How this calculator works
Curing bacon is a weighing job. Salt draws water out of the meat and slows spoilage, while a small amount of sodium nitrite holds the pink colour, adds the cured flavour and slows the growth of Clostridium botulinum. Cure #1, also sold as Prague powder, Insta Cure or Modern Cure, is a pre mixed powder of 6.25 percent sodium nitrite and 93.75 percent table salt. It is coloured pink so it is not mistaken for plain salt; it is not the same as pink Himalayan salt and it cannot be replaced with one. The calculator uses the total cure basis: for a dry cure that is the meat weight, and for a wet brine it is the meat plus the water. Both salt and cure #1 are given as a share of that basis, which is how equilibrium cures and brine recipes are written. Measure with a scale that reads to 0.1 g: the cure dose is far too small for a spoon to be accurate.
Formula
cure basis = meat + water (1 L of water is taken as 1 kg). salt = salt share x cure basis. cure #1 = cure #1 share x cure basis. sodium nitrite in ppm = cure #1 share x 0.0625 x 1 000 000, which is 156 ppm at the usual 0.25 percent share. At the 2.5 percent salt share the meat ends up near 2 percent salt by weight once the cure has equalised.
Worked example
A dry cure for 1.5 kg of pork belly at 2.5 percent salt and 0.25 percent cure #1 needs 1.5 x 0.025 = 0.0375 kg, or 37.5 g of salt, and 1.5 x 0.0025 = 0.00375 kg, or 3.75 g of cure #1. The nitrite level is 0.0025 x 625 = 156 ppm, which is under the 200 ppm commercial limit for dry cured bacon. A wet brine for the same 1.5 kg of meat in 4 L of water has a basis of 5.5 kg, so it needs 137.5 g of salt and 13.75 g of cure #1, and still 156 ppm.
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Frequently asked questions
Why is the wet brine based on meat plus water?
In an equilibrium brine the salt and nitrite move between the water and the meat until both are at the same concentration. Taking the share of the combined weight therefore sets the concentration the meat will finish at. Basing it on the water alone makes a much weaker cure than the same percentage suggests.
Is 156 ppm allowed in bacon?
It is above the 120 ppm ingoing limit that USDA applies to commercial immersion and pumped bacon, and below the 200 ppm limit for dry cured bacon. Commercial limits assume a controlled process; a home cure should follow a tested recipe and a sensible cure time rather than treat the commercial number as a target.
How long does the cure take?
Time depends on thickness and temperature, not on weight alone. Published home curing guidance uses about seven days per inch of thickness for a dry cure, with the meat held at 1 to 4 C, and longer for a large piece. Turn or rub the meat on the schedule in the recipe you are following.
Does curing cook the bacon?
No. Cured bacon is still raw and must be cooked. Health Canada lists 71 C (160 F) as the safe internal temperature for pork cuts. Serve bacon crisp, which is well above that figure.
Can I use celery juice powder instead?
Celery powder contains naturally occurring nitrate and nitrite, but the amount varies by batch, so it cannot be weighed against the same fixed percentage. Recipes built around a pre mixed cure are the reliable route for a home cure.