# Parts per million?



## beerustler (Jan 22, 2015)

Newbie here. Really, really, really, don't want to beat this dead horse any more. But I gotta. (where's my whip?)

I have read these forums until my eyes crossed. Thanks to all who take the time to help to keep the virgin meat curers (myself included) from killing themselves and their families with sodium nitrite!

I love the digging dog calculator too. But I may have made a mistake

My questions are

Am I correct in thinking that when using prague powder #1

I should shoot for the following PPM's?

Pork bellies, skin off, dry cure =  200ppm ( I used 156) still worked. was this unsafe? or middle of the road?

Pork bellies, skin off, wet cure = 120ppm

Sausages and meat with fat    = 156ppm

BBB and CB would also be     = 156ppm Is this correct?

I use the DD calculator and two digital scales. One for the cure,salt,sugar etc that reads in 1/10 gm. and a larger one for the meat, I think it goes 11kilo's or so by whole grams.

I have looked for a fact sheet/ list on nitrite ppm's from the USDA but didn't find anything to my liking.

I want to remain within the lower ends of the safe guidelines as opposed to hitting the max ppm

Great forum! Thank you.


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## daveomak (Jan 22, 2015)

BeeRustler said:


> Newbie here. Really, really, really, don't want to beat this dead horse any more. But I gotta. (where's my whip?)
> 
> I have read these forums until my eyes crossed. Thanks to all who take the time to help to keep the virgin meat curers (myself included) from killing themselves and their families with sodium nitrite!
> 
> ...


All of the recommended numbers by the FDA/USDA are maximum ingoing nitrite allowable....   less is good....   

The BBB and CB, when I make it...  because I'm planning on frying it like you might do bacon, I lower the Ppm to the bacon recommendation...   ONLY for the sake of argument.... and to keep the nitrite on the low Ppm end of the scale...


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## beerustler (Jan 23, 2015)

Thanks for the reply!

Going to start 20 to 30 lbs of BBB/pulled Butt this weekend. For the first time.

Sure would be nice to have a vertical smoker 

DaveOmak, You do yours @ 120 ppm?


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## daveomak (Jan 23, 2015)

Yes....   120 Ppm skin off....     cold smoke at 50-70 ish deg. F...  any meat I'm planning on frying...   like you would bacon...


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