What Is Curing salt and How Can I Use It?
Here's everything worth knowing about curing salt and how to pick it, what it is, how to store it, and what to use instead, plus 3 recipes to cook tonight.
Key Points
- Curing salt is table salt mixed with sodium nitrite, used in tiny amounts to cure meats.
- It is dyed pink so it is never mistaken for regular salt; do not confuse it with Himalayan salt.
- Sodium nitrite is toxic in quantity, so measure exactly what the recipe says, never by eye.
- Prague Powder #1 is for cooked or short cures; #2 adds nitrate for long air-dried cures.
What is curing salt?
Curing salt is not a seasoning salt. It is table salt blended with sodium nitrite, and in one type sodium nitrate, used in tiny measured amounts to cure meats like bacon, sausage and corned beef.
The nitrite fixes the pink color and the tangy cured flavor, and most importantly it guards against botulism.
It is dyed bright pink for one reason: so no one mistakes it for ordinary salt. That is also why it is often called pink curing salt or Prague powder, sold under brands like Insta Cure.
Do not confuse it with pink Himalayan salt, which is just colored rock salt and cures nothing.
The type matters. Prague Powder #1 is for meats you will cook or cure briefly; Prague Powder #2 adds nitrate for long, air-dried cures like salami.
Treat it as a recipe ingredient with no wiggle room. Sodium nitrite is toxic in quantity, so measure exactly what your recipe specifies and never swap it for regular salt.
For everyday salting and storage, see salt.
Types of curing salt
Specific kinds of curing salt and the recipes that use them.
Quick facts
- In Chinese
- 硫化盐
- British (UK) term
- Curing salt
- en français
- sel de salaison
- en español
- sal de curado
Recipes using curing salt
There are 4 recipes using and its varieties.
Salami
Homemade salami from ground beef with curing salt, mustard seeds, coarse black pepper, and hickory liquid smoke. A three-day process baked low and slow.
Beef Sausage - Nella
A simple recipe that will help you on your quest to make the most delicious beef sausages anyone has ever had!
Smoked Hamburger Salami - Three Versions
Three homemade cold-smoked beef salami recipes: classic peppercorn, Southwestern chili-cumin, and Italian with basil and Parmesan. Cured, rolled, and smoked from scratch.
Ground Beef Summer Sausage
Homemade ground beef summer sausage cured with liquid smoke, mustard seeds, and coriander. Mix, roll, refrigerate overnight, and bake for smoky, sliceable sausage logs ready for snacking.
