Making bacon with curing salt

[quidnunc]

Just for the record. You would need to eat 60kgs of bacon, one that contains nitrates, in one day to get even a slight stomach ache.

The salt in the bacon is much more damaging, as is the bacteria that may form in a non nitrate cured bacon.

It's nitrites that kill bacteria, not nitrates. The reason you add nitrates to meats that take a long time to cure, such as dry cured ham, is that certain bacteria metabolize the nitrates and turn them into nitrites over time. If you added just nitrites, eventually they would decompose and there is a possiblity - a slim possibility - the clostridium botulinum, the botulism bacteria, could flourish.. But you don't need to add nitrates to meats that take a short time to cure and you shouldn't do it to meats that are going to be fried.

[Shawn0001]

I ordered some Prague No 1 curing salt from Baht and Sold today!

[Boyce]

I ordered some Prague No 1 curing salt from Baht and Sold today!

What section was it in , iv'e looked but cannot find it .

Thanks.

[Boyce]

I've used that Indasia curing salt 105Baht a kilo from RE pattaya , it came out nothing like bacon , more like salt pork , with no pinkness about it .

I must have tried at least 8 times to make bacon from it useing all the herbs in most of the bacon recipies .

I GIVE UP ON IT LOL.

This is the look im looking for as in the pic..

[Shawn0001]

I ordered some Prague No 1 curing salt from Baht and Sold today!

What section was it in , iv'e looked but cannot find it .

Thanks.

http://www.asiasold.com/view/prague-no1-curing-salt-make-ham-bacon-220935

[Turkleton]

I've used that Indasia curing salt 105Baht a kilo from RE pattaya , it came out nothing like bacon , more like salt pork , with no pinkness about it .

I must have tried at least 8 times to make bacon from it useing all the herbs in most of the bacon recipies .

I GIVE UP ON IT LOL.

This is the look im looking for as in the pic..

Than you probably made something wrong.

You could post your recipes and procedure.

I use this "Indasia" curing salt for years and several products and it definitely works!

http://www.asiasold.com/view/prague-no1-curing-salt-make-ham-bacon-220935

450 grms. = 250 Baht!

This is five times the price of the Indasia salt.

Ridiculously overpriced.

[Shawn0001]

I've used that Indasia curing salt 105Baht a kilo from RE pattaya , it came out nothing like bacon , more like salt pork , with no pinkness about it .

I must have tried at least 8 times to make bacon from it useing all the herbs in most of the bacon recipies .

I GIVE UP ON IT LOL.

This is the look im looking for as in the pic..

Than you probably made something wrong.

You could post your recipes and procedure.

I use this "Indasia" curing salt for years and several products and it definitely works!

http://www.asiasold.com/view/prague-no1-curing-salt-make-ham-bacon-220935

450 grms. = 250 Baht!

This is five times the price of the Indasia salt.

Ridiculously overpriced.

The Prague No 1 is 6.25% nitrite and works out at 555 Baht per KG.

The Indasia is 0.8% nitrite and costs 105 Baht per KG.

Prague number 1 contains 62g Nitrite per KG, whereas Indasia contains 8g Nitrite per KG.

So for the same amount of nitrite you actually need 7.8 times as much Indasia cure as Prague No1

That would make the Prague No 1 the cheaper choice, about 1/3 cheaper minus the small discrepancy in added salt difference.

Plus, and this is a very big plus in my opinion, Prague No 1 is at the right proportions for all the recipes I have and the majority of recipes I see on the internet.

If you are not capable of the maths required to work out which is cheaper then how do you work out how much cure to use?

[Turkleton]

[---]

...how do you work out how much cure to use?

I don't know where you come from, but in Germany (EU?) the maximum amount of "Natriumnitrit" in curing salt must be not more than ~0,5-1,0gr/KG salt.

And this is exactly the amount, what the "Indasia" contains.

Higher amounts can be toxic.

In my recipes e.g., "30 gr. of curing salt", means just 30 gr. of this "ready to go" mixture.

No need of mixing, adding additional salt or doing "high maths".

But everybody up to him/her...

However, on my next trip to Germany, I will buy some Natriumnitrit for "testing purposes" (5€ = 50gr = 50-80KG curing salt)

Edited August 4, 2015 by Turkleton

[Shawn0001]

[---]

...how do you work out how much cure to use?

I don't know where you come from, but in Germany (EU?) the maximum amount of "Natriumnitrit" in curing salt must be not more than ~0,5-1,0gr/KG salt.

And this is exactly the amount, what the "Indasia" contains.

Higher amounts can be toxic.

In my recipes e.g., "30 gr. of curing salt", means just 30 gr. of this "ready to go" mixture.

No need of mixing, adding additional salt or doing "high maths".

But everybody up to him/her...

However, on my next trip to Germany, I will buy some Natriumnitrit for "testing purposes" (5€ = 50gr = 50-80KG curing salt)

I come from the UK. I am aware of that type of cure, we call it the Polish Method. Using Prague Number 1 we can make both a wet and a dry cure, these are made at ratios of 10 to 1 and 8 to 1 salt to cure, using the Indasia it is not possible to make it any stronger meaning that a wet cure results in a more salty meat, which is not a problem, it's just a matter of taste.

With regard to your buying Sodium Nitrite for "testing purposes", sure that is cheap. But, is that what the chemical is labeled as? If so, then that is not for food!

There are many different grades of chemical purity, such as Reagent Grade (RG), Guaranteed Reagent (GR), Lab Grade (AR), and also Food Grade (FCC).

These acronyms are from the UK, they may be different in Germany, I am not sure.

Never put anything other than FCC Food Grade Chemical in your food, this is particularly relevant with Sodium Nitrite (NaNo2), as the process involved in producing NaNo2 always leaves behind traces of Lead (Pb). In FCC Grade the amount of lead is guaranteed below the EU maximum allowances, in anything of lower purity, RG, GR, AR etc. you are guaranteed that the amount will be above, they sell the chemical for the most they can get for it, the purer it is, the higher the price, if it isn't sold as FCC then it isn't safe for food.

Lead poisoning is really not good! Be very careful what you buy.