501638 Sat Mar 22 07:28:19 -0700 2008 7 31 Home Cooking 0 3514481 [We've moved this subthred from this thread on the Boston board http://www.chowhound.com/topics/499967 -- THE CHOWHOUND TEAM ] I think saltpeter (sodium Nitrite) is difficult to get because of its toxicity. This as well as the relatively small amounts needed for curing prompted the making of "instacure" or "prague powder" which is sodium nitrate diluted to 6.25% with salt (they color it pink so you can tell it apart from regular salt) I live in the Montreal area and have had a hard time getting the stuff as well. When I do find it, the markets charge a ridiculous amount. I contacted the SausageMaker out of Buffalo (sausagemaker.com or 888-490-8528) and purchased a pound of pink salt (instacure #1) for $9. I went throught the 1lb rather quickly making bacon, hams, and corned beef. Just recently bought a 5lb pail for $18. It should last awhile. And yes, the curing will result in that great color. Maybe post a picture of your final result? gl Fri Mar 21 09:44:44 -0700 2008 176627 porker 1 3516030 Ha! Yes, I'll post a picture -- and if it isn't pretty, I'll just have to order the real stuff online and try again! In fact, maybe I should do so regardless just to compare. AB's cure smelled amazing. I can't wait! Fri Mar 21 18:31:47 -0700 2008 3514481 115387 Lorcasaur 1 3516325 Please, let's all get this right: Saltpeter is Potasium Nitrate - the oldest cure (besides salt) and not used much these days because of inconsistency. Sodium Nitrite 6.25% = Tinted Cure Mix (TCM), Insta Cure #1, DQ Curing Salt or pink salt. Nitrite is the active curing agent for preventing botulism - should be used for all hams, corned beefs, bacon, etc. Sodium Nitrate = Insta Cure #2, DQ Curing Salt #2. Should be considered a time-release form of Sodium Nitrite, as it turns into nitrite over time. Use in longer cure items such as uncooked salamis that are dried for weeks. Here is my source for everything but saltpeter (which is just not used much): http://www.sausagemaker.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=50 I cannot repeat enough how great a source the book Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn is for all information regarding curing meats. Also, the two pages alone (173, 174) of Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking give you a wonderful breakdown of how salt, the nitrites and nitrates, (and how nitric oxide retards the bonding of the iron in myoglobin to retard oxidation), as well as how salt alone works and turns the meat pink (it's a different pink) for prosciuttos and serranos... anyway - it's very worthwhile explanation, without taking a chemistry course. Fri Mar 21 20:55:36 -0700 2008 3514481 10312 applehome 2 3518278 I can get saltpetre from a Rexall drug store but the other products are not nearby. If this is still used widely in Europe, why would applehome, Ruhlman and Polcyn say it is inconsistent? It seems to work well, and I only go a block to get some. Sat Mar 22 17:40:38 -0700 2008 3516325 56131 jayt90 3 3518728 I'll admit that I've only used pink salt (sodium nitrite) and sodium nitrate, and have never used potassium nitrate, so I don't know from personal experience. Since it is a naturally occurring product, it's possible that the inconsistency comes from different places of origin, where someone getting theirs from different sources would find that they had to use different quantities to achieve the same result. 6.25% sodium nitrite pink salt would probably offer a more consistent product. McGee says that once it was discovered that nitrite did the work, people quit using saltpeter because you could get the same effect from using much smaller amounts of sodium nitrite. I'm sure this is especially true with commercial concerns for cost reasons, but the question is why would it matter at home? As I read these sources, what I get is that nitrate is only really beneficial when long curing periods are desired - where the long curing utilizes forms of bacterial action that are otherwise beneficial for taste reasons. I use nitrates in summer sausages, which I smoke lightly and hang to dry for a week or more before freezing or eating - but even then, I mix in some pink salt. I use only pink salt for corned beef/pastrami, which I put in brine for 2-3 days. Sat Mar 22 21:46:14 -0700 2008 3518278 10312 applehome 4 3519374 Well, I hope I am on the right track. I started a ham, hand rubbed with salt, saltpetre, and brown sugar in January. It is stiff and has a nice unique, deep scent. Last week I started a pork shoulder, also with skin removed, in the Spanish style. I'll do the smoking in May or June, when they are stiff and have a good aroma without any apparent problems. My mix formula came from U. of Missouri Ag. Extension. http://extension.missouri.edu/explore/agguides/ansci/g02526.htm The saltpetre is $5.69 for 125 ml., about 2.5 oz. Sun Mar 23 09:11:04 -0700 2008 3518728 56131 jayt90 3 3519564 Check to make sure this is FOOD grade product. Sun Mar 23 10:25:42 -0700 2008 3518278 65057 Uncle Bob 4 3519684 Checked. I have been using this product, from Winnipeg, for two years. Sun Mar 23 11:22:31 -0700 2008 3519564 56131 jayt90