How Much Pink Salt to Use When Curing Bacon

As a bacon lover, learning how to make my own at home has been a game changer Being able to customize the flavor and texture exactly how I like it is so satisfying. However, when I first started curing bacon, I wasn’t sure how much pink salt to use. Through trial and error over the years, I’ve dialed in my perfect bacon recipe, and I’m excited to share what I’ve learned about pink salt quantities so you can make phenomenal homemade bacon too.

What is Pink Curing Salt?

Pink salt, also known as Prague Powder #1 or Insta Cure #1, is a mixture of table salt and sodium nitrite The sodium nitrite is what gives the salt its pink color. It serves a couple of important purposes in curing meat

• It gives cured meat its characteristic pink color. Without it, bacon would turn an unappetizing gray color.

• It prevents the growth of harmful botulism bacteria like Clostridium botulinum. This is especially important when smoking meat at the low temperatures required for proper smoke penetration.

While pink salt has gotten a bad rap in some circles, it’s approved for use by food safety organizations when used in the minuscule quantities needed for curing. As with anything, moderation is key. When used properly, it’s an invaluable and safe ingredient in creating great cured meats.

How Much to Use for Bacon

So how much of this magical pink stuff do you actually need when making bacon? Here are some general guidelines:

Dry Curing

For dry curing bacon with a salt box method, use:

• 1 teaspoon of pink salt per 5 lbs of pork belly

If you’re equilibrium curing, which allows more precision and control over the salt content, use:

• 0.25% of the weight of the pork belly

For example, if you have a 2 lb pork belly, you would use 0.25% of 2000 grams which equals 5 grams of pink salt.

Wet Curing

When wet curing bacon in a brine solution, use:

• 1 teaspoon of pink salt per 1 gallon/4 liters of water

So if you’re making a 2 gallon wet cure brine, you’d add 2 teaspoons of pink salt.

Tips for Measuring Pink Salt

• Use a digital kitchen scale for the most accuracy. The small quantities of pink salt needed make volume measurements tricky.

• Always keep pink salt away from regular salt – you want to avoid accidentally using too much.

• Wear gloves when handling pure pink salt to avoid temporarily staining your fingers.

• Double check your recipe and pink salt math. Too much can make your bacon unpleasantly salty.

How I Cure My Bacon

For the best results, I’m a die-hard dry cure bacon guy. I use a 2.25% total salt content with 2% kosher salt and 0.25% pink curing salt. Here’s my basic process:

• Weigh the pork belly and calculate the precise amount of pink salt needed.

• Mix the pink salt with the other dry ingredients like kosher salt, brown sugar, and black pepper.

• Coat the pork belly evenly with the cure mix.

• Seal it in a bag and let it cure in the fridge for 1 week, flipping halfway through.

• After curing, I like to rinse off the belly and pat dry. Then I’ll add a layer of spices like smoked paprika, garlic powder, and mustard powder.

• Let it rest uncovered in the fridge for a day so the surface dries out.

• Finally, I’ll cold smoke the belly for 12-24 hours to get that sweet, smoky bacon flavor.