Oddley wrote:To be honest I agree. I have asked in a post for amounts of nitrites in the prague powder but unfortunately never received an answer.
It can't be for commercial reasons we are not all likely to go out and formulate our own prague powder #1.
Come on Franco fess up...:)
This is fairly well documented (unless Franco's prague powder is different).
From
www.alliedkenco.com:
Prague Powder #1 Also called Insta-Cure and Modern Cure. This cure is sodium nitrite ( 6.25% ) mixed with salt ( 93.75 % ) As the meat temperate rises during processing, the sodium nitrite changes to nitric oxide and starts to 'gas out' at about 130 � F. After the smoking /cooking process is complete only about 10-20 % of the original nitrite remains. As the product is stored and later reheated for consumption, the decline of nitrite continues. Use 1 oz. for 25 lb. of meat or 1 level teaspoon of cure for 5lb. of meat. Mix cure with cold water.
Prague Powder #2 Used with dry-cured products. Has 1 oz. of sodium nitrite with .64 oz. of sodium nitrate to each lb. of salt. Use with products that do not require cooking, smoking, or refrigeration. This cure, which is sodium nitrate, acts like a time release, slowing breaking down into sodium nitrite, then into nitric oxide. This allows you to dry cure products that take much longer to cure. (A cure with sodium nitrite would dissipate too quickly.) Use 1 oz. of cure for 25 lbs. of meat or 1 level teaspoon of cure for 5 lbs. of meat. Mix cure with cold water.