curing meat

[k15n1]

So my family has been shifting away from carbs---nothing extreme, just making sure to eat more vegetables and less starchy stuff. This leaves me grasping at straws for snacks. The paleo-type people suggest pre-cooked bacon, which is terribly appealing. It's like jerky, but easier to eat.

Anyhoo, I started reading about nitrate and nitrite compounds. I'm no longer sure that there's a health risk.

Any thoughts?

 

[~gd]

So my family has been shifting away from carbs---nothing extreme, just making sure to eat more vegetables and less starchy stuff. This leaves me grasping at straws for snacks. The paleo-type people suggest pre-cooked bacon, which is terribly appealing. It's like jerky, but easier to eat.

Anyhoo, I started reading about nitrate and nitrite compounds. I'm no longer sure that there's a health risk.

Any thoughts?

check your labels, in general both nitrites and nitrates have been drastically reduced. true cured meats required no refrigation. I suspect that both jerky and and pre-cooked bacon depend more on dehydration rather than cures. but I don't know that so I say check the labels. ~GD.

 

[k15n1]

That's what I read, too. Levels of nitrate/nitrite have been reduced and ascorbic acid is often introduced.

There's facts on both sides. I think I'll use some cured meats, in moderation. I'm still nervous about nitrosamine formation, which is apparently more likely in cured meats that are fried. What's a chemist's opinion on frying bacon on the stove top compared to an oven, gd? Is there any difference? Any thoughts on the risks of nitrosamines in food?

 

[BlueReuben]

Nitrosamines form in cured with nitrates bacon which is fried at high temperatures. This is why our government limits sodium nitrite to 120ppm (parts per million) in bacon.
Other meats, for example sausages can contain 150ppm.

You don't have to worry about ascorbic acid which is vitamin C. Ascorbic acid speeds up development of pink color in meat providing sodium nitrite is added. It reacts with sodium nitrite. If no nitrite is added, ascorbic acid is useless, you simply add vitamin C.
You don't need ascorbic acid if you cure meats in a proper way. Commercial producers need curing accelerators (ascorbic acid and other) as they try to accomplished development of pink color within hours.

 

[Britesea]

sounds as if one could avoid the nitrosamines simply by being patient and cooking cured meats more slowly, over lower heat?

 

[k15n1]

I've been cooking bacon in the oven on jellyroll pans. Sure, it's still relatively high temperatures (350 oF) but nothing like a stovetop.

 

[Hinotori]

Some of the best cooked bacon I've made was on the wood stove. Took 20-30 minutes to actually cook it since it is a wood stove and I couldn't stand taking the temperature to high. Both my hubby and I loved the texture of it.

I've baked bacon before as well and it comes out quite well. All of it cooks evenly.

 

[~gd]

Nitrosamines form in cured with nitrates bacon which is fried at high temperatures. This is why our government limits sodium nitrite to 120ppm (parts per million) in bacon.
Other meats, for example sausages can contain 150ppm.

You don't have to worry about ascorbic acid which is vitamin C. Ascorbic acid speeds up development of pink color in meat providing sodium nitrite is added. It reacts with sodium nitrite. If no nitrite is added, ascorbic acid is useless, you simply add vitamin C.
You don't need ascorbic acid if you cure meats in a proper way. Commercial producers need curing accelerators (ascorbic acid and other) as they try to accomplished development of pink color within hours.

Usually you are right on curing BUT ascorbic acid is added to cut the amounts of Nitrosamines produced not just to produce that pretty pink color. It is also added to cured sausages that get their flavor by fermation rather than by smoking.

 

[k15n1]

Come to think of it, how fast you cook bacon probably doesn't matter. I usually render pork fat slowly but the cracklins get super crunchy.