TentHunter
Moderator
Thanks to Nepas for allowing me to repost this here.
Nitrate & Nitrite Cure info - By Nepas
I get asked about this a lot.
CURES - Cures are used in meat products for color and flavor development as well as retarding the development of bacteria in the low temperature environment of smoked meats.
Salt and sugar both cure meat by osmosis. In addition to drawing the water from the food, they dehydrate and kill the bacteria that make food spoil. In general, though, use of the word "cure" refers to processing the meat with either sodium nitrite or sodium nitrate.
The primary and most important reason to use cures is to prevent BOTULISM POISONING (a serious food poisoning). It is very important that any kind of meat or sausage that will be cooked and smoked at low temperature be cured. To trigger botulism poisoning, the requirements are quite simple - lack of oxygen, the presence of moisture, and temperatures in range of 40-140° F. When smoking meats, the heat and smoke eliminates the oxygen. The meats have moisture and are traditionally smoked and cooked in the low ranges of 90 to 185° F. As you can see, these are ideal conditions for food poisoning if you don't use cures.
There are two types of commercially used cures.
Cure #1 (Curing Salt #1, Prague Powder #1, InstaCure #1, DQ Curing Salt #1)
Used to prevent meats from spoiling when being cooked or smoked at low temperatures. This cure is 1 part sodium nitrite (6.25%) and 15 parts salt (93.75%) and are combined and crystallized to assure even distribution. As the meat temperate rises during processing, the sodium nitrite changes to nitric oxide and starts to ‘gas out’ at about 130 degrees F. After the smoking /cooking process is complete only about 10-20% of the original nitrite remains. As the product is stored and later reheated for consumption, the decline of nitrite continues. 4 ounces of Cure #1 is used to cure 100 lbs of meat. A more typical measurement for home use is 1 level tsp per 5 lbs of meat.
Cure #2 (Curing Salt #2, Prague Powder #2, Instacure #2, DQ Curing Salt #2)
Cure #2 is primarily used for dry/semi-dry sausages and hams that need to be aged over time, often in warmer temps. Cure #2 is a mixture of 1 part sodium nitrite, .64 parts sodium nitrate and 16 parts salt. (1 oz. of sodium nitrite with .64 oz. of sodium nitrate to each lb. of salt.)
The sodium nitrate, acts like a time release, slowly breaking down into sodium nitrite, then into nitric oxide. This allows you to dry cure products that take much longer to cure. A cure with sodium nitrite would dissipate too quickly. Use 1 oz. of cure for 25 lbs. of meat or 1 level teaspoon of cure for 5 lbs. of meat when mixing with meat.
When using a cure in a brine solution, follow a recipe.
Additional notes by TentHunter:
It's important to understand that 1 tsp of Cure #1 per 5 lbs (or 4 oz. per 100 lbs) is the MAXIMUM allowed amount for comminuted (ground) meat in the U.S. by USDA regulations. This equals 156 Parts Per Million. Europe limits this to 150 PPM.
However, it's generally accepted (even by the USDA) that only about 40 - 50 ppm (for ground meats) is required for the nitrite to have a curing effect.
My point is this: Measure carefully and use the recommended amounts, or a little less, but never more! DO NOT use heaping teaspoons when measuring; use LEVEL or even scant teaspoons!
"Pink Salt" A bad practice I often see in forums and on the web is using the term "Pink Salt" in reference to cures or curing salts.
Instead, you should always specify exactly which type of cure is to be used. This is because both Cure #1 and Cure #2 can be tinted pink so they're not confused with regular salt.
To make it more confusing, there is also a Himalayan pink salt that has nothing to do with meat curing at all!
Nitrate & Nitrite Cure info - By Nepas
I get asked about this a lot.
CURES - Cures are used in meat products for color and flavor development as well as retarding the development of bacteria in the low temperature environment of smoked meats.
Salt and sugar both cure meat by osmosis. In addition to drawing the water from the food, they dehydrate and kill the bacteria that make food spoil. In general, though, use of the word "cure" refers to processing the meat with either sodium nitrite or sodium nitrate.
The primary and most important reason to use cures is to prevent BOTULISM POISONING (a serious food poisoning). It is very important that any kind of meat or sausage that will be cooked and smoked at low temperature be cured. To trigger botulism poisoning, the requirements are quite simple - lack of oxygen, the presence of moisture, and temperatures in range of 40-140° F. When smoking meats, the heat and smoke eliminates the oxygen. The meats have moisture and are traditionally smoked and cooked in the low ranges of 90 to 185° F. As you can see, these are ideal conditions for food poisoning if you don't use cures.
There are two types of commercially used cures.
Cure #1 (Curing Salt #1, Prague Powder #1, InstaCure #1, DQ Curing Salt #1)
Used to prevent meats from spoiling when being cooked or smoked at low temperatures. This cure is 1 part sodium nitrite (6.25%) and 15 parts salt (93.75%) and are combined and crystallized to assure even distribution. As the meat temperate rises during processing, the sodium nitrite changes to nitric oxide and starts to ‘gas out’ at about 130 degrees F. After the smoking /cooking process is complete only about 10-20% of the original nitrite remains. As the product is stored and later reheated for consumption, the decline of nitrite continues. 4 ounces of Cure #1 is used to cure 100 lbs of meat. A more typical measurement for home use is 1 level tsp per 5 lbs of meat.
Cure #2 (Curing Salt #2, Prague Powder #2, Instacure #2, DQ Curing Salt #2)
Cure #2 is primarily used for dry/semi-dry sausages and hams that need to be aged over time, often in warmer temps. Cure #2 is a mixture of 1 part sodium nitrite, .64 parts sodium nitrate and 16 parts salt. (1 oz. of sodium nitrite with .64 oz. of sodium nitrate to each lb. of salt.)
The sodium nitrate, acts like a time release, slowly breaking down into sodium nitrite, then into nitric oxide. This allows you to dry cure products that take much longer to cure. A cure with sodium nitrite would dissipate too quickly. Use 1 oz. of cure for 25 lbs. of meat or 1 level teaspoon of cure for 5 lbs. of meat when mixing with meat.
When using a cure in a brine solution, follow a recipe.
Additional notes by TentHunter:
It's important to understand that 1 tsp of Cure #1 per 5 lbs (or 4 oz. per 100 lbs) is the MAXIMUM allowed amount for comminuted (ground) meat in the U.S. by USDA regulations. This equals 156 Parts Per Million. Europe limits this to 150 PPM.
However, it's generally accepted (even by the USDA) that only about 40 - 50 ppm (for ground meats) is required for the nitrite to have a curing effect.
My point is this: Measure carefully and use the recommended amounts, or a little less, but never more! DO NOT use heaping teaspoons when measuring; use LEVEL or even scant teaspoons!
"Pink Salt" A bad practice I often see in forums and on the web is using the term "Pink Salt" in reference to cures or curing salts.
Instead, you should always specify exactly which type of cure is to be used. This is because both Cure #1 and Cure #2 can be tinted pink so they're not confused with regular salt.
To make it more confusing, there is also a Himalayan pink salt that has nothing to do with meat curing at all!
Last edited: