# Nitrite salt amount



## Smokin'Finn (Sep 4, 2018)

Hello
I would like to ask a question about nitrite salts. Found an online store that sells nitrite salt in 400gram packages. 

The product has 0.6% of nitrite and the rest is ordinary salt. The ad says you can cure over 20kg meat with it.

Nothing more about the actual amount to use it safely.

So I send email how much nitrite salt to use it for example 1 kg of meat and the answer was usually 9% salt/water mixture. 

I dont know if i got it wrong but i calculated that it means approximately 1dl of the product to 1 litre of water.

That mean there is no way that 400gram pack can cure over 20kg of meat.

So my question is how much is the right amount to use nitrite salt with 0.6% nitrite contence?

Thanks.


----------



## crazymoon (Sep 4, 2018)

SF, Insta cure #1 has 6.25 % sodium nitrite and you use one level teaspoon for 5 pounds of ground meat. Not sure where you live so shipping could be expensive but the Sausage Maker sells cure # 1 as do other online sites such as Amazon.


----------



## Braz (Sep 4, 2018)

Here is a handy cure calculator used my many of us.
http://diggingdogfarm.com/page2.html


----------



## Smokin'Finn (Sep 4, 2018)

Thanks for you replies.
I live in Finland and the shipping costs are usually pretty high :).
The 400g pack of 0.6% nitrite salt costs 3.95€ here...or 25kg roughly 12€ :) plus shipping.

Is it safe to assume that if cure#1 with nitrite 6.25% is used 1 level teaspoon for 5 pounds of meat,then 0.6% stuff is used approximately 10 level teaspoons for 5 pounds of meat?
Just wanna be sure so i wont kill myself or someone else with that stuff by seriously over using it.


----------



## daveomak (Sep 4, 2018)

Finn, morning....   As a general rule, 150 Ppm nitrite is used in smoked meats and sausage...  
For every 1000 grams of meats X 0.000150 =  0.15 grams of nitrite is required...
10 grams of your salt/cure stuff.. X 0.006 = 0.06 grams of nitrite per 10 grams of salt/cure..
0.15/0.06 = 2.5 x 10 grams = 25 grams of your cure required for every 1000 grams of meat...
The problem I see with that particular cure is...  You are adding 2.5% salt to the meat which some folks find a bit too salty... 
2% salt is "about" the norm for salt additions...   You could reduce the salt/cure to a 2% addition to meats and that would reduce the nitrite to ~120 Ppm which is an acceptable of nitrite addition..
Sooo, what I'm saying is..  adding 9 grams (2%) of cure mix to 454 grams of meat is OK..


----------



## chef jimmyj (Sep 4, 2018)

For your Euro curing salt see the following...Note if following a recipe that calls for Cure #1, Prague Powder, etc. You will likely need to reduce the Salt in the recipe by the amount of Euro Cure added...JJ 

Curing Salt (Nitrite pickling salt) is a ready-to-use pickling white granulate salt with a content of sodium nitrite of approx. 0.8–0.9%. Examples of usage rates for this product are 18-22 g/kg for cooked sausage products and 30-35 g/kg for dry cured sausage and hams. Curing Salt (Nitrite pickling salt) may be used in processed meats and as a pickling salt in brines.


----------



## Smokin'Finn (Sep 4, 2018)

Thank you all for your replies.

2-2,5% salt is quite enough :)
In Finland commercial meat products have 80-120 ppm of nitrite usually. 150 being the maximum allowed (if i remember correctly).
 I prefer less than more so 120ppm might be just perfect. 

I've smoked plenty of meats but never used nitrites. I usually inject some of the salt/sugar water in the meat and let it rest in the remaining fluid x time. Then pull some excess salt out by keeping the meat in water
couple of hours.
Is it cool to do the same when nitrites are involved?

What about have you used ascorbic acid in your meats?


----------



## chef jimmyj (Sep 4, 2018)

Yes, the Nitrite will do it's job making the meat pink and adding flavor, even if the meat is soaked to reduce salt. But, if you add the right amount of salt from the beginning, I like 2%, there should be no reason to soak it out. I have not used Ascorbic Acid...JJ


----------



## daveomak (Sep 5, 2018)

I haven't used ascorbic acid as it is used to speed up the curing process....   I tend to lean toward "old world" processes...  Slow is good...   I haven't read anything about nitrite being removed from meats when soaked in water...  If it is true that nitrite IS removed when soaked, that "could" be a dangerous step in curing, removing the botulism police...


----------



## Smokin'Finn (Sep 5, 2018)

Ascorbic acid is used in many many commercial products where I live. I read it speeds up the process,keeps the red colour more even and keeps harmful nitrosamines from forming. In some products like mettwurts it is very important that in what phase you put it in the mix. 
They say do it wrong and it actually reverses the process and nitrosamines are formed even more. Who knows :)

Maybe its just best to leave excess chemistry out and just to enjoy good meat. :)


----------



## Smokin'Finn (Sep 5, 2018)

What comes to soaking the meat...ive usually over salted the meat heavily without any calculations. Thats why i've been forced to soak it...to make it (almost) edible again :).
Just starting  to practice how the big boys do it :).


----------



## daveomak (Sep 5, 2018)

Weigh all your ingredients...   0-100 grams electronic scale works..


----------



## Smokin'Finn (Sep 5, 2018)

daveomak said:


> Weigh all your ingredients...   0-100 grams electronic scale works..



I will....atleast from now on :)


----------

