Prague power 2 used for bacon

[baconpancakes]

Hello,

I've make some bacon using Prague powder #2. I read that this was not terribly harmful as long as it's not done frequently, and I will use #1 in the future. What are your thoughts on it? would you throw the bacon out or use it?

Also, I do fry up the pancetta I make with #2 powder.... should I not do that? And with grocery store purchased meats that would have also been cured with #2 powder?

 

[atomicsmoke]

The main difference between bacon and pancetta (other than smoke) is the fact that pancetta is being air dried, bacon is not. So that allows for more time for the nitrate in cure#2 to turn into nitrite. Having said that the nitrate-nitrite conversion is a hit/miss process for the amateur "curer". We have no clue how much nitrate is left.

I too have been saying this all along: store bought pancetta, salamis, chorizo are used in cooking, sometimes fried, despite being made with nitrate.

I wouldn't toss the bacon. The best thing you can do to minimize nitrosame forming is cook in the oven at low temps or use in dishes (beans, stews).

 

[daveomak]

After figuring out the nitrate in cure #2, depending on the manufacturer, it can be ~somewhere around 35,000 Ppm nitrate...  THEN you add ~0.25% to a hunk of meat and you are around 50-100 Ppm nitrate in the meat...   Some vegetables have 1,000 to 2,000 Ppm nitrate in them, depending on what site you click on...   The "problem" arises when you fry at high temperatures.....  (but no proof exists from what I understand)..  

FWIW, if you have a baby, NEVER feed them anything with nitrates/nitrites in it...  that includes root vegetables and some leafy greens...    Please check it out...  it ties up with the hemoglobin and their blood cannot absorb oxygen and they get "blue baby syndrome"..   bad stuff....  Some say after 3 months of age, then they can adequately digest the nitrates/nitrites and it "shouldn't" be a problem...  This is meant to be a starting point for further reading...  I ain't a doctor I just read stuff...