Can you cure without nitrites/nitrates?


 
Bill S.

Bill S.

TVWBB Pro
Been thinking about doing some bacon. I know absolutely nothing about the process. But i do know that I can't have anything to do with nitrites/nitrates because it triggers my migraines. (I miss bacon!). Is it possible to do it without including them?
 
Yes, you can cure bacon with salt only but it won't be as stable for long-term storage and you need to be more careful about refrigerating it, etc. It also won't have the red color you are probably used to seeing in bacon.
 
Here in Norway we have cured pork belly for hundreds of years without any trace of nitrites/nitrates, and I'm quite sure other countries/cultures have some of the same traditions, as well.
In fact, pink salt has been banned from foods for several years, before EU regulations made it legal to add a small amount.

Pink salt does have it advantages, the structure of the finished product is a bit different, as well as the colour, and taste, and as before mentioned, the fat is fresh longer before it gets a rancid taste.

We have two kinds of pork belly, bacon, which is lighty cold smoked, and "flesk", which is just cured and not smoked at all. Both types are made with regular salt, and can be kept in the fridge for a month or two. It helps to keep it dry, and in an airtight container in the fridge.
 
Thanks guys....Didn't know you had to hang it in the fridge. This will go over big with the wife...lol.
 
You do not need to hang it in the fridge. I usually dry salt the belly in a plastic bag in the fridge using 3% salt and just a couple of teaspoons of sugar for three days, turning once each day, rinse off with cold water, and dry the meat with paper towels. Let it dry for a couple of hours on a rack, use a fan if you want to, and then smoke if you want to smoke the meat.
 
So I can just salt and sugar it and throw it in a bag? Seems easy enough.....What is 3% salt by the way?
 
Bill,

I just threw min on one of those cookie cooling racks set inside a rimmed cookie sheet. I made room in the "beer fridge" in the garage so as not to disturb the rest of the family.
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Originally posted by Bill S.:
So I can just salt and sugar it and throw it in a bag? Seems easy enough.....What is 3% salt by the way?
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Measure the meat that you want to cure to find the weight. Find out how much 3% is of the weight, add that amount of regular salt.

I hope that is understandable, English is not my first language, and I'm used to kilos and grams as well..
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But if you have let's say a pound of meat (approx 500 grams), and you would like to add 3% salt, then 512x3/100=15.4 grams of salt. Google tells me that is 0,53 ounces.

One pound of belly, 0,53 ounces of salt. I think. And a couple of teaspoons of sugar as well per pound.

Someone who would like to control my conversion? Please?
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Someone who would like to control my conversion? Please? Smiler
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you got it. If Bill's lost, its not because of your english
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I'll check my notes and see if I can corroborate 3%. Off the top of my head, I think I go lighter (maybe 2%). But since you will lack the nitrate, more salt might get you closer to the final flavor of bacon.

here's a link to some belly that was lightly cured with just salt and sugar and lightly smoked. You can see what your bacon would kind of look like in the end.

pork belly, no nitrates
 
ok, here's the math from Charcuterie:

The basic cure calls for 500g salt (450g salt, 50g pink salt) and 225g sugar.

That puts it at about 70% salt in the mix.

The authors recommend using it at a ratio of 50g per 2kg. Which is 2.5% cure to meat.

70% of 2.5% is 1.75%, which would be the ratio of salt to meat.

I'm thinking you might want to try working with 2% salt 1% sugar and give it plenty of time to cure (5-7 days depending on the thickness of the belly). I've used the dextrose recipe, which is similar to the above recipe, with much success. The final product is mildly salty, which is the way I like it.
 
Well, I usually go for a tad under 3% myself, about 2.5%, but the "traditional" recipe says 3%, and I am unsure how "low you can go" before the salt content stops protecting the meat properly.

I've never had problems with my 2.5%.
 
O.K....I'm in business. Just got back from the Asian Market. They didn't have big pieces, so I got two with a total weight of 4.75 pounds. Are they going to be too small? Anyway I figure I could try two different dry cures. I have a few questions regarding dry curing. I'm sure I'll think of more along the way.

1. Do I drain the liquid that forms in the bag?
2. Do I add more cure during the process?
3. Brown sugar or white sugar?
 
Geir- 2-3% is standard. This will offer preservative effects. Lower than 2% and it's a bit too light, though any salt level offers some preservative effect.

Bill- 1. No. No need. Flip the bags once a day.
2. Not with thin items. 3. Your choice.
 
Keep in mind that the amount of liquid in the bag can vary from several tablespoons to almost nothing. I think it depends on the piece of meat you are curing. Remember that "almost no liquid = OK", and "Several tablespoons = OK". It does not matter. But flip the bag once a day, as Mister Kruger says.
 
Originally posted by Geir Widar:
Keep in mind that the amount of liquid in the bag can vary from several tablespoons to almost nothing. I think it depends on the piece of meat you are curing. Remember that "almost no liquid = OK", and "Several tablespoons = OK". It does not matter. But flip the bag once a day, as Mister Kruger says.
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I think there will be plenty of liquid. This is only after a few hours. The top one is just Kosher salt + brown sugar. The bottom is the same with some black pepper added.

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Lower than 2% and it's a bit too light, though any salt level offers some preservative effect.
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I wondered what percent I should shoot for to be safe during dry curing. I've been following the recommendations in Charcuterie (posted above) to a T. The finished product hasn't been overly salty, so I've been sticking to that.
 
The operative issue is what is meant by 'safe'. For salt-only curing (i.e., no sodium nitrite), if Clostridia is a concern, final salt concentration needs to be >10%. If the product is acidified (either directly or through fermentation), the salt concentration can be substantially lower. If the product will be dried (water activity of <.94), salt concentration can be substantially lower as well. The addition of sodium nitrite lessens need for a higher salt concentration as well. It is then more a case of palatability.

If the product will be cooked before consumption this, of course, can be figured into the equation.
 
Originally posted by K Kruger:
The operative issue is what is meant by 'safe'. For salt-only curing (i.e., no sodium nitrite), if Clostridia is a concern, final salt concentration needs to be >10%.
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Kevin are you saying I should have used 10% for dry curing?
 
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