First time Ham and excess pink salt #1

[aechavar]

Hello guys, today was my first time making a ham. I do not have any experience on curing meats so I based on YouTube videos. I bought pink curing salt, #1 type, but I just saw that the package stated "12% nítrate curing salt" instead of 6.25% "standard" nítrate quantity that I have seen on other forums and posts. I am actually worried because I've seen many of the health risks or warnings associated with high dose mostly on the long term though. I added 2.5 gr of pink salt to my table salt and spice mixture for a 2 pound pork for dry for 9-12 Days . Should I be concerned at this one time ? Can I complete my first ham or is it Better to start again from scratch?

 

[dr k]

Hello guys, today was my first time making a ham. I do not have any experience on curing meats so I based on YouTube videos. I bought pink curing salt, #1 type, but I just saw that the package stated "12% nítrate curing salt" instead of 6.25% "standard" nítrate quantity that I have seen on other forums and posts. I am actually worried because I've seen many of the health risks or warnings associated with high dose mostly on the long term though. I added 2.5 gr of pink salt to my table salt and spice mixture for a 2 pound pork for dry for 9-12 Days . Should I be concerned at this one time ? Can I complete my first ham or is it Better to start again from scratch?

Curing salt #1 is 6.25% nitrite not nitrate as you mentioned so are you sure your package is 12% nitrate as you have stated? Regardless, if I put the wrong curing salt on, other than cure #1 at .25% the weight of the meat, I'm not going to do the math to try to make it right. If you used too little cure #1 or Morton's tender Quick and catch it early you can add to it but too much can't be removed. Without more solid info on the ingredients if it's cure #2 or a recipe on the bag of cure like Morton's Tender Quick. I'd start over and throw that out.

 

[SmokinEdge]

I would like to see a picture of the ingredient label.

 

[JckDanls 07]

I would like to see a picture of the ingredient label.

Me too... Something just doesn't sound right... I've never seen 12 percent

 

[SmokinEdge]

Me too... Something just doesn't sound right... I've never seen 12 percent

I’ve seen it, but always from Central or South America. Sometimes it has nitrate and sometimes it doesn’t.

 

[aechavar]

Curing salt #1 is 6.25% nitrite not nitrate as you mentioned so are you sure your package is 12% nitrate as you have stated? Regardless, if I put the wrong curing salt on, other than cure #1 at .25% the weight of the meat, I'm not going to do the math to try to make it right. If you used too little cure #1 or Morton's tender Quick and catch it early you can add to it but too much can't be removed. Without more solid info on the ingredients if it's cure #2 or a recipe on the bag of cure like Morton's Tender Quick. I'd start over and throw that out.

Here is the label of the product. It is 12% nitrite, sorry for writing down Nítrate.

It’s in spanish, but is a food product and it’s manufactures by a recognized brand in my country.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Here is the label of the product. It is 12% nitrite, sorry for writing down Nítrate.

It’s in spanish, but is a food product and it’s manufactures by a recognized brand in my country.View attachment 712277

The instructions on the bag say to use 1.6 grams per Kg meat. With 12% nitrite this would impart 192 parts per million of nitrite, which is safe. You used 2.5 g/Kg which imparts about 333 parts per million nitrite, almost double, so yes you really should throw that out and start again unless you want try aging and drying the ham for at least 2 months then it would be safe.

 

[ifitsdeadsmokeit]

Grind it up and double the pork and make sausage out of it. I wouldnt throw it out.

 

[stewiejp]

First time so go easy....
Similar but opposite problem here. Pic attached - sodium nitrite labelled as 2.95%. When I bought the stuff on Ebay there was no % indicated not that I noticed in any case - I'm new to curing. Plan was to start with pastrami - any excuse to cook more briskets!

So should I simply multiply the amount of curing salt by 2.12 to make it the same as 6.25%? The website on the label does not provide any info.

 

[SmokinEdge]

First time so go easy....
Similar but opposite problem here. Pic attached - sodium nitrite labelled as 2.95%. When I bought the stuff on Ebay there was no % indicated not that I noticed in any case - I'm new to curing. Plan was to start with pastrami - any excuse to cook more briskets!

So should I simply multiply the amount of curing salt by 2.12 to make it the same as 6.25%? The website on the label does not provide any info.

What is the recommended application rate on the bag in g/Kg?

 

[stewiejp]

What is the recommended application rate on the bag in g/Kg?

Nothing on the bag other than what is pictured. Just says, "Check the maximum usage". Most pastrami recipes I read state 6 grams per kg but are quoting 6 grams of cure #1, prague powder #1 or other 6.25% curing salt.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Nothing on the bag other than what is pictured. Just says, "Check the maximum usage". Most pastrami recipes I read state 6 grams per kg but are quoting 6 grams of cure #1, prague powder #1 or other 6.25% curing salt.

Well that’s not handy.

Ok here is what I would do. Since your product has 2.95% nitrite, in doing the math if you apply it at 5g/Kg meat weight you will impart 147.5 parts per million nitrite to the meat. We here shoot for 156ppm nitrite but at 147ppm you will be safe and it will be effective.

At 6g/Kg you will be at 177ppm nitrite
At 7g/Kg you will be at 206.5ppm nitrite

200ppm is maximum in going nitrite for whole muscle meats in the U.S

If you apply 6g/Kg of our cure #1 with 6.25% nitrite you would impart 375ppm nitrite, we only apply 2.5g/Kg so that 6g/Kg you saw is more likely for the 2.95% nitrite product you have.

 

[DougE]

As long as you have the percentage of nitrite in the curing salt you have, you can calculate PPM and shoot for as close to 156PPM as possible. A little lower or higher will work fine. Just stay under 200PPM for solid muscle and 156PPM or below in comminuted meats (sausages).

 

[dr k]

156ppm x 907gms (or whatever meat weight)/ .0295 / 1,000,000 = 4.79gms to get 156ppm

4.79gms cure x .0295 x 1,000,000 / 907 gms (or whatever meat weight) = 155.79ppm

 

[voyager 663rd]

OP has TWO threads going/exact same issue.