Saltpetre (potassium Nitrate Kn 03)

[Bigchaser]

I’m a lover of good gammon steaks and boiled gammon.

When I lived in the UK I had my own cure recipe. It calls for Saltpetre (Potassium Nitrate KN 03), does anybody know where I can buy this in Pattaya?

[rice555]

Hello Bigchaser, try a pharmacy, thats where I got some, but I also got 25Kg from a chemical supply store. Best are the older Chinese Pharacys. rice555

[rice555]

Sorry for the typo on 'pharmacy'

rice555

[Bigchaser]

Okay, thanks I'll give it a try

[rice555]

Hello Bigchaser, the SP I got from the pharmacy was like "rock candy' not like coarse salt, just break it up to use. My 25Kg bag is like coarse salt, solution grade.

rice555

[jaideeguy]

Saltpeter is the last thing that I would want to have in Pattaya.......

we called it 'soft peter' in the Navy, where it was rumoured that it lessened the 'urges' that sailors got and supposedly it was added to the food.

[NanaFoods]

sodium nitrite/nitrate is less toxic than saltpetre.

Try Globo Foods. They also have sheeps casings and other stuff you might need to make Western style sausages, ham, bacon, etc.

http://www.globofoods.com/ingredients.html

Globo Foods Ltd.

482 Mu 1 Soi Pookmitr, Rod Rang Kao Rd.,

Samrongtai, Phrapradaeng,

Samutprakarn 10130 Thailand. Tel : (662) 384-0036, 384-2772-4

Fax : (662) 384-0817, 380-3035

E-Mail : [email protected] (Central)

[email protected] (Sales & Marketing Department)

Edited July 5, 2008 by ChefHeat

[Bigchaser]

Thanks for the tip, I'll give them ago

[Bluelotus]

What is Gammon ? Wiki doesn't say much and I know how inaccurate they are anyway. As a kid I mixed saltpetre with sugar to make smoke bombs , got a nasty burn from that.

[Naam]

sodium nitrite/nitrate is less toxic than saltpetre.

the fact remains that it IS toxic!

[NanaFoods]

sodium nitrite/nitrate is less toxic than saltpetre.

the fact remains that it IS toxic!

ugh.......as is paracetamol, aspirin, etc., etc.....

In addition, Sodium Nitrite "gasses out" as nitric oxide at 130F (54.5 degrees C).

Not a valid comparison, you might say?

We all know one of the pharmaceutical aspects of salt petre...as a member mentioned above. Well, sodium nitrite is also a drug like the others:

http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/bri...g/hb050114a.htm

According to WHO, nitrates occur naturally in many foods and nitrite has even been detected in saliva at levels of 5-10 ppm (0.0005-0.001%). You body knows how to deal with them in small amounts, and minute amounts are all that's required to properly cure meat and be safe from botulism (a far deadlier risk).

More from FAO/WHO:

BIOCHEMICAL ASPECTS

Sodium nitrite is readily absorbed from the gut and rapidly

disappears from the bloodstream. 30-40% of absorbed nitrite is

excreted unchanged in the urine, the fate of 60-70% is not accurately

known. It can combine with myoglobin to form nitrosomyoglobin and with

haemoglobin to form methaemoglobin (MAFF, 1962).

The rest of the article deals with rat studies of megadoses and observed toxic affects of nitrosamine formation in the human gut, carcinogenic risk, etc....

But after all that scary stuff...in conclusion...

The role played by nitrites in food preservation is important

and the ability to inhibit the growth and toxin formation of

C. botulinum must be weighed against the potential risk associated

with their role in nitrosamine formation. The whole question of

nitrosamine formation and effects is under active investigation in

several countries. One promising area of this investigation involves

the use of ascorbic acid as a blocking agent in nitrosation of amines.

You can read the entire article here:

<A href="http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v05je15.htm">http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v05je15.htm

The human body can deal with toxins in small doses... as long as you don't overdose, which paracetamol is one of the most dangerous drugs for such accidents.

The safety from botulism and other pathogens far outweights any toxic risk from sodium nitrite when used correctly. The key is to be precise in your measurements and follow FDA guidelines. If any doubts about making your own sausage products, just buy FDA approved commercial brands.

Having said that, I do not endorse eating processed/cured meats on a daily basis. At the same time, I don't think an occasional salami-cheese-cracker snack, or a piece of ham, or a couple pieces of bacon for breakfast (not everyday) is going to give you cancer or other problems.

Cheers.

[Bigchaser]

Gammon is a traditional British (West country) method of wet curing ham. Until the 1840’s, ham was cured using a dry salt cure, when the Harris family of Calne in Wiltshire discovered that a wet pickle combined with cold hanging, provided a much milder, sweeter ham or bacon.

The name gammon derives from the French 'gambe', meaning the hind leg of the pig. Typically a whole or half hind leg is cured. The upper part forms a beautiful baking joint, while the lower part is sliced across the bone into thick steaks.

A typical cure follows:

250 gms salt

150 gms Molasses or Demerara sugar

10 gms Saltpetre (Potassium Nitrate) – Anti bacterial, provides pink colour.

Method:

Use 40 gms of cure mix per ½ Kg of pork hind leg. Add the mix to enough liquid to totally cover the meat. The liquid typically can consist of 3 parts water and 1 part ale.

Pickle the meat for 4 days. Remove the meat from the pickle and hang for a further 2 weeks in a cool room.

Traditionally, the Wiltshire cure does not require smoking. Recently I have discovered that mildly smoking for about 1 hour can help to dry the gammon slightly, without leaving a strong smoky flavour.

[Bluelotus]

Gammon is a traditional British (West country) method of wet curing ham. Until the 1840's, ham was cured using a dry salt cure, when the Harris family of Calne in Wiltshire discovered that a wet pickle combined with cold hanging, provided a much milder, sweeter ham or bacon.

The name gammon derives from the French 'gambe', meaning the hind leg of the pig. Typically a whole or half hind leg is cured. The upper part forms a beautiful baking joint, while the lower part is sliced across the bone into thick steaks.

A typical cure follows:

250 gms salt

150 gms Molasses or Demerara sugar

10 gms Saltpetre (Potassium Nitrate) – Anti bacterial, provides pink colour.

Method:

Use 40 gms of cure mix per ½ Kg of pork hind leg. Add the mix to enough liquid to totally cover the meat. The liquid typically can consist of 3 parts water and 1 part ale.

Pickle the meat for 4 days. Remove the meat from the pickle and hang for a further 2 weeks in a cool room.

Traditionally, the Wiltshire cure does not require smoking. Recently I have discovered that mildly smoking for about 1 hour can help to dry the gammon slightly, without leaving a strong smoky flavour.

Thank you for the info it sounds great and I'd be glad to sample some for you