www.sausagemaking.org

Who says so?
Well me frequently as it happens.I have been stating this "fact" for some time and no one has queried it but I have received a PM asking me where I had gleaned this nugget so I set about finding my source.
Having searched the forum and the net for a week I am unable to come up with any evidence to support my wild claim.
I can only assume it came to me in a dream and I awoke one morning knowing this as a fact
Quite why 10% and why US FDA I can only wonder.
So I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to any of you who may who may have taken notice of the drivel I have spouted

Jim

My understanding is that a 10 % brine, if initally sterile, will remain so. Could this be what you had lodged in your mind?

It's not drivel!
I'm the one who inquired.
I did a lot of searching as well, and what I came up with is the following, found among the federal regulations for “Country Ham,” “Country Style Ham,” “Dry Cured Ham,” “Country Pork Shoulder,” “Country Style Pork Shoulder,” and “Dry Cured Pork Shoulder.”

When no sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, sodium nitrite, potassium nitrite or a combination thereof is used, the application of salt shall be in sufficient quantity to insure that the finished product has a brine concentration of not less than 10 percent or a water activity of not more than 0.92.

http://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/9/319/106

Could this be it???

Certainly I've seen '10% salt content' quoted as being the amount necessary for safety if not using nitrate/nitrite.

Phil

They say it takes a big man to admit a mistake so my hat's off to you. Its a shame that the journalist who first began the fear mongering on nitrites and nitrates did not do the same.

I thank you for your replies.
I think I read it on here and seem to recall the words country ham however I seem to forgotten or ,more likely,ignored the bit about nitrates and nitrites
Proving that one should read all posts properly rather than selectivly scanning

Jim