mrobisr I stand corrected. I did some investigating and you are correct. I found a copycat recipe for the Tenderquick without the nitrates. I will try next time. I just hate to change!!! Took me many years of trial and error to get it the way we like it.

Wasn’t trying to be rude, just looking out for you brother. I promise it will not change the flavor at all. Now ask me how I know…been there and done that, yep I did the very same thing. Add correct amount of cure then whatever the difference is in weight between TQ and cure amount add plain salt to make up the recipe.

mrobisr yes that is true. But in your article it says blends are safe to use. And that is all I am saying about the subject. Thanks for pointing it out.

Not to argumentative, but it says a combination is acceptable for non-cooked meats like dry cured meats, but I digress.

“This mix is used for dry cured meats that require long (weeks to months) cures. It contains 1 oz. of sodium nitrite and 0.64 oz. of sodium nitrate. It is recommended that this cure be combined with each 1 lb. of salt and for products that do not require cooking, smoking, or refrigeration. This cure, which contains sodium nitrate, acts like a time-release cure, slowly breaking down into sodium nitrite, then into nitric oxide. The manufacturer recommends using 1 oz. of cure for 25 lbs. of meat or one level teaspoon of cure for 5 lbs. of meat.”

Austin alludes to this fact also.
https://meatgistics.waltonsinc.com/topic/714/sugar-cure-for-bacon?_=1639759828684

mrobisr I read the article and it says the tenderquick is fine as long as directions are followed. It does say not to use just nitrates though.

Morton Tender Quick mix contains salt, the main preserving agent; sugar, both sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite,
https://www.mortonsalt.com/home-product/morton-tender-quick/

Commercially, nitrate is no longer allowed for use in curing of smoked and cooked meats, non-smoked and cooked meats, or sausages (US FDA 1999). However, nitrate is still allowed in small amounts in the making of dry cured uncooked products. Home food preservers should avoid the direct use of this chemical and opt for the mixtures described above.
https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/nchfp/lit_rev/cure_smoke_cure.html