Bacon Cured With and Without Sodium Nitrite | Side by Side Comparison

In this video I will bring you along on the journey and show you the comparison between curing bacon with and without sodium nitrite, prague powder #1, pink salt. I use an equilibrium cure which I will detail below.
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•••••••• Products used in video ••••••••
Curing salt: amzn.to/36mh0He
•••••••• Recipe for bacon ••••••••
This video does not cover the press that nitrates have been receiving and I would encourage you to do your own recent and feel free to debate it in the comments.
I have been curing bacon at home for a while now and have tried both methods but never had the opportunity to do a side by side comparison. With the use of nitrates being so heavily criticised in recent years the desire to cure using just salt and sugar has increased. This video is designed to show you the visual differences and tastes that I experienced on this test. It was extremely good fun and if you have an interest in this process I would encourage you to have a go.
Equilibrium brine: Weight of the pork 100%, 2.5% salt and 1.25% sugar. For the nitrite cure I used 0.25% of Instacure number 1
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[@glennmiller9853]

This is funny because it doesn't effect taste. only used as a preservative and to add a pink color to make it more pleasing to the eye.

[@unclemattscookerylessons]

Just discovered your channel, really nice. First was your sourdough which is clearly a very popular video, this bacon video is also very useful, thanks

[@CulinaryExploration]

Thanks for watching!

[@carljones7992]

Same!!!

[@georgecook1374]

You should have had a taste tester that didn't know what you were doing to tell us what one they thought was better.

[@glennlopez6772]

Thanks for the video! I skipped to the taste test and was not surprised to find that this wasn't one of those promoting the concept that there are so many things we've been doing wrong! One can guess from the start of such videos, what those "experts" are going to decide! The time tested work of those guys who have slogged to ensure a safe and tasty product shouldn't be wasted by some self righteous vigilantes! The real test for taste would be a blind fold test! Amateur efforts could produce a product which tastes like something gone slightly off or bad, which few would admit to! Don't get them for the taste trials!

[@dennis1662]

Nitrates are poisonous. End of. But twas a great video I have been thinking of curing bacon with Pink Himalayan Salt, but I know it's not curing salt. Then again , I suppose one could mess around with different flavours. Using Himalayan Pink Salt and Apple cider vinegar, or Bourbon, or Whiskey etc.

[@mkshffr4936]

Even the ones in veggies?

[@EugeneSherbakov]

TikTok brought me here, I've noticed some ham recepie and tried to find nitrite salt on market, and where I am now? Deep sh*ty hole of conspiracy about that cure salt, or E250, if you want. Apparently you're not supposed to heat it above 140 celcius and ham recepie was cooked in the oven on 85 degress celcius. Apparently it may cause lots of diseases. All my life I DO fry any pinky meat products. Same for my parents. So things are getting complicated. No answers, mate! And I just wanted good old home made piece of ham. 🤣

[@fernandos6801]

The flavor of death by cancer is just quite right there when you use nitrates!

[@sumang6365]

Thousands of people are suffering from nitrite induced cancer. Nitrite is the greatest scandal of meat industry in the 21st century. Pinkness kills you with cancer..

[@jimbop4499]

Why do the yanks mostly 'cook' their bacon first?? in the smoker....but it's cooked! They might add the smoky flavour but it must weaken the bacon flavour surely??

[@isabellezablocki7447]

Nitrite is a plus factor. It brings more cancers into the equation. You want cancer? Go for nitrite. You want just heart disease? Go for the no nitrite bacon.

[@MaZEEZaM]

Well, when my dad has made his own bacon it’s been vastly better than any shop bought bacon I’ve had but I will have to give him a call to ask whether he uses the nitrites or not. For me, whether to use them or not, I’m unsure, a deep part of me wants to keep foods as natural as possible and my mind is telling me the nitrites are something like synthetic or chemical additives to the food but I also know I really don’t know anything about nitrites to know how natural the product actually is. I have however bought a huge belly pork and will divide it in two and freeze half till I can get nitrites and make the other half without so I can compare both as you have.

[@johnclarencecapistrano6027]

for me the best is the no cure bacon all natural ingredients can be use and easy to find it especially on market they can but it

[@paulojunior5351]

anyone knows where and which nitrode should i buy and where?

[@RobinsFamilyHomestead]

Good to see a side-by-side comparison like this. Thank you for doing that. The next comparison you could do, is using a natural nitrate like celery juice?

[@micul24]

Besides sodium nitrite giving you the most widest spread cancer in Europe, Colon Cancer that is.. it tastes pretty excelent! Why live 200 years and sad, when you can live just 50 years happily eating sodium nitrite cured bacon! now THAT a GOOD comercial liine!

[@lukeporter1870]

Just tried your recipe mate so fingers crossed it comes out good in 9 days 🤞🤞

[@CulinaryExploration]

Awesome bud, let me know how you get on

[@lukeporter1870]

@@CulinaryExploration you’re a bloody legend mate!! I’m an Australian and I loved the English bacon when I was there and now thanks to you I can enjoy it here! You bloody ripper 🍻🍻

[@CulinaryExploration]

@@lukeporter1870 That's awesome man. I've got some more videos coming on bacon, different ways of curing and cooking, plus what I think is the best bacon Ive ever eaten... I'll leave you with that thought lol, I hope to get the vids sorted in the next couple of months. Great to have someone in Australia making use of my recipes!

[@lukeporter1870]

@@CulinaryExploration I look forward to seeing it mate, I’m gonna give your crumpets a go next

[@alfredrice4863]

Just season uncurled bacon more I tried it and it worked for me

[@bobcastel6354]

any chance of a good old english lardy cake!!!

[@CulinaryExploration]

My wife is going to love this request lol. I'll certainly do my best Bob. Cheers for stopping by, Philip

[@justaspivoriunas9416]

Nitrites become much more dangerous when heated above 130 Celsius, basically it is bad idea to fry food with nitrite salt.

[@FlandraLabs]

Nitrites function to kill botulinum bacteria while curing so you don't die from eating a bacon sandwich. Even "no nitrites added" bacons will usually use celery or celery salt, which is a natural nitrite. You're telling me cooked spinach (which is high in nitrites) is toxic? Get outta here with that misinformation.

[@justaspivoriunas9416]

@@FlandraLabs For all I care you can eat whatever you want. But there is concern that nitrites heated above 110 Celsius when in contact with amino acids might form nitrosamines, compounds that increase risk of cancer. So, spinach when cooked alone, without meat present is not a concern. Boiled and smoked meat is also not a problem, but fried meat that has nitrites might be problematic.

[@mkshffr4936]

Don't stir fry your celery.

[@scrappydoo7887]

When you get dopey eyes after tasting a nitrite bacon you know what the winner is lol

[@Mr.Helper.]

How do you wash that cutting board

[@Guapogiboy]

Bacon with nitrate tastes more like ham bacon with out nitrate just tastes like salted pork. Does it make sense?

[@christopherlarry2485]

Great video!

[@bluennbregaint7214]

Oh well, I hadn't seen this video! As you said "like what we have learned to associate with bacon", though the real natural color of cooked pork is... grey. Since the 50's/60's the food industries have told people how foods are supposed to look and taste in huge lies. In France more and more the food industry is taking all additives out, so you have ham and bacon packets with "grey is the normal and natural color of porc" written on them because people were not buying them, thinking they were off. It's very funny but so pathetic at once. For my kids and myself I much prefer serving not too bad for your health grey meat than handsome but carcinogenic pink meat. Thanks for the video! Oh it's pork preparation time here and I'm making your leek sausages!

[@mytimetravellingdog]

since the 1700s you mean (that's when we started using saltpetre in curing meat in Britain).

[@journeyfortwo5211]

Well said

[@effieinglish]

They also use to play with mercury, put lead in everything, and not protect themselves from radio active substances, so... being an old practice doesn't make it a good one.

[@shadybendbison1525]

Interesting 👍🏻

[@michaelminniti5944]

I used Morton’s quick tender cure for my first try at bacon it’s not pink but is a curing salt tasted good to me.

[@richhansen8617]

Morton Tender Quick mix contains salt, the main preserving agent; sugar, both sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite, curing agents that also contribute to development of color and flavor; and propylene glycol to keep the mixture uniform.

[@Foxy11123]

The problem nitrat is one main of cancer

[@bugmouthready529]

Could you use celary salt?

[@xyzsame4081]

That is a natural ! source of nitrate.

[@MOOSEDOWNUNDER]

I have cured bacon at home without the cure, I agree with your analysis. Have you tried the wet cure?.

[@CulinaryExploration]

I have actually. I wet brined a cut of pork neck to make a Christmas ham over the holiday. As I had a big container I popped in a big piece of belly. When it had cured I found it took on a lot of water (didn't cook so well in the pan) so I popped it in a zip lock and cooked it sous vide at around 60c. This pushed a lot of the water out and made crisping up in the pan a breeze. What's your favourite way? Cheers, Phil

[@MOOSEDOWNUNDER]

@@CulinaryExploration I can see where you would have water issues there. I put my side of pig in a wine vat we have with 15 litres of tap water, 10 cups of rock salt and 7 cups of brown sugar, bring it to the boil and let it cool once all the ingredients are well mixed and dissolved. Then in with the pig side for 5 days making sure all sides are well covered. Then out and rinse and placed in our walk in fridge for 20 days, after that I take out the belly and back bacon and smoke them. I'm lucky enough to have a share in a walk in fridge as part of a hunting team, we have the facilities here in the bush and hunt Sambar deer and hog. In the UK maybe use the bath tub then instead of a walk in why not hang the beast in a fabricated bug proof box and hang her from the highest branch you can find? Love the vids BTW. Cheers Moose.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Don't know how my wife would feel about me taking over the bath tub for five days or so LOLOL - I tend to do smaller cuts in large container in a spare fridge, then I turn that fridge into the drying space. I wouldn't mind trying an air dried ham one day. Cheers for stopping by Moose. Take care, Phil

[@leenakapoor1756]

Don’t you have to bake it - at a low temp maybe - before using it?

[@edwardzender9061]

I agree for this test to be accurate it needs to be a blind test.

[@leenakapoor1756]

Can I use saltpeter instead of instacure? Will it change anything in the process?

[@Realutahmen]

9 days? That's it, why so short? Until this video I've never heard of bacon taking less than a month. Maybe I'm just spoiled.

[@daddybig4844]

Should have done a Blind taste 👅 test.....

[@ralphvest6637]

In the Missouri Ozarks (USA) we had what we called "Fresh Side" , that is fresh pork belly that has not been cured. You sliced and fried. It has a different taste, but, is very good. No chemicals at all. RV

[@CulinaryExploration]

Hey there, thanks for commenting. So there is no salt cure added at all? It's great to know how are people around the world prepare things :)

[@emanuelmangion]

ho much instacure 1 do you use for every kilo of meat and can you use insstacure 2 instead

[@CulinaryExploration]

Hey, the percentages are listed int he video description

[@arthurvandeman]

exc.

[@jean-thomasroy658]

Hi! I heard that sodium nitrite doesn't just bring the colour but also accelerate the curing process of the meat. Could the proper cured bacon taste be acquired without nitrites if the pork was just cured longer (I heard something like 3 time longer)? Thanks, very cool video!

[@JETproductionsUK]

How long can you leave the meat curing before it goes bad? We did a cure, the meat in air-tight bags within a water proof plastic container, leaving the meat for around 3 weeks and it all went bad. (We were taking 2 bags out at a time as that was all we had space for within the fridge) Was this just due to the time left or could there be other reasons?

[@michaelosborne3414]

Would be interesting if you did a blind taste test, to see how much difference you can taste when you aren't aware of the grey/rich pink contrast. The colour seemed to be the main sticking point for you. The pink in pink curing salt is just colouring to distinguish it from table salt - and I'm skeptical that the nitrate itself enhances the flavour.

[@foedspaghetti3290]

The best taste test I have is letting my children decide which one they prefer.

[@Alerya]

@@foedspaghetti3290 better for your kids is to not let them taste that Sodium Nitrite ...

[@foedspaghetti3290]

@@Alerya, don’t worry, my son won’t touch it.

[@RedScareClair]

Right. It really seemed like it was because his mind was made up. He said himself they basically taste the same.

[@hammertiming8423]

Note that when you eat nitrate salt, you're potentially taking cancer causing elements. The fact that it's poisonous is a reason enough not to use it.. People were making bacon with salt and smoke for hundreds of years, i don't understand why would anyone in his sane mind risk to kill him self over some pink colour

[@jamesrussell2068]

what is you used a smoke infuser to the non nitrate? curious if it would make it more bacon like

[@rommelsanjose736]

Wow your bacon look tasty but you you look more delicious!

[@candidmom2213]

I'm a little bothered using nitrate because of what I read in recent years that it can cause cancer. But not sure if this is really true and if it is, I wanted to know if there is just a specific amount of nitrate to ingest to cause cancer, or does it accumulate through years of consumption until it leads or causes CA? :(

[@maxoobbxxx8032]

The nitrate scare is not true. But, first thing first - sodium nitrite is poisonous in small amounts. It only takes 4 grams for an adult-sized person to die. With that out the way, keep in mind, that vegetables, such as celery and beet, contain a lot of nitrates, which are reduced by the bacteria in our gut into nitrites. So, you get about 100x more nitrites via vegetable than from any hams or sausages. These "natural" nitrites then are secreted in our own saliva, so you're literally swallowing nitrites every minute. Do nitrites cause cancer? The short answer - no. What do cause cancer are nitrite-protein remnants, called nitrosamines (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrosamine). They form when you heat proteins, treated with nitrites, to a very high temperature. So, don't scorch your food, and you'll be fine. (Scorched foot tastes horrible anyway).

[@williamgrainger2660]

I cure my own bacon and I definitely can say that the bacon cured with pink salt is much better than without. What kind of sugar did you use in this video ? I always use dark brown sugar in mine and a little of pure maple syrup.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Hey. I really wanted to prefer the bacon without pink salt, because generally I prefer to omit any ingredient that's not needed. But I really didn't think the bacon without pink salt lived up to my expectations, or to the comparison. I used a simple white sugar in the video. I think a combination of white sugar and honey works well. I adjust it depending on the other seasonings that I may add.

[@jacquelinesalguero8112]

I've got a slab in the fridge right now (day 5) with no pink salt because i wanted to try it out. This is my first time. Hope i did it right... Lol. I'm going to try with nitrites next, wish me luck!

[@CulinaryExploration]

Awesome! Let me know how you get on and what you think about the comparisons!

[@Offspring22]

Do you recall how it turned out?

[@gunsrulecommiesdrool]

I've got some in the fridge for 5 days no nitrates for my first time too

[@oliviaolives6717]

Hello from Singapore! I plan to cure my ham/bacon with no curing salt & this video was very helpful. I’ve read many articles about substituting curing salt with “celery juice” or “celery powder”, have u tried it or will u make a video comparison too pls?

[@seanonel]

I guess that he doesn't know...

[@joecummings8038]

I'm in France and get a piece of pork belly at the supermarket foire au porc. I've been a bit wary of the addition of nitrite, so what I do is to add powdered vitamin C - probably equal quantities nitriTe and vitamin c. I picked up somewhere that vitamin C counters the nitrite. I share the bacon with friends and have had no complaints. Good salting!

[@MeSoyCapitan]

You really needed a blind taste tester, or have been blind tasting it yourself. Knowing which is which, your own bias towards the one you think you'll like better influences the results.

[@CapnBubbaa]

What about Celery Juice Powder (Veg-Cure 508) instead of Instacure #1

[@richhansen8617]

Its the same, in many cases you end up with more Nitrites from the celery.

[@jamesyoung1022]

From Costa Rica. Enjoyed your video. I weigh everything. I use exact recipe, salt 25 gr/kilo, brown sugar 25 gr/kilo, pink curing salt 2.5 gr/kilo, cure for 10 days under refrigeration, dry on towels for 24 hours under refrigeration, then cold smoke

[@lizicadumitru9683]

You sell online by chance?

[@jamesyoung1022]

@@lizicadumitru9683 I have sold items on Ebay in the past but presently I only buy items. What is your interest?

[@riverjunkietours4956]

Hi James. I live in Borneo and have been making my own bacon and ham for a while. For bacon, I've been sticking to a dry cure because I love the results. Very similar to this video but with the addition of black pepper and fennel seeds (for me the fennel makes a huge difference). For my ham, I've been wet curing. Since covid-19 hit the scene, I've been producing more of both to sell (I was previously working in tourism) and I'm running out of fridge space so am very interested in your igloo cooler method. I've got a couple of 200L coolers so am thinking of using these to wet cure with frozen coke bottles to keep things cold.... I'm obviously a bit worried about making sure things are kept cool enough to be safe. Do you have any formulas or more info on how many frozen bottles per liter of brine or anything similar? Any additional info would be very much appreciated!

[@jamesyoung1022]

@@riverjunkietours4956 I just finished curing and smoking a batch of pork two days ago. My typical cure consists of purchasing the mid-section of a hog consisting of the belly, sides and loins. This last purchase weighed forty-one kilos and came in two pieces. Since I help with the butchering, I had the option of making sure the cut was to my liking. I iced it all down immediately with twenty kilos of ice and took it home. The next morning the meat was very cold and that helps with cutting and trimming. I took each side and divided it as follows. I removed the ribs and then returned them to the igloo cooler. Then I skinned the entire side taking care not to remove anymore fat than necessary. The skin was later cut into half inch pieces and frozen in pint size bags. Next, I trimmed away any excessive fat, especially on the back and sides. This was later cut into small cubes and rendered into lard. We use a lot of lard at our house. Next, I separated the loin from the sides. We remove and save all bones to cook with beans, soups and stews. I cleaned my Igloo cooler, saving any ice that had not melted. This ice was weighed before returning it to the cooler since I have to know the exact weight of everything that goes in it. So, what I end up with is two slabs of ribs, two sides of pork w/belly attached, and two loins. The total net weight of the meat that I actually cured ended up being twenty-seven and one half kilos. From past experience, I know that I'm going to need a total weight of sixty kilos consisting of meat, ice and water in order to cover the meat completely and keep the meat below the water line. Use weights if necessary. I find that the coke bottles make good weights. So, I went to the store and bought another twenty kilos of ice. I weighed each bag because the weight on the bag isn't even close to the actual weight. After all the meat has been weighed, it's put in the cooler along with ice. Then I add sufficient water to bring the total weight to exactly sixty kilos. Next, I prepare my salt, brown sugar and curing salt. I use 25 grams per kilo for the salt and sugar and 2.5 grams/kilo for the curing salt. So, for sixty kilos I mix one and a half kilos of salt. One and a half kilos of brown sugar and 150 grams of curing salt. I mix it well and spread it over the top of the meat in the cooler. The temperature in the cooler will now plunge to a very low temperature. If your cooler is similar to mine, it will take a couple of days for the ice in the cooler to melt. Meanwhile, you can freeze four 2.5 liter coke bottles of water to be used as necessary once the bag ice has melted. Do not overfill these bottles. Only put about 2 liters of water in them or they'll rupture when they turn to ice. I use two bottles a day, on rare occasions a third. Changing them in the morning or whenever I see that the ice in them has completely melted. I cure for ten days or more depending upon when I can schedule the day of smoking. You will find that the contents of your cooler will stay very cold as these large coolers hold ice very well. In fact, you won't be able to keep you hands in the brine for more than a few seconds because it's so cold. The day before I plan to smoke, I remove all the meat, clean the cooler and then return the meat, resting it on clean bath towels to catch the liquid that drains. I put in frozen bottles to maintain the low temperature. I believe the dry cure method may be preferable for small batches but it's just not feasible for me with such large quantities. PS. I also use lots of fennel seeds. They are incredible in beans, soups, stews, bread, etc. Questions? Just ask.

[@riverjunkietours4956]

@@jamesyoung1022 Thanks for your detailed reply! Any questions down the line and I'll let you know.

[@BBGrillShack]

Thanks for the side by side! I was considering not using the curing salt on my next bacon but I'm second guessing that now. Appreciate it! Sub from me 👍

[@josephsdysart9861]

smoke them!!!!!

[@davidmaly5464]

Just use sodium Ascorbate instead of nitrite... Bacon with vitamin c .... Boom...

[@timstravellingwok]

David Maly how does that cure meat?

[@scotttoner9231]

With my homemade bacon, while the cure ingredients and time seem identical to yours, I then do an approx 6 hr cool smoke. In side by side test with and without the pink salt, none of us could differentiate the tastes - the smoke (which I think of as a key ingredient in bacon) may hide the difference.

[@shadybendbison1525]

Great video but I was going 😱 he forgot to smoke it

[@ScrtAznMn]

smoke chemically introduces nitrites into the bacon.

[@normanchristie4524]

@@ScrtAznMnI also cold smoke bacon, it stops that rancid tang which is off-putting.

[@stevemaidwell1119]

I have made my own cures containing nitrites and ones just with salt and sugar. Yes, the nitrite cures make the bacon look nicer, however, I can really get no discernible difference in flavour or texture. No nitrite does not look as appetising as with nitrite added but this is what we all think that bacon should look like (Supermarket brainwashing). I smoke mine too and would say homemade bacon is far superior to shop bought, just get over what it looks like. I can’t remember the last time I bought shop bacon. Love your sourdough videos btw. Your no waste starter is a winner👍

[@mytimetravellingdog]

saltpetre (nitrates) has been commonly used in bacon curing in Britain since 1700 or so. It's got a history as a preservative going back to antiquity.

[@CrayCrazy]

Do you sold or hot smoke?

[@kiwi8.]

@@mytimetravellingdog we used to think mercy was good for us also

[@SAFT_NB]

Nitrates in high doses can KILL you This means it is a poison It's all in the dosage

[@circuitbreaker9799]

Yeah... as a person with arthritis, I made a 3 months on/off Sodium Nitrite study on my self. The meat cured with it tastes and looks better, but it triggers both arthritis and gout flareups. Without it I am OK.

[@fryertuck6496]

I can 2nd this, I completely beat my arthritis by going carnivore. However when I use cure my knee flares up and I'm crippled for 5 days. I'm half way through fermenting celery to then dry and make a powder. I'll let you know how that pans out

[@allanpennington]

@@fryertuck6496 Have you researched how much naturally occurring nitrates are in vegetables, celery, spinach, beets are high on the list.

[@fryertuck6496]

@@allanpennington I've been full carnivore for 4 yrs already. I don't eat vegetables and using fermented celery as a bacon cure is going to be a test to see if that also causes an inflammation issue.

[@z00011001]

I find no issues with nitrate. I consume about 120g of pork bacon everyday. Tons of butter and about a pound of beef and some eggs. 100% carnivore. And I can consume beer like drinks on holidays. No issues.

[@fryertuck6496]

@@z00011001 Do/did you have arthritis?

[@johnec0042]

Very interesting experiment! Can't say I've ever made bacon without nitrite. In the U.S. marketers make a big deal about "uncured" bacon, but here that just means that celery powder is used to provide roughly the same amount of nitrite as the Instacure #1 that you used. Just for the record, Instacure #1 is 15/16 salt, so the cured bacon actually has about 0.23% more salt.

[@Alerya]

wtf. Botulism only affect USA? because here in eastern europe our parents and grandparents cure the meat with no "pink salt" and i never heard someone to have a problem. Also here is very very difficult to procure this salt. under any circumstances u cant find pure like what you have #1 and #2 .. in the best way you can get a mix of regular salt and added 0.5% Sodium Nitrite.. Also, this bacteria is not dangerous only if you eat meat raw? once you fry your bacon, this bacteria (assuming is present) is not destroyed? One more think.. what is the purpose of sugar ? Did you ever try to cure your meat without sugar? Add just 2%salt, and spices .. you will be surprised.. And the remark "with pink salt is like bacon is supposed to be" is very stupid! .. No, is not supposed to be like that ... big companies teach you to eat that crap, but that isn't normal ...

[@craigluhr3034]

I would rather have natural color than artificial color and chemicals. It takes time for our bodies to adjust to proper flavor from natural ingredients. Bacon made with chemicals is not Bacon!

[@kiwi8.]

It's just what your used to it's like coffee without sugar after a while it's grate but when you first change it's just not as good because it's not what you are expecting knowing what it does to your body I'm more than happy with a simple old salt cure 😁

[@joeturner2868]

Jesus your hands are HUGE! you can barely grip that pencil.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Wasn’t the best choice in the world Joe!

[@maryjaneshiba]

🤣

[@tdpmayhemyt]

FYI, speaking from personal experience when I was a beginner chef just out of culinary school, DO NOT add too much sodium nitrate! I did and I was throwing up for the entire day and I only ate a thick slice of the bacon I made. It was brutal. Follow recipes like the one in the video, it’s safer.

[@idahopotato5837]

I'm wondering the difference if you smoked it. Also it may need a longer cure without the nitrites. You could possibly but a little beet juice in your cure to redden the meat.

[@typicalrockhound9887]

Flavour doesnt mean much when your dead 😄 lol . Stay healthy . Eat for an extended amount of years

[@ZeliardFTW]

Studies say the pink cured one only uses the sodium nitrate for the colour (Pink), so you shouldn't be able to taste a difference unless its your visual difference. I don't know too much about it, so I'm not sure.

[@philanastasios5881]

He didn't smoke it its not bacon just salted pork belly

[@Weeem]

I'm making my 1st ever home cured bacon as I type this (in the fridge an hour ago) Done deliberately without curing salt and as long as it tastes better than shop bought then Im good with that. Plus, once you add other things (burge or blt), than I'm sure all the other differences fall away

[@710LENNY]

You might try adding ground up celery or celery salt (in lieu of whatever salt you were using). Celery is full of naturally occuring nitrites (or is it nitrates?) and will help to give that nice pink colour and je ne sai quoi quality to the bacon. You'll have to surf the net to find quantities but it might be worth it.

[@georgecapra]

But the celery salt or powder does not change the taste and flavor of the bacon ?

[@710LENNY]

@@georgecapra To be honest, I make bacon both with and without the nitrites, and I guess I prefer the nitrite simply because I am most familiar with the flavour. The celery does add a certain ...um, earthy? ... backnote to the bacon, but it's not offensive and you could always soak the bacon in cold water after it is cured to dilute the flavour (and the salt sometimes - slice a sliver off the end to check for both). Just pat dry and sit in on a rack or hang it to dry.

[@EncielMcx2005]

I never thought to cure bacon at home. I'm glad I found your vid. Thank you.

[@CulinaryExploration]

It tastes great too! Glad to have you following the channel :)

[@russellfrancis813]

smoke it, that would probably solve the color and flavor issue

[@dthundergunb3115]

One suggestion I've heard from an old butcher was if you're going to do it without the nitrates, after you finish the brine process and rinse it and dry it off while it's sitting he said to brush molasses or maple syrup on it so it'll have the extra sweet flavor to combat the saltiness which is what I'm going to try. He said don't drown it but a light brushing is what he's always done

[@gentlestormtoo]

LOL don't talk with your mouth full

[@toddmussman8486]

I cure a lot of bacon and I’m also a chef with meat science background. The main reason for using nitrites in cured bacon is for color and taste as you stated. The main thing I see (and didn’t see) is you didn’t smoke the bacon and the nitrites play an important role in the smoking process in keeping the product safe at lower temperatures. I’m American and we love the smoked taste on our bacon so maybe that isn’t a thing in the Uk so much. Bottom line is if you’re curing for preservation nitrites are the way to go for color, taste, shelf life and safety. ☮️❤️🥓

[@BernWag]

I'm new at DIY bacon, what is the temp of your smoke? I have a Traeger grill and I have trouble keeping the temp consistently under 200F.

[@toddmussman8486]

@@BernWag you need to bring the internal temperature of the bacon to 130 degrees F to set the color. You can stop there if you feel you got enough smoke or keep going to 150 degrees. If you stop at 130 you will need to cook the final product. 150 will produce a “ready to eat” product. As far as temperature goes I start low around 110 to dry the surface and prepare to apply smoke. Ideally you’d raise the temp slowly over the course of several hours to hit your target. If your grill can’t hold below 200 you may need to rethink your process.

[@BernWag]

Very helpful, thanks for posting. So 7x as much sugar in the no nitrite, does this sweeten the bacon (you mentioned saltiness). Also, can we assume both pieces of pork were exactly the same weight? (I'm building a scalable spreadsheet.) Thanks again!

[@donaldkilger511]

I will be trying my first ever attempt at curing bacon at home this weekend. I choose to omit nitrates, mainly cause I didn't want to go to another store. I hope I did screw up too much.

[@3252fly]

From This 40 yr. Elder Hospital Paramedic=== Do you want A KNOWN CANCER AGENT or NOT.== The ONLY question!!!

[@JohnPhilpott-q5k]

As a strict carnivore I cringe at adding sugar. That’s why I make my own. Otherwise I can just buy is without all of the work and actually would be cheaper

[@chrisengland5523]

I rarely eat bacon, so can't claim any knowledge of the difference. However, I've always thought that the sole role of sodium nitrite was as a preservative.

[@Whizzer_]

Very helpful thanks - Ive been making bacon for years and considering pink salt for a while - I'll give it a go

[@My2up2downCastle]

Ex bacon butcher here...There's also collar bacon (horrible!) And oyster cut, longback, middlecut etc.....shops don't sell those cuts (rashers) any more and no one leaves the rind on...sacrilige! .... all heil the saltpetre....

[@chippyquinn]

Such a good video! Thank you for doing this, I don't feel a lot of people would think to do this comparison and I completely agree, nothing against the no nitrate method but you can't escape your brain telling you "it's not bacon!" 😇

[@arnoldhight]

Well probably you've been eating nitrates in your meat for so long you have developed an addiction. You should do a 60 cleans with nitrate free meet then come back and do the comparison and I suspect you would think there is something not quite right about the bacon that has nitrates in it. :)

[@bryangardiner4362]

Would you use the same salt/sugar/instacure percentages for a pork loin (back bacon)? Also, any difference in curing time for loin? BTW, thanks Philip for doing this channel, I like your style!

[@CulinaryExploration]

I'd use exactly the same percentages and process Bryan. You will need to extend the process as the loin is thicker. Cheers for the feedback matey

[@faithreasons3041]

@@CulinaryExploration I like your style too. The British friendliness, the pace, and the camera angles. Great videos. Thank you. Have you tried making Digestive Biscuits?

[@ObiWanCannabi]

See i wish i paid attention the first time, when i went to get the nitrate salt it come out loads cheaper to get a big bucket, so i got 10kg of the stuff. Should be able to make an industrial batch for the next 10 years in Germany lol, I might make my own shop All just gone in the fridge, ill report back my opinion when i tried it ;)

[@Mykamania]

Think it's a bit over kill to take out a tea spoon of pink salt considering taste and preservation where people will eat a bag of flavored chips with over 30 chemicals. Its home cooked so it's good.

[@benjaminblom9262]

How much sodium nitrite in grams is added to the dry brine for one kilogram of meat that would be dried with cold smoke? in sweden there is 20 grams of salt per kilogram...is that ok? ovdthanks

[@matthewconnor5483]

We've been conditioned to industrial processes that rush the curing. Going back to just salt is like handing someone fruit who has only ever eaten fake sweeteners.

[@madfrosty5228]

its all about what are you used to , and psychology . the pink bacon looks better there is no way of denying that , BUT i am lucky enough to have grown up on natural old fashioned home made bacon , which used traditional table salt to cure and i much prefer the taste of that to the mass produced factory sodium nitrite cured type . its all in our head , but knowing about the carcinogenic properties of the nitrates i am not eating that stuff anymore .

[@MuneShadow1]

I had a similar reaction when I cured beef brisket for the first time; it lacked that vibrant dark pink color, but it had the right taste. Long story short, I've used celery seed powder, which didn't do much, so I'm going to experiment with cherry powder and celery powder for when I cure my pork shoulder for ham. The only reason why I'm taking up on curing certain meats is because colon and intestinal cancer runs in my family, and the leading cause of both ailments is the consumption of processed foods like smoked ham, cheap bacon, junk food, frozen foods, and corned beef.

[@Joe-fj9kw5bg1v]

I did pig jowls with out nitrites I thought is was great my wife thought it was great now I am trying dried cured bacon not in plastic just in the fridge without nitrite might get a chance to let you know how it goes in about 5 days.

[@johngeorge8597]

I wonder if there is a connection between nitrited bacon and back pain..i have been experiencing knee and back pain 6 weeks into carnivore diet consisting of beef , eggs , pork and bacon and sausages...I am suspecting bacon and sausages as these are processed

[@endezeichengrimm]

Who cares if it isn't pink? If you can avoid colorectal cancer, I'll go nitrite free.

[@silenceisbetterthannonsense]

What if you put the bacon in the oven? I wonder what the difference would look like then

[@aaronvt9980]

Smoking might help improve the no nitrite bacon. Or making it peppered bacon.

[@unguidedone]

i heard the reason why sodium nitrate is used is to give meat a pink color but its also a carcinogen.

[@danielleosentoski520]

Even though you liked the Indra cured bacon better were they both better than store bought?

[@davidknight114]

I heard nitrates aren't good for you

[@CulinaryExploration]

Thanks for watching. That is certainly a topic that's been wide open for debate over the last several years. The process I showed in the video that doesn't use nitrites will still cure the pork but I don't believe that it quite replicates what we have come to associate with proper bacon, but it's definitely worth trying if you want to avoid them :)

[@RedScareClair]

Cancer. The "something special" about that bacon is cancer. 🤣

[@meajackson1307]

Your video was SUPER! Your side by side comparison demo was very informative. Explaining each step was an excellent tool. Straight to the point within a good time frame. You know your craft.👍

[@DominiDiscord]

Neither of these have been exposed to smoke. Neither of these are real bacon.

[@richardpalmer9774]

Yep, I had the exact same results as you did. I am English living in Bulgaria and have had to make my own bacon as the local "bacon" isn't up to much. I bought some ready made curing salt with nitrites in it from Weschenfelder which worked great but after that had run out and after viewing some KZbin vids (American) it seems that one could just use salt (Himalayan pink salt is what I used)and sugar for the cure and skip the nitrites but alas no, the reality for me was grey salt pork that smelled and tasted like salt pork. Seems that the nitrites are essential for bacon unless you like a salt pork sandwich!

[@CulinaryExploration]

I'm with you completely. I think for people that decide to avoid nitrites the result from salt and sugar is ok. But in my opinion, for true bacon like you'd get from a decent butchers shop, you need the nitrites. Big thanks for watching and appreciate the feedback! Hope all is well in Bulgaria.

[@idontthinkso6172]

@@CulinaryExploration and smoking?