Hot dang my butcher is easy to work with!!!

[arch_cpj]

He is a friend and has said for 1.99 a pnd I can get fresh bellies for bacon and he will cure hams for me to smoke. I brought hoe 30# of bellies and ordered some buck board bacon to do them I am looking forward to this and the ham. : as a side note where can I get nitrate free bacon seasoning for ham etc?????

 

[cheech]

Good question I will search through my catalogs and see if they have any in them, unless someone else has more information on where to get it from.

 

[Dutch]

Arch-when the family did commercial curing, we often had requests for curing without using sodium nitrites or nitrates. Because we produced our product for resale we had to use curing salts that contained sodium nitrites and nitrates.

If you can find a cure recipe that lists the amount of sodium nitrites or nitrates to use (for example 3 oz. of s. nitrate for every 10 pounds of meat used) and just leave out the s. nitrate/nitrite. Be advised however that the nitrates and nitrites are what preserves the meat. Any cure that you develop minus the s. nitrate or nitrite will need to be fully cooked after curing either by hot smoking to at least 160 degrees F. or roasting in the oven. Also be aware that your finished product will not have the characteristic pink color that is found in meats cured with s. nitrate or s. nitrite.

I hope that give you some food for thought.