Pickling (Brining) Salt supplies.

[pokerpete]

UK only.
Where do you source your pure salt supplies (NaCl) from, and how much are you paying?

[saucisson]

�6.00 delivered for 2kg from Franco.
Dave

[jpj]

sea salt - pound a kilo, local mill (north norfolk) and similar price at grocers/farmstore

[georgebaker]

Hi
where in N norfolk 'cos I have to go to Sufolk in a car next month
George

[dougal]

I'm a cheapskate luddite who really can't "taste the difference".

For brining the (only a couple of) small hams I've done, damp curing bacon in poly bags, and brining before charcoal grilling and hot smoking - I've used perfectly ordinary UK table salt.
And its been fine.
No bad "metallic" or "bitter" off-tastes that I can detect as such.
Remember that the UK anti-caking agents are present at a level of mere teaspoonfuls per tonne of salt, and the iodine is barely higher.
I've got no objection whatsoever to iodine at that level (thyroid), but I'd be quite happy to lose the anti-cake stuff.

I note that Erlandson advocates the use of "pure vacuum-dried salt, which is very cheap" and which "can be purchased from most agricultural merchants". He also recommends looking in the Yellow Pages under "Salt Merchants", which doh ! I've only just done...

[Spuddy]

I'm with you Dougal.
I use bog standard cooking salt (no anti-caking agent) from the cash and carry and have never tasted anything remotely "metallic" (apart from a bit of sodium ).

[saucisson]

Sounds like a good point to try brining my hock in cheap salt .

Dave

[pokerpete]

I'm with you Dougal.
I use bog standard cooking salt (no anti-caking agent) from the cash and carry and have never tasted anything remotely "metallic" (apart from a bit of sodium ).

Good point for all to consider.
The reason that I posted this query was because my friend who has been working in France and elsewhere for some years designing industrial plants on a massive scale has recently retired. He always chucked a sack of seasalt in the boot for me. All that cost me was a bottle of Pouilly Fumee, and he wouldn't have it any other way.
Of course I have always been aware of the true costs, and the disposure of what seems to be an expendable solution for a basic precursor in the chemical industry. I was just wondering how you have all coped with the situation.

[jpj]

george: at the mill in letheringsett, on the main road from kings lynn to cromer. and at groveland shop in holt or at their farm stores in roughton just off the cromer to norwich road.

at work we buy 25k sacks of broste vacuum packed salt from their depot in kings lynn. this does have anti-cake in it. we only use for salting and brining fish - comes in at about 15p a kilo but we do buy in bulk. we use unadulterated sea-salt for dry-cured meats and cheeses etc

[Fricandeau]

Is there a reason not to use water softener/dishwasher salt? It is only vac dried NaCl after all, and it should be food safe.