Pink Salt aka Saltpeter needed

[chemfemme]

Hi - I am looking to make my own pancetta, and I need some sodium nitrite aka pink salt aka saltpeter. Where is the best place to go for this?

[pyropaul99]

Potassium nitrate is now a restricted substance under the Explosives act:

http://www.nrcan-rncan.gc.ca/mms-smm/...

Paul.

[wapiti]

You could try asking your butcher, or any butcher who cures meats. You want Prague Powder - sodium nitrite pre-mixed with salt. Specifically, you want Prague Powder #1; Prague Powder #2 additionally contains sodium nitrate, useful for long-term dry cures.
I haven't found a local source for this but you can buy it from Stuffers.com - located in B.C.
http://www.wwf5.com/stuffers.com/wecs...

[alexthecook]

I've had luck getting some at Charcuterie Hongroise on Saint-Laurent Blvd.

By the way, any Italian will tell you you don't need it to make pancetta. Salt it with sea salt, put on an inclined board for a couple of days in a cool basement to let the moisture drain away, rub it with pepper or red pepper flakes, hang it in a cool basement for three weeks, wiping away any mold as it appears with some wine. Best pancetta ever.

[chemfemme]

Thanks - I scored some Prague powder #1 from a friend, and I mixed in a couple of teaspoons just to kill anything nasty in the pig. This was a farm raised porker from Kingston, and weirdly enough, farm-raised pigs tend to have higher levels of bacteria. I know that most Italians will tell you that you don't need the nitrites...alas. Fortunately, I don't think the taste of the pancetta will suffer. I have it curing in my fridge as I type.

Thanks for the advice about wiping the mold off with wine, I'll think about that after I hang it up.