road Spice Merchant (http://www.silkroadspices.ca/)

ARG

[jeprli]

The Silk Road Spice Merchant (http://www.silkroadspices.ca/)

ARG


18.99 for 250g package of paprika, ridiculous. You can find it in Calgary shops for around $6 for 200g.

What kind of spices are you looking for sure shot?

[jungleboy]

Just curious which store has a better selection butchers and packers or CTR?

Thanks
Andy

check out Halford Hides , they have a huge selection of spices and butcher supplies. I would say bigger than CTR and BPS

[calgarychef]

Costco has good spices but a limited selection, if you're in calgary there's the "bulk barn" their spices seem pretty fresh. Stay away from the real wholesale club, cheap prices for garbage spices.

One thing is it's not all about price, there's a big variation between quality levels. For example with herbs like thyme, oregano etc. if they're a cheaper grade they often throw them jute bag and all into the grinder. With paprika yu can really tell fresh because it's got a nice almost oily texture.

[flynick]

Bulk barn

[sureshot]

Sorry I should of been more specific spices for smoking meat

[omega50]

Still not exactly sure if you are after pre-mixed sausage blends, or individual spices and/or rubs for ribs etc?
For me I would rather be found dead in a forty acre field than ever buy pre- mix spice blends :sHa_shakeshout: but it seems like some people are quite satisfied with the simplicity, ease of use and final result

These guys ship , but not sure about shipping costs.

http://www.dnrsausagesupplies.ca/index.php/ingredients-mixes-c-11

[Red Bullets]

Sorry I should of been more specific spices for smoking meat

Halfords will have what you need.

[jeprli]

You can get all ingredients at a local superstore or similar. Use pickling salt instead of curing salt that most shops will recommend. For home made products thats all you need.

Calgary chef good point on paprika. Would also add that it should taste sweet or hot but never bitter. Bitter is stale and probably developing mold and will ruin your entire batch of meat.

Ready made mixes are no good if you want to preserve meat for longer periods, full of phosphate and weird curing salt, coloring agents....

There are some really good easy to follow published books that can help you out, search for charcuterie, that should give you a good idea.

[calgarychef]

Ohhhh boy, don't never ever -ever.....use pickling salt instead of curing salt. If you want plain salt in a recipe that's what pickling salt is. Curing salt is a whole different thing and good for preventing little things like botulism etc.

[oyster_777]

Calgary locations for spices:

Community Natural Foods
1304 10 Ave. S.W.,
403-229-2383, communitynaturalfoods.com
and 202 61 Ave. S.W., 403-541-0606

Cookbook Co. Cooks
722 11 Ave. S.W.,
403-265-6066, cookbookcooks.com

Dalbrent Spice Rack
132, 3604 52 Ave. N.W.,
403-289-1409
Google map

Fairmount Spiceland
3, 7640 Fairmount Dr. S.E.,
403-273-1546

Fruiticana
300, 5075 Falconridge Blvd. N.E.,
403-590-1611, fruiticana.com

Kalamata Grocery
1421 11 St. S.W.,
403-244-0220

Lina’s Italian Market
2202 Centre St. N.E.,
403-277-9166, linasmarket.com

OK General Food Store
1, 3250 60 St. N.E.,
403-293-1168
and 1032 5075 Falconridge Blvd. N.E.,
403-293-1186

The Silk Road Spice Merchant
2010A 11 St. S.E.,
403-261-1955, silkroadspices.ca

[jeprli]

Ohhhh boy, don't never ever -ever.....use pickling salt instead of curing salt. If you want plain salt in a recipe that's what pickling salt is. Curing salt is a whole different thing and good for preventing little things like botulism etc.

And a stroke :)

Nothing wrong with using pickling salt, and no it is not same as regular table salt.

People have been using pickling salt for preserving meat for couple of centuries, cure salt on the other hand came with industrial revolution and is exactly that, industrial ingredient that will keep questionable meats safe to eat.

I always thought chefs knew a thing or two about meat and charcuterie, even the leading chefs at sait don't have a clue. And their students certainly lack basic knowledge of common cuts and where they come from. In fact there are very few places in North America that provide training in regards to meat preserving and fermentation. CFIA certainly does not want you to use these proven methods but rather rely on wonders of chemical industry.

Authentic Italian pursciuto will never see a grain of curing salt, just sea salt and air.

[Piker]

Try Walton's Inc. in Wichita Kansas. They have website and their prices are very cheap. I have been using them for a while with great results. I do not know shipping rates as they ship mine to the border where I pick them up. Piker

[Au revoir, Gopher]

Nothing wrong with using pickling salt, and no it is not same as regular table salt.


Then you better go explain that to Sifto, according to them their "COARSE SALT (PICKLING)" is nothing more than "minimally refined" salt.

http://www.siftocanada.com/en/products-applications/culinary/table-and-gourmet/

ARG

[unclebuck]

The confusion between "curing salt" & salt, is that "curing salt" is prague powder #1, or sodium nitrate used for smoke cooked meats, to prevent botulism. Prague #2, or sodium nitrite is used in dry cured meats. Salt that is added to the sausage blend or dry cure blend should not be iodized(common table salt). Uniodized salt is readily available as "pickling salt" which is a coarse version of an uniodized salt, or a fine version which is commonly sold at Halfords, Butcher's & Packers, or CTR by the pound or 25 lb. bag.

[calgarychef]

So Jeperli in your infinite wisdom :). What's the difference between pickling salt and table salt other than the coarseness of the crystals?

"Curing salts" (sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite) have been used since antiquity, like um Roman times and possibly even before they significantly predate the industrial revolution and occur naturally in some locations.

I'll stand by my original statement except for the guys like Jeperli who know better :)

Don't use regular or pickling salt in a RECIPE that calls for CURING salt it's asking for trouble.

[jeprli]

Uncle buck gave you an answer to that. Don't know what else to add.

I got over 20 years of experience in dry curing and sausage fermentation. Even fought cfia and won. 3 long years, I've been making and testing products, cost me a load of money in lab expenses but I was able to prove them wrong on many grounds and keep making dry cured products the way I I think Is right. Never had a botulism case in 16 years of my business. Had one h1n1 case but that proved to be due to mishandling of product on customers part.

Wherever I presented my idea I was laughed at and ridiculed. Of course those same people never got beyond making bratwurst and breakfast bangers.

I'm sticking to my statement. In your opinion entire world is crazy for preping food with coarse pickling salt cause that is the most common method used.

[unclebuck]

The confusion between "curing salt" & salt, is that "curing salt" is prague powder #1, or sodium nitrate used for smoke cooked meats, to prevent botulism. Prague #2, or sodium nitrite is used in dry cured meats. Salt that is added to the sausage blend or dry cure blend should not be iodized(common table salt). Uniodized salt is readily available as "pickling salt" which is a coarse version of an uniodized salt, or a fine version which is commonly sold at Halfords, Butcher's & Packers, or CTR by the pound or 25 lb. bag.

I screwed up on the original post!!!! Prague #1 is sodium nitrite & prague #2 is sodium nitrate!!!!

[Ivo]

We have been using pickling salt for prosciutto, pancetta and sausages for years without any issues. In fact I didn't really know what the curing salt was for. I have no formal training here...just what my dad and family friends taught me.

[calgarychef]

So you would still say that pickling salt is different than table salt? And somehow because it's coarse instead of fine that it's somehow better for curing?


Your statements don't make sense.

Blaming h1n1 on your customer is lame. :)

[jeprli]

Table salt has anti caking agent in it, and is not nearly as salty as pickling salt.

H1n1 I was accused of was actually a bird strain and not from a pig. What's lame about that?

This thread is about spices and smoking meat, so far you have not contributed anything to this thread.

[Bolete]

Sodium Nitrate (cuing salt) is important. When meat is smoked, the conditions in a smoker become anaerobic, setting up the conditions that could allow botulism to flourish. Curing salt prevents this, table/pickling salt does not.

[calgarychef]

I think I contributed quite nicely, I mentioned some places to get spices, talked about freshness of spices a bit but didn't mention salt at all. You brought up the salt part and I jumped in because what you're suggesting is dangerous, dangerous enough to cost someone their life.

For the record I mentioned botulism, botulism is rare but there are a whole bunch of other pathogens that can readily hurt someone by omitting cure in a method/recipe that uses it. I'm also not a butcher I'm a chef so I'm not perfect and don't know everything. I do know that by my count I've served over 3 million meals and not one suggestion of food poisoning in 20 years. My food is always safe and I don't take chances.

For the folks who aren't sure, when we make sausages we do almost everything in a manner that will encourage bacterial growth. Grinding, handling, and then (sometimes) smoking at temperatures that encourage bacterial growth. The cure helps to safeguard against this and that's why it's perhaps over used in our industrialised times. It's easy and safe.

There are ways to handle some meat products that we can avoid curing but I'd suggest that it takes more skill and better refrigeration than we often have at home, hence the cure.

It's your personal decision to handle your food as you want educate yourself and make that decision.

[calgarychef]

Also on a food handling note when you're making fresh sausages cure is almost never used, so items like bratwurst, fresh frying sausage etc. don't bother. The key to safety with these items is keep things clean, sanitize all of your tools and keep the meat as cold as possible at all times. Then you'll be fine.

Oh, and don't forget to use fresh spices :)

[jeprli]

There are more ways to counteract botulism, than just nitrates and heat.

Nitrates only make it safer if all other precautions are taken into account. It does not guarantee anything. Meat treated with nitrates will still be a health hazard if not handled properly.

I've never said it must be done with pickling salt, just that it's an option.

Overused is right - most cured meats have 3x the recommended dosage of nitrates and salt, to make it safe for general public.

[TJG]

http://www.jbsausagesupplies.com/