Where can I find salt-cured pork shoulder?

[emery_jc]

I'm looking forward to making this recipe from the Chocolate and Zucchini blog, but have no idea where locally to get the main ingredient - salt-cured pork shoulder. Any pointers or ideas? I can do the greater Berkeley area, San Francisco, and Marin.

http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archi...

Thanks!

[PorkButt]

On occasion Fatted Calf makes up a batch of petit salé but it's usually pork belly. Send them an email.

www.fattedcalf.com

I've made my own but it doesn't quite taste right without nitrates.

[wally]

Fatted Calf theoretically doesn't use nitrates.

[PorkButt]

If you look on the list of ingredients on their bacon, ham hocks, and some fresh sausages, "curing salt" is there. Nothing wrong with that. I wonder if they source it from a natural deposit to keep in line with their credo.

[wally]

I have heard, but don't quote me, that they use something from celery. There are natural sources of nitrate, I'm not sure what they are.

[hohokam]

Niman Ranch lists celery-derived nitrates as an ingredient in their "uncured" bacon. TFC, on the other hand, specifically lists "curing salt" as an ingredient in their dry-cured salumi and smoked fresh sausages rather than "celery juice concentrate" or some such.

Saltpeter is a natural source of potassium nitrate, but I don't know that U.S. charcutieres actually use it these days.

[hohokam]

Hmm...they're pretty upfront about the use of curing salt in their salumi. Based on everything I've read, dry-cured sausages are treated with a salt that contains sodium nitrate (Insta Cure #2).

For something like petit salé, however, I would assume that the non-nitrate based curing salt (Insta Cure #1, a.k.a. "pink salt") would be used.

Both of these curing salts contain small amounts of sodium nitrite and a large amount of sodium chloride (table salt).

[PorkButt]

You're absolutely correct, for a fresh product like petit salé, a nitrite cure is used. Nitrate works better for aged products such as dry ham and salumi.

[wolfe]

That knock you hear is the food police.
Prague Powder #2 (Insta Cure #2) has, as hohokam notes, nitrates.
Wikipedia states, emphasis theirs, "Prague powder #2 should NEVER be used on any product that will be fried at high temperature because of the formation of nitrosamines." Well there goes my salami and eggs.

[hohokam]

I'm not going to let some pinche nitrosamines stand between me and my Spanish-style chorizo and chickpeas. ;-)

[wolfe]

I was forced to go to the urban dictionary which in short form says "pinche" is "In Mexico, it's an all-purpose insult enhancer".

[PorkButt]

Not to worry! (maybe)

I read in a fact sheet from an A&M type of university on curing meats that stated after a long cure, nitrate converts to nitrite. I haven't looked into this further, but that might why you shouldn't cure bacon, for example, with Prague Powder #2, but a country ham that's been hanging for a year is okay.

[hohokam]

That is my understanding too. Basically, one can think of sodium nitrate is a slow-release form of sodium nitrite. Over the long curing period of something like salami or dry chorizo, the nitrate converts to nitrite.

[wolfe]

Does that mean there are no "pinche nitrosamines" in my kosher salami and eggs?

[PorkButt]

Kosher salami is like a hot dog - made with nitrites. Eat away!

[Candice]

Maybe Dittmer's in Mountain View or New World Market or Seakor Polish Deli, both on Geary in SF?

[jason carey]

If you can't find one, its easy to make your own,, see the book Pork and Sons for a good pork brining recipe

[wolfe]

Coppa

Whole pieces of pork shoulder cured in a natural casing. Dark red, with thin veins of fat throughout. Spicy coppa is rubbed with cayenne.

[jason carey]

Coppa is not what is being called for in this recipe.. This type of pork sholder is more like a brined sholder , not dry cured.