Our Hot Smoked Curing Salts is a ready mixed dry cure for producing home cured bacon and other cured meats and fish. It can also be used dissolved in water as a brine for wet curing. Supplied in a 1kg bag, the Curing Salts contains salt pre-mixed with key curing agents, for peace of mind on bacterial content in home curing projects. Mix with white or brown sugar to create a more mellow cured flavour at a rate of around 10% sugar to 90% salt.

Customise your cure mix with your choice of herbs and spices and mix with the Curing salts and sugar to create your own unique curing flavours.

• Fine salt ready mix cure in 1kg packs
• Contains 1.2% curing agents sodium nitrite (0.6%) and potassium nitrate (0.6%) (saltpetre)
• Use at a rate of 60g per kg of meat as a dry cure
• To create a brine, dissolve at a rate of 160g Supracure

The salt and curing agents mix has been professionally blended to ensure even distribution of the nitrite/nitrate content, which itself is well within permitted levels. Sodium nitrite is commonly used as a food additive particularly for preserving fish and meats and it will also enhance the colour of preserved meats. Salt alone will effectively remove moisture and hence oxygen by osmosis from foods and it is this moisture which would otherwise carry bacteria. However, one particular bacterium, Clostridium Botulinum, which causes botulism can survive in an oxygen free environment and it is the sodium nitrite in curing agents which eradicates this particular threat.

A note about Nitrites and Nitrates

Sodium nitrate is a naturally occuring mineral present in many root vegetables, leafy greens as well as fruits and grains. Basically, anything that grows in the ground draws sodium nitrate out of the soil. When we consume these foods, the sodium nitrate present is converted to sodium nitrite and it is this mineral which possesses the antimicrobial properties whcih make it an effective curing agent and preservative. The use of Sodium Nitrite is permitted at a maximum concentration of 0.6% in the salt mixture. This is enough for it to remove all risk of bacteria.

How to use:

Use at a rate of 60g per kg of meat or fish to be cured. About half the salt and sugar mix should be rubbed well into the surfaces of the meat and rind. Thicker joints of meat should be pierced to aid the absorption of the cure. Then leave in a plastic food tray and on a daily basis for 4 to 6 days drain away excess moisture and reapply the dry cure mix. Finally, wash the meat to remove any salty residues, dry carefully and leave to air dry in the bottom of the fridge for a further day or two. Now you are ready to cold smoke to add more delicious layers of flavour, or eat as it is.