Hi all,
I've always used just sea salt as a means of controlling botulism etc in my brine cures, but was recently convinced by the argument to use 'cure 1' also (I feel a certain amount of responsibility for the health of my hungry friends!).
Now then, I understand that sea salt naturally contains a certain small proportion of nitrates - this is why parma ham producers are able to leave out any additional preservatives (I think!?). So this begs the question...
If you are using 'cure 1' in a brine solution, is it safe to also use sea salt, or does this put you at risk of increasing the nitrate/nitrite content to an unacceptable level? Should I be using ordinary rock or table salt instead?
It's all very confusing. I hope someone can help.
Regards,
John.