# Bacon Cure Question



## Joel123 (Sep 22, 2020)

I hate to ask a potentially dumb question but I've got to ask anyway!  Probably has been answered before but I couldn't find anything.  So I'm dry curing my first belly using the calculations from Digging Dog Farm Calculator.   Why is it that the ratio of cure #1 is 6.25% and salt is 2% but once you calculate off of the weight of the belly, it shows to use so much more salt than cure?  My guess is that the amount of salt in the cure is somehow calculated in but I'm sure that one the experts here can teach me something.  Thanks for the help!


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## bregent (Sep 22, 2020)

You are correct. The salt in the cure is part of the total salt calculation.


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## BrianGSDTexoma (Sep 22, 2020)

I see what you are saying.  6.5% is more than 2%. When I plug same numbers in yours they are about same as
the calculator I use.

Found this:

*Cure* #*1* or Pink *curing* salt #*1* contains 6.25% sodium *nitrite* and 93.75% table salt so the 6.25 is amount of nitrite in cure.


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## daveomak (Sep 22, 2020)

Joel, evening.....  I am a little salt sensitive...   
What I use is 1.75% kosher salt and 0.25% cure#1.. Dropping the salt by 0.25%  lowers it enough so the bacon doesn't taste salty....   The 1% sugar is perfect...  Not enough to burn when cooked....  just enough to kill any salty taste.....


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## thirdeye (Sep 22, 2020)

I like less salt like Dave. When you do the calculation outside of the Digging Dog  Farm or the Greg Blonder spreadsheet, your math doesn't account for the salt carrier in Cure #1, which is small.... but it's still salt.   Both of those spreadsheets do account for the salt carrier.  So, if I calculate 1.8% salt longhand at the kitchen table, the actual result is a tick higher because of the salt in the salt carrier. 

Now, if you use Tender Quick, you must account for the salt carrier.


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## Fueling Around (Sep 22, 2020)

Joel123 said:


> ...   Why is it that the ratio of cure #1 is 6.25% and salt is 2% but once you calculate off of the weight of the belly, it shows to use so much more salt than cure?  My guess is that the amount of salt in the cure is somehow calculated in but I'm sure that one the experts here can teach me something.  Thanks for the help!


The ratio of sodium nitrate *nitrite* in "pink salt (#1)" is 6.25%
You are not going for 6.25% in the dry brine rub.
You are going for around 150 parts per million (PPM) of nitrate *nitrite* penetration in the bacon slab.

Look at the calculator from 

 BrianGSDTexoma
 reply


Brian Trommater said:


> ...
> View attachment 464288
> 
> ...


3.4 grams of #1 or pink salt plus 24.04 grams of canning salt or kosher salt is what it takes to achieve a desired 2% salt brine with a 156 ppm nitrate *nitrite* dose.
Here's what is all come out when you turn the crank.
0.2125 g of sodium nitrate *nitrite*
27.2275 g of sodium chloride

The final ration of sodium nitrate *nitrite* to salt is 0.78%

Curing agents, be it pink#1 or #2 or Tenderquick blend sodium nitrate *nitrite* with regular salt.
Why?
So you don't overdose on sodium nitrate *and/or nitrite*, which is *are both* toxic.

I hope this makes sense in the big picture.

_*EDIT.  Corrected sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate references.*_
*#1 cure use sodium nitrite*
_*#2 cure and Tenderquick both use sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate.*_


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## Brokenhandle (Sep 23, 2020)

These guys have you covered. Just want to say there's no dumb question to ask on this forum...especially when it comes to curing meat.

Ryan


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## Fueling Around (Sep 23, 2020)

Thanks to 

 daveomak
 for catching my error on sodium *nitrite* versus *nitrate* 
Just so you know


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## Joel123 (Sep 25, 2020)

Thanks guys!!  These explanations helped a lot.  Being a total rookie to curing meat, when I mixed up the cure last week, I was expecting to really coat the belly thick with the cure, almost like a rub on a butt.  Turns out after using the calculator and woth help from some of you, it was just a very light coating.  Bellys have been vacuum sealed with the dry cure for a week.  Planning on a cold smoke next Friday and Saturday with  my pellet tube in my smoker.....cant wait!!


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