Pink curing salt or Prague powder can be used in many different ways (and there are many other names for it).
I want to explain how I use pink-curing salt and other important details about this ingredient.
Summary Points:
- Pink curing salt is used to cure bacon, pastrami, and ham, both homemade and commercially.
- It comes in two types, pink curing salt #1 and #2, with different sodium nitrite and nitrate percentages for various curing durations.
- Pink curing salt contains sodium nitrite and nitrate, which protect against botulism and gives cured meat a characteristic pinkish-red color.
- Equilibrium curing ensures precise salt and pink curing salt ratios based on meat weight, ensuring uniform curing and flavor.
- Different names and variations exist worldwide, with European standards having different nitrite/nitrate ratios.
- It’s a optional choice to use this product based on the process and method of curing meat.
Pink curing salt is found in many popular foods produced at home or commercially, such as pastrami, bacon, corned beef, pancetta, and many hams.
This website eat cured meat is all about curing meat, so over the last 15 or 20 years, I’ve been using pink curing salt as part of my recipes for salamis, pancetta, bresaola, and many other cured meat projects.
There have been some improvements in how pink curing salt has been calculated. I’ll go over with you how it’s used for large-volume projects small-at-home curing or charcuterie projects.
My brother has put together an equilibrium curing calculator, this is a very popular tool that works out the salt percentage to the total weight of the meats used for curing. This calculator also works out 0.25% of the pink curing salt, whether it is pink curing salt #1 or #2, the percentage of pink curing salt is the same.
There is a link at the top of each page, or you can find that pink curing salt and equilibrium curing calculator here.
What is Pink Curing Salt?
Pink curing salt is either no.1 or no.2.
| Type | Salt Amount | Sodium Nitrite | Sodium Nitrate | Uses | Examples |
| Pink Curing Salt #1 | 93.75% | 6.25% | – | Under 30 Day Cured & Cooked Foods | Pastrami, Luncheon Hams, Corned Beef |
| Pink Curing Salt #2 | 89.75% | 6.25% | 4.00% | Over 30 Day Cured & Cooked Foods | Dry Cured Salami, Braesola, Country Ham, Lonza, Coppa, Pancetta |
Pink Curing Salt is:
Salt (NaCl) – basically sea salt/sodium chloride
Sodium nitrite (NaNO2) – helps protect the meat from unwanted bacteria.
Sodium nitrate (NaNO3) – for over 30-day curing, sodium nitrate breaks down to sodium nitrite as the curing progresses. It converts and breaks down.
A color change is used with pink curing salt. The meat takes on a red/pinkish hue, which is a reaction happening inside the myoglobins in the meat. You’ll notice most commercially produced cured meats, like hams or bacon, have this pinkish, reddish color.
When I do not use nitrites or nitrates in my homemade cured meats, the meat stays a more neutral color.
How to Use Pink Curing Salt?
Most of the pink curing salt packages I’ve seen indicate a commercial quantity and ratio of use.
Pink curing salt is generally written as 4 ounces should be used for 100 pounds of meat.
The way I work out my meat curing is to decide on the amount of saltiness using the modern equilibrium curing, so let’s say 3% salt for making braesola.
I use 2.75% salt + 0.25% pink curing salt #2 equals total 3% salt
Since the majority of pink curing salt is ‘salt’ with the nitrate/nitrites.
For example,
1000 grams of meat
= 27.5 grams of salt
= 2.5 grams of pink curing salt #2
Here is a table to highlight the different amounts; whether it is No.1 or No.2 the amounts is the same:
| Amount of Meat | Pink Curing Salt Amount (ounces) | Pink Curing Salt Amount (grams) |
| 100 pounds | 4 (0.25%) | 113.4 grams (0.25% |
| 5 pounds | 0.2 (0.25%) | 5.66 grams (0.25%) |
There are 2 methods of using pink curing salt for meat curing, either a brine or a dry cure. Above the table is dry curing.
A brine is a water/salt type of curing, sometimes known as pickling or wet brining.
A ratio of 1 teaspoon per 5 pounds of meat is the guide for brining. However, one has to work out the brine and salt amounts.
My preference is using an ‘equilibrium’ brining; I also created the calculator for this.
For Equilibrium Curing at home, 0.25% of the meat weight means accurate scales are very important in measurement – here is a page of scales I can recommend.
Why to Use Pink Curing Salt?
When curing meat, canning, brining – its protection from unwanted bacteria, using pink curing salt in the correct ratio can avoid bacteria such as botulism.
Taste and color are also factors, a grey-looking ham is one factor for its use.
Effects of Nitrates and Nitrites
According to the textbook, in meat production of quality meats and sausages (Marianksi &Marianski), adding nitrates will improve flavor, prevent food poisoning, tenderize the meat, and develop the pink color widely known and associated with smoked meats.
Different Names for Pink Curing Salt
Here is a list of pink-curing salt with the same ratio of salt, nitrates & nitrites.
| Under 30 Days Pink Curing Salt #1 | Over 30 Days Pink Curing Salt #2 |
| Pink Curing Salt #1 | Pink Curing Salt #2 |
| Prague Powder #1 | Prague Powder #2 |
| Quick Cure #1 | Quick Cure #2 |
| Instacure #1 | Instacure #2 |
| Tinted Curing Mix (TCM) #1 | Tinted Curing Mix (TCM) #2 |
Here are curing salts with different ratios of nitrates/nitrites – this is due to European Meat Curing standards (many of these have 0.6% of nitrite in the salt vs. 6.25% for curing salt #1) – therefore my calculator is not applicable).
- Colorazo – Sweden
- Sel Nitrite – France
- Peklosol – Poland
- Nitrited Salt – England
There are Other brands like Tender Quick, I have not used or had experience with these, so I won’t comment here.
TenderQuick—Depending on the product, these all contain different amounts of sugar, nitrites, and nitrates. They are similar to pink curing salt, but it is best to follow the instructions on the packaging. These products are popular in Canada.
Precautions About Pink Curing Salt
Salumi, a meat curing book by Ruhlman and Paulson’s summarizes curing salts like this,
Nitrates and nitrates are naturally occurring chemicals that our bodies rely on. Green vegetables such as spinach and celery are loaded with them. As much as 95% of the nitrates in our bodies comes from vegetables. Our bodies naturally convert nitrates into nitrites which work as a powerful antibacterial agent, particularly and an acidic environment (such as our stomachs).
Nitrates and nitrites provide same antibacterial function and the sausage it’s been cured. Lactobacillus bacteria, feeding on sugars in the sausage, produce acid(that is the tanginess we associate with salami) and the nitrates keep harmful microbes from growing – most importantly, the bacterium that generates the deadly botulism.”
Here is a scientific paper about the health benefits of nitrates/nitrites from fruit and veg – Food sources of nitrates and nitrites: the physiologic context for potential health benefits
Pink curing salt is used at very minimal levels when I am doing a few pounds of dry-cured meats. A very small percentage of 1 teaspoon is used as part of the ingredients.
Pink curing salts is something that should be double or even triple-checked to make sure you have the right amount.
In contrast, pink curing salts, when used properly and in the right ratios, add a level of protection to the curing project—this is why I use them.
From the textbook Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages, it states,
Carcinogens can only be formed when products are heated above 266°F or 130°C. This can only happen when cured bacon is fried or cured salamis I grilled. The majority of cured meats never reach such high temperatures.
Page 51, Marianski & Marianski – Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages
What If the Wrong Amount of Pink Curing is Used
If the pink curing salt is used incorrectly, sometimes the meat will have two different shades of color. This is also why equilibrium curing is such a great way to use pink-curing salt at home.
When I have equilibrium cured pieces of meat with the right amount of salt and 0.25% curing salt. Once this meat has been vacuum packed you can put it into the fridge, depending on the size I would normally leave it for 2 to 4 weeks.
However, on occasion, I forgot about it, and even after three or four months, the meat has been sitting in an oxygen-low environment cured and ready for the next step. Removing it and hanging it in my homemade DIY curing chamber.
Useful Links & Resources
Tom Mueller
For decades, immersed in studying, working, learning, and teaching the craft of meat curing, sharing the passion and showcasing the world of charcuterie and smoked meat. Read More