As someone who loves experimenting in the kitchen, few projects get me more excited than curing and smoking my own bacon from scratch The alchemy of transforming a fresh pork belly into gloriously smoky, salty bacon is so satisfying However, when I first started my bacon-making adventures, I’ll admit I found the use of curing salts like Prague Powder #1 to be confusing. How much of the pink stuff do you actually need to make bacon safely? Through trial, error, and research over the years, I’ve dialed in the ideal prague powder quantities for crafting phenomenal homemade bacon.
What is Prague Powder #1?
First, let’s cover the basics. Prague Powder #1, also called pink curing salt, is a mixture of table salt and sodium nitrite. The sodium nitrite serves a couple of vital purposes:
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It gives cured meats like bacon and ham their appealing pink color Without it, the meat would turn an unappetizing gray.
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It prevents the growth of harmful botulism-causing bacteria like Clostridium botulinum that can thrive in the low-oxygen environment of smoked meats. This is a food safety must for smoked bacon.
While sodium nitrite has gotten some bad press, prague powder is considered safe when used in the tiny quantities needed for curing. The key is accurately measuring the proper concentrations.
How Much Prague Powder Per Pound of Pork Belly?
When making bacon, here are some general guidelines on using prague powder:
Dry Curing Measurements
For dry curing bacon with a salt box method
- Use 1 teaspoon prague powder for every 5 lbs of pork belly
For precision equilibrium curing:
- Use 0.25% of the pork belly’s weight in prague powder
For example, if you have a 2 lb pork belly, 0.25% of 2000 grams is 5 grams prague powder.
Wet Curing Brine Measurements
When wet curing bacon in a brine solution:
- Use 1 teaspoon prague powder per 1 gallon or 4 liters of water
So if you’re making a 2 gallon wet cure brine, add 2 teaspoons prague powder to the mix.
Tips for Accurately Measuring Prague Powder
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Invest in a digital kitchen scale for maximum accuracy. The tiny prague powder quantities make volume measurements uncertain.
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Store prague powder away from regular salt to avoid unintended overages.
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Use dedicated measuring spoons that don’t touch regular food to measure out prague powder.
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Always double check the recipe math on prague powder amounts. Too much can make your bacon unpleasantly salty.
Signs You Used Too Much Prague Powder
While a slight excess won’t make you ill, too much prague powder can make your bacon far too salty and unpalatable. Here are a few signs you may have overdone it on the curing salts:
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The bacon tastes extremely salty, even after soaking.
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The bacon has an intense cured flavor and aroma, more like deli ham.
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The bacon develops a weird, bitter aftertaste.
If this happens, your best bet is probably to cut your losses and start over with a new pork belly. Use it as a lesson learned on the importance of accurately measuring prague powder.
My Favorite Bacon Curing Recipe
Through much tasting and tweaking over the years, I’ve settled on my ideal prague powder quantities for making bacon. I’m a die-hard dry cure guy, and here’s my process:
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Weigh the pork belly and calculate the precise prague powder amount (0.25% of the weight).
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Mix the prague powder into the other dry ingredients like salt, sugar, and spices.
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Thoroughly coat the pork belly with the cure mix.
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Cure the belly in the fridge for 1 week, flipping halfway through.
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Rinse off the belly, pat dry, and add any extra flavorings.
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Let it rest uncovered overnight in the fridge to form the pellicle.
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Finally, I’ll cold smoke the bacon for up to 24 hours until sufficiently smoky.