Pink Salts, Prague Powder, Instacure (Sodium Nitrate and Sodium Nitrate)
ou will read recipes asking for a small % of sodium nitrate or sodium nitrite (pink salts – purposely dyed pink so you don’t get it confused with normal salt and potentially harm yourself!) (About a teaspoon could kill you!)
The practice of adding these is to protect the meat from botulism, and a practice used for commercial operations, but these really are not essential if you are using clean equipment, or using meat near its ‘sell by date’. We have used just salt and seasonings for hundreds of years. The methods we use are practiced heavily on Italy and other parts of the world – we choose to use the traditional methods of salt and acidity (through wine) during our curing. If you wish to add sodium nitrate or sodium nitrite then add just 0.25% of the weight in meat. |
These can be sold under a number of names from “Pink Salt” to “Prague Powder #1, #2…Do NOT confuse 'Pink Salts' with Himalayan Pink slat which is a rock salt with a natural pink colour. They are NOT interchangeable.
Pink salt contains 6.25% nitrite.
Anything with #2 in title (Pink salt #2, Prague Powder#2) contains around 5.6% nitrite and 3.6% nitrate. Due to this mix #2 is only used for long term dry curing of salamis/sausages.
In short the nitrates slowly convert into nitrites like a slow release giving a longer opportunity to battle and kill the bacterium that can cause botulism.
Then there is saltpeter, which has also been used in the past (potassium nitrate) but is inconsistent.
Pink salt contains 6.25% nitrite.
Anything with #2 in title (Pink salt #2, Prague Powder#2) contains around 5.6% nitrite and 3.6% nitrate. Due to this mix #2 is only used for long term dry curing of salamis/sausages.
In short the nitrates slowly convert into nitrites like a slow release giving a longer opportunity to battle and kill the bacterium that can cause botulism.
Then there is saltpeter, which has also been used in the past (potassium nitrate) but is inconsistent.
These chemical additions also make the meat look pink when cooked. Have you ever thought why the pork meat (sausage, chop, loin, belly, roast pork etc) goes grey when cooked, yet bacon goes pink when cooked? This is due to the presence of these additional chemical nitrites and nitrates.
I appreciate reading all the above might start putting the spooks up you, especially when reading the word botulism. Botulism is very rare. Clostridium botulinum bacteria are actually found in the soil and river/sea sediments – the same ground your vegetable grow in – as well as tinned foods. More information is available here on the Use of Nitrates and Curing Salts in our recipes.
As the botulism bacteria are only found on the outside of the meat and do not become a problem until they are introduced into the inside through cutting or grinding, nitrites/nitrates are not essential for whole muscle cures.
It is because the natural presence of botulism, for example, that you don’t give honey to babies and infants.
I appreciate reading all the above might start putting the spooks up you, especially when reading the word botulism. Botulism is very rare. Clostridium botulinum bacteria are actually found in the soil and river/sea sediments – the same ground your vegetable grow in – as well as tinned foods. More information is available here on the Use of Nitrates and Curing Salts in our recipes.
As the botulism bacteria are only found on the outside of the meat and do not become a problem until they are introduced into the inside through cutting or grinding, nitrites/nitrates are not essential for whole muscle cures.
It is because the natural presence of botulism, for example, that you don’t give honey to babies and infants.