Homemade bacon is incredibly flavorful and can be customized to suit your taste. But when curing meat at home, using the right amount of sodium nitrite (curing salt) is critical for both food safety and quality. Underuse it, and you risk bacteria growth. Overdo it, and the bacon can become overly salty or chemically tasting. So what’s the magic number for perfectly cured bacon? Let’s break it down.
What is Curing Salt?
Curing salt, also called pink salt or Prague Powder #1, is a mixture of table salt (sodium chloride) and sodium nitrite. The sodium nitrite serves two key purposes:
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Prevents botulism – it inhibits the growth of harmful Clostridium botulinum bacteria
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Provides color/flavor – it keeps meats pink and develops that characteristic cured meat taste
The pink color indicates the presence of sodium nitrite. Without it, bacon would be an unappealing grey color and lack traditional bacon flavor.
Why Measure Precisely?
The amount of curing salt required depends on the weight and volume of meat. Too little, and the quality and safety effects above are diminished. Too much, and the nitrite can be toxic.
The FDA regulates that commercial bacon can contain no more than 200 PPM (parts per million) residual sodium nitrite after curing. This equates to about 1 oz of cure for 100 lbs of meat. We use similar PPM guidelines at home by measuring cure levels as a percentage of the meat weight.
Note: Don’t confuse curing salt with plain table salt when following recipes. The amounts are not interchangeable.
Basic Curing Salt Math
Here are some quick reference guidelines for how much curing salt to use per pounds of meat:
- 0.25% of meat weight = standard for bacon
- 0.35% of meat weight = standard for other cuts like brisket
- 1 level teaspoon of cure per 5 lbs of meat
- 1 level teaspoon provides about 6 grams of cure
So for a 10 lb pork belly, you would use 2 teaspoons or 0.25% x 10 lbs = 0.025 x 10 lbs = 0.25 lbs or around 4 ounces of cure.
Always weigh your exact cure amounts for accuracy rather than rounding or estimating. Kitchen scales are a must-have tool.
Variables that Affect Cure Levels
Several factors impact exact cure quantities required:
- Meat density – pork needs more cure than beef or poultry
- Thickness – thicker cuts require more cure penetration
- Curing method – immersion uses less; dry rub uses more
- Curing time – shorter durations need more cure
- Mixing ratios – commercial blends like Morton’s Tender Quick have less nitrite
For these reasons, online calculators are handy to determine precise pink salt weight needed for your specific meat and recipe.
Measuring Curing Salt Safely
When measuring pink salt, safety is paramount:
- Wear a mask to avoid inhaling dust
- Use dedicated utensils and surfaces
- Clearly label cure containers
- Wash hands thoroughly after handling
- Refer to recipes for exact cure amounts
- Use a scale for weights, not volume
And never eat curing salt directly or use it in food other than cured meats!
Applying the Cure
For whole pork belly slabs, a dry cure method works best:
- Combine cure with spices, sugar, and salt as desired
- Rub mix evenly over all surfaces of meat
- Place belly in a zipper bag or curing box
- Cure in fridge 7-10 days, flipping occasionally
- Rinse and pat dry meat before smoking
The cure will penetrate the meat while flavors meld. Immersion curing in a wet brine would also work but uses less cure.
Testing Cure Levels
After curing and smoking your bacon, you can validate proper sodium nitrite levels a few ways:
- Color – Meat should be bright, rosy pink with no grey areas
- Taste – Slight tangy cured flavor without harsh saltiness
- Texture – Firm yet flexible; not mushy
- Test strips – Special test paper verifies 50-200 PPM nitrite
When in doubt, remember you can rinse bacon after curing to reduce excess surface saltiness if needed.
Mastering Homemade Bacon
It may seem intimidating, but with the right knowledge of cure ratios, weighing tools, and recipe diligence, you can master the art of crafting high-quality homemade bacon safely. Just focus on precision and moderation with curing salt amounts.
Your patience will be rewarded with the most deliciously flavorful bacon you’ve ever tasted!
There are few single ingredients that are so universally adored as bacon. And the only thing better than bacon is homemade bacon.
Curing your own bacon, at least once, is a great experience for any meat enthusiast. It takes a while (compared to running to the store and buying some), but the end result is well worth it because you feel like you’ve accomplished something and got something tasty in return. Furthermore, it lets you decide what goes into the bacon, how good the pork is, and of course, the flavoring and smoke level. Not only that, but you can make the slices as thick or thin as you want.
There are a few things you’ll need to make your own bacon. Firstly, curing salt (aka Prague powder) which can be bought at better grocery and specialty food stores or ordered online. Second, you’ll need a smoker of some kind (because obviously that’s how you get the smoke flavor!). A pellet grill is perfect for this task because it’s fabulously easy to use, and will only take a couple of hours. I prefer fruit woods like Apple or Cherry to pair with pork, but of course you can go for something stronger like Hickory. Finally, you may want to consider investing in a great quality thermometer. I use and recommend the Thermapen, and also used a Dot to monitor the temp of the smoker.
This recipe serves as the core foundation for a bunch of different types and flavors you can try. All you need to do is adjust some of the ingredients and experiment with additions. You can make your own signature bacon with brown sugar, molasses, garlic, bourbon, different types of wood, and a lot of other things. Let’s be honest: it’s going to be a really tasty process of trial and error.
It goes without saying that once you have all that bacon, you can use it to make magical meals like these:
How To Cure Bacon the Traditional Way: Just Salt; No Artificial Preservatives
Can you add salt to Bacon?
While salt alone is enough to cure bacon, you can add sugar or other sweeteners like maple syrup to balance out the harshness of the salt. You may also add black pepper, powdered garlic, onion, cayenne pepper, or red pepper flakes. Some recipes I’ve seen add bay leaf, thyme, crushed juniper berries, black pepper, nutmeg, and other spices.
How much salt do you need for cured bacon?
A minimum of 2% is Needed for Curing the Bacon. Skin Can be Left On or Removed. Curing in this way will create consistent results and allow you to choose the saltiness of your cured meats. So this calculator for curing bacon can work out whether you want a dry or wet brining curing result!
How do you calculate dry cured bacon?
Dry Cured Bacon = % of Sea Salt + 0.25% Pink Curing Salt to the Total Weight of the Meat Wet Brine Bacon Curing = % of Sea Salt + 0.25% Pink Curing Salt to the Total Weight of the Meat in addition 1L=1Kg weight, so 40% water is calculated for the total meat weight If you want a full post on making bacon, check out here.
How much curing salt per pound?
For Dry Curing Using Equilibrium Curing, It’s the ratio of 0.25% pink curing salt to the total weight of the meat How Much Curing Salt Per Pound or Kilogram of Meat?
Can you use pink curing salt for Bacon?
Using pink curing salt no. 1, otherwise known as instant cure no. 1, Prague powder No.1 it has many other names. It helps the curing process in many ways, but I prefer always to use it for bacon. What Pink Curing Salt does for Bacon: But the biggest reason is that it helps keep the meat safe from harmful bacteria.
How do you get the best home cured bacon?
There is no secret recipe for the best home-cured bacon. It’s all about the meat. Go buy the best, the freshest pork belly, sprinkle some salt and seasonings on it, vacuum seal and refrigerate. Two-three weeks later, you will have the best bacon you’ve ever had. There are three methods of curing bacon: pumping, dry curing, and immersion curing.