Saltpetre 100g

Saltpetre is used as an ingredient for curing meats and to give the characteristic pink colour to bacon and hams. Can be used either for dry curing or as a brine solution.

• Indispensable for production of homemade processed meet - next to kitchen salt, saltpetre is a fundamental additive while curing meat, especially pork, beef, or veal.
• Healthy and safe curing - saltpetre does not contain nitrites present in curing salts, thanks to which the preparation of homemade meat dishes is even healthier
• Efficient packaging - 100 g of potassium saltpetre is sufficient for curing 50 kg of meat.
• Even better homemade meat products - using saltpetre for curing meat ensures that it retains its delicious pink colour, as well as excellent flavour and savoury aroma.
• Safe and healthy preservation - the strong bacteriostatic and bactericidal activity of saltpetre allows protecting the homemade products against bacterial growth and film without resorting to chemical additives.

Potassium saltpetre, also known as potassium nitrate (KNO3), is a colourless crystalline salt (E 252) used in traditional curing meat methods. Next to kitchen salt, potassium saltpetre is the most important additive used for curing meat (especially pork, beef, and veal), ensuring not only extension of its shelf life, but also retention of the pink colour of meat.

Using potassium saltpetre during curing ensures:

- retention of the pink colour of meat (kitchen salt, when used on its own, changes the natural colour of meat to beige-grey)
- positive impact on the flavour of meat,
- strong bacteriostatic and bactericidal activity (especially with regard to those that produce the botulinum toxin),
- the thermal processing (ham cooking) that the meat products undergo kills the bacteria in then, but does not destroy their endospores - this is the “task” of saltpetre.
- meat cured using saltpetre does not exhibit any tendencies to become covered by mucous film (does not get “slimy”).

Net weight: 100 g.

Healthier curing = healthier you!
The application of potassium saltpetre that contains only nitrate ions is healthier and safer when compared to curing mixtures available on the market that contain nitrites, which may become hazardous to our health in case of even mild overdose. Next to nitrites, what is also hazardous is nitrosamines, the compounds formed when the meat is heated, as a result of reactions between nitrates and amines. These compounds may be carcinogenic. Curing with potassium saltpetre takes 2 days longer than that employing nitrites, but it is decidedly healthier and safer!

Proportions for 5 kg of meat:
Add 1 teaspoon of ground pepper, 2 teaspoons of marjoram, 2 bay leaves, 5 allspice berries, 12 juniper berries, a few cloves, a pinch of coriander, and thyme to 2.5 L of water (you can also use a ready-made mix of herbs for curing). Cook everything for 10 minutes. After the brine cools down, add 10 g of potassium saltpetre (1/2 packaging), 200-400 g of kitchen salt, and a teaspoon of sugar. Mix everything thoroughly. Using a syringe with a 1 mm thick needle, inject the meat with about 100 mL of brine in regular intervals to the inside of the carcass. Fit the meat tightly into a stoneware or enameled pot and pour it over with the rest of the brine (the meat has to be fully immersed). Cure the meat for 14 days in the temperature of 4-8°C, turning the meat around every 2-3 days.
The cured meat can be cooked, smoked, roasted, or grilled.