Hello there. I make various types of smoked sausages and deli meats
and use Prague Powder #1, which contains about 6% sodium nitrite. It
seems that there is a movement toward nitrite free products because of
the supposed carcinogenic effects of the chemical. Is there any solid
evidence to support this or is it mostly hype? Obviously it's
dangerous if you ingest large quantities of it, but I wonder if that's
truly the case if you stick to the recommended levels. In any event,
are there any viable alternatives to prague powder that are nitrite
free?

Btw, I apologize in advance if meat curing is not a main topic of
discussion here. I just thought it was worth a shot. I also posted
on rec.food.preserving

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Hello there. I make various types of smoked sausages and deli meats
> and use Prague Powder #1, which contains about 6% sodium nitrite. It
> seems that there is a movement toward nitrite free products because of
> the supposed carcinogenic effects of the chemical. Is there any solid
> evidence to support this or is it mostly hype? Obviously it's
> dangerous if you ingest large quantities of it, but I wonder if that's
> truly the case if you stick to the recommended levels. In any event,
> are there any viable alternatives to prague powder that are nitrite
> free?
>
> Btw, I apologize in advance if meat curing is not a main topic of
> discussion here. I just thought it was worth a shot. I also posted
> on rec.food.preserving
>
>
I don't think it's fact based at all. The local producers just don't use
nitrites, and that affects their product adversely, I think. All hams,
bacon, and other cured meats have nitrites or nitrates, historically for
preservation, and now for flavor. The USDA publishes specific PPM[parts per
million] of nitrosamines that
can be in cured meat without their being carcinogenic. Now most sausages are
devoid of nitrites, except for cured cooked sausage. I have used Morton's
Tenderquick as a dry rub on various meats with
interesting, and sometime noninteresting results. I wish there were more
information about this.

Kent