Prague Powder 1 and 2 FOOD GRADE

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Prague powder 1 and 2 look identical but have different uses. Both are used for curing meat but due to their make-up they do subtly different things. These salt based curing blends contain sodium nitrite and potassium nitrate and therefore need to be used with great care as a dry cure or in a brine solution. 

Also known as instacure #1 or pink salt

 

 

 


 

Prague 1 contains salt and sodium nitrite in the ratios 15:1 that works out at 93.75% salt and 6.25% Sodium Nitrite. Prague #1 is used to cure meats that will be cooked before they are eaten. Things like sausage, bacon, gammon and hams are some of the more popular foods that Prague powder #1 can be used to cure.
The Sodium Nitrite contained in the mix acts to kill serious bacteria like botulism which is a very dangerous pathogen and is anaerobic which means it can thrive without the need for oxygen. this makes Prague powder useful in foods like sausage because the meat is all mixed up in the casing and contamination can be introduced. The Nitrite also reacts with the hemoglobin in the muscle tissue of the meat and this fixes the colour keeping the meat an appetising pink colour. Uncured pork can have a grey look to it when cooked. Just compare the colours of roast pork and gammon to see the difference. Nitrite also flavours the meat slightly giving the meat that characteristic cured meat flavour.

 

A concern with nitrites is that they form nitrosamines when heated. When bacon is cooked to the point where it becomes dark and crispy, nitrosamines can be formed. These compounds have been linked to cancer. To dramatically reduce the formations of nitrosamines, a small amount of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) can be added to the cure mix. The ascorbic acid acts to inhibit the formation of these conpounds.

 

 Prague #2 is a slightly different cure to #1 because it also has the addition of saltpetre which is known chemically as Pottasium nitrate. This chemical has been used in meat curing and preserving for century's and like the sodium nitrite, it too fixes the colour of the cured meat as it oxidises. The nitrate in the cure oxidise over time forming nitrites which in turn protect the meat from bacterial attack.

Prague #2 has the benefit of giving protection as it cures meat over a longer period of time than Prague #1. This means it can be used to cure air dried meats which typically require weeks if not months to prepare. Prague #2 is a great cure if you are looking to make air dried chorizo, pancetta, air dried hams like prosciutto or Coppa, Lomo and Bresola.

Both these cures are available from coldsmoking.co.uk who provide a mail order service for all things food smoking, curing and brining.  Be careful to choose food grade cures as some manufacturers use reagent chemicals as a cheap alternative to food grade versions which are tested and formulated for food use.
Location: Milton Keynes UK

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