Last fall when we sent our first pasture-raised pigs to the butcher for processing, we knew we’d have to face the “nitrite question” sometime. We were busing moving though, so we didn’t look into it then. We just let them do the standard curing.

In the last several centuries, most bacon and ham has been cured with these chemicals, which produce the color and flavor we have gotten used to.

However, before we sent the next pigs to the processor we dug into the issue to find out if it was safe to use standard curing additives…or if perhaps one of the alternatives might be a good choice?

Why are nitrites used?

Nitrites and nitrates give pork a pink color and a certain taste that has been associated with bacon and ham for several centuries. I’m referring to what is often called saltpetre (salt peter) or curing salt—these are names for a group of chemicals which contain nitrites or nitrates.

Saltpetre, which can be either sodium nitrate or potassium nitrate, was initially used to preserve uncooked meats to prevent botulism bacteria from growing in the meat. When scientists discovered that the nitrate in saltpetre was converted to nitrite, they introduced the modern commercial meat preservative products, sodium nitrite and potassium nitrite.

Negative health effects from using nitrites to cure pork

When we eat foods containing nitrite, it usually forms nitric oxide, which is a helpful compound for our bodies. However, nitrite can also form nitrosamines, which are known to cause many diseases, including a bigger risk of getting cancer.

Nitrosamines can form when nitrites are exposed to high heat (over 130°C or 266°F) when amino acids are present. This can be the case when we cook cured meats.

However, nitrosamines can form even without the high heat of cooking. Our stomach acid is another environment that can convert nitrate and amino acids to nitrosamines. People have done studies which show that if we eat a lot of meat that is processed with nitrites we’re more likely to get stomach cancer.

Antioxidants such as vitamin C can stop nitrosamines from forming, so if you do eat cured meats, you will want to be sure to get enough vitamin C before eating the meat containing nitrites, or at least in the same meal.

However, scientists tell us that the best way to lower our risk of the many health problems related to nitrosamines is to avoid eating a lot of cured meat.

Celery juice cured nitrite-free bacon?

I knew about the practice of using celery extracts to cure bacon and ham, so I decided to research that.

You may think as I did at first that a “natural” form of nitrate would be a safer alternative.

It turns out that celery juice works because of the high level of nitrates it contains. In the right conditions it will act the same as the commercial nitrites. When we cook it at high heat along with the amino acids in meat, celery extract can form nitrosamines just as well as the regular “pickling salt”. I realized that meat cured with celery juice extract is really no different from meat cured with commercial nitrite, in the end.

So, is it not healthy to eat celery at all if it’s high in nitrates? We don’t need to worry about this. We normally eat celery raw; and if we cook it we use a lower level of heat than when we are frying meat. Besides, when we use celery to a soup for example, it is not in contact with as much meat, which means there are less amino acids to form nitrosamines. It’s when we cook celery improperly, such as with bacon in a hot pan, that the toxins are created.

When we realized that celery is no better, we decided not to pursue that route.

Sugar and salt cure for bacon

Maple syrup and various other types of sugar have been used in recipes for curing pork products. However, sugar doesn’t fully preserve the meat. Most recipes still call for “curing salt” (nitrite) or regular salt to do the main curing.

Salt has a long history as a meat preservative. Salt is definitely still a good method. It does a good job of preserving and dehydrating meat if it is injected deeply into the meat. Properly salted meat can keep for a long time.

However, there are problems with using salt as well. Salt, which is the chemical sodium chloride, contains too much sodium for many people when it is used in the amounts needed to preserve meat.

Another big problem with salt is the time it takes to properly cure meat. Most butchers are not willing to spend a week to cure bacon or hams. The process involves turning the meat daily, rubbing it with fresh salt, and removing the water as it accumulates. You can do this yourself at home. However, the process might turn out to be too time-consuming for you as well! Our economy and lifestyle has changed from previous times and it is becoming harder to squeeze in a process like this. But if you can find a good quality of salt such as Himalayan salt, and have the patience to try it, go for it! Learning forgotten techniques is a rewarding pursuit.

Since we have the luxury of freezers now, curing isn’t necessary to preserve the meat, so it is less useful than it was in times past. In the end, we decided to skip the curing altogether and went with various ways of cooking the fresh pork belly that made it as good or even better in some ways than the cured counterpart.

So, here are…

Our choice recipes for nitrite-free bacon

Most bacon is made from the pork belly, where thin layers of fat and meat alternate to make a very tasty product, however you decide to cook it. When pigs are raised on pasture, that fat is actually very healthy. It is less saturated and is higher in Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E.

We have found these two great recipes for pork belly that turned out much like regular smoked and cured bacon. This recipe is for bakin’ slices to make bacon.

Baked Nitrite-free Bacon

Ingredients:

• 10 pasture-raised pork belly strips (about a pound), cut ¼ inch thick.
• ½ teaspoon Himalayan salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C (400 degrees F).
2. Place pork belly strips on a cookie sheet, in a single layer.
3. Mix the salt, pepper, and smoked paprika together in a small bowl.
4. Sprinkle some of the seasoning mix on the pork strips. Turn them over and sprinkle the rest on the other side.
5. Roast the strips in the oven for 20 minutes, then turn them and roast the other side for another 20 minutes or until crispy. Drain the fat when you turn the strips (save it to use for frying).
6. Enjoy!

The other recipe is somewhat similar, but for this one you use a piece of whole pork belly that is not sliced. You roast it first, then slice and fry it like regular bacon the next day.

Fried Uncured Bacon

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ to 3 pound piece of pasture-raised pork belly
• 1 ½ tablespoons Himalayan salt
• 1 ½ tablespoons black pepper
• 1 ½ tablespoons smoked paprika

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 95 degrees C (200 degrees F).
2. Mix the salt, pepper and smoked paprika together in a small bowl.
3. Sprinkle some of the seasoning mix on the pork. Turn it over and sprinkle the rest on the other side. The fat side should be up.
4. Place pork belly in a large, tightly-covered stainless steel pan.
5. Cook for 3 ½ hours, then turn off oven. Let the pork cool off in the oven for an hour or two, then remove it and keep it in the fridge overnight.
6. With a sharp knife on a cutting board, cut the pork into ¼ inch thick slices. Place these strips into a pan and fry them like bacon.
7. Serve immediately!

The above two recipes are quite simple, and the finished product tastes very similar to bacon. Especially if you add smoked paprika. Of course, if you don’t have smoked paprika, that’s totally optional. You can get organic smoked paprika from Organic Earth Market in Halifax or check out your local health food store.

Bacon is not the only great pork belly classic!

We have come to realize that people all over the world use pork belly in many different ways than our traditional American bacon. (Bacon did not originate in America, of course. Check out the history of bacon—it’s an interesting subject!)

There are a thousand recipes for pork belly; they won’t taste exactly like bacon but they may be even better! So check out these recipes online. Just search for ‘side pork’ or ‘pork belly’ recipes. Southeast Asia has many great recipes, as well as Europe. We plan to experiment with some of these, now that we’ve broken free from the standard bacon “box”! You can do the same.

Of course, if you’re the kind of person that prefers the comfort of the good old flavors, you just might make the above nitrite-free recipes your new standard.