This is 99.99% pure, food-grade potassium nitrate, also known around the world as saltpetre or saltpeter.
Although modern refining allows us to produce a highly purified potassium nitrate today, saltpetre has been used for centuries in traditional meat curing. In early curing recipes, it was sometimes associated with naturally occurring “contaminated salt,” since nitrate-rich mineral deposits were commonly found in caves and other natural environments. These salts were harvested and used to help preserve meat long before modern curing systems existed.
Potassium nitrate is used as a curing ingredient, but it is important to understand that this product is 100% nitrate, not nitrite. Think of nitrate as the earlier form in the curing process. Before it can provide the typical curing effect associated with nitrite, it must first be reduced, or converted, from nitrate into nitrite.
For this reason, potassium nitrate is best used in applications where a nitrate-reducing culture is present, such as ScarLet, which we also carry. Over time, nitrate will naturally reduce to nitrite, but nitrate-reducing bacteria produce enzymes that help speed up this conversion. This helps the curing process develop more efficiently, supporting preservation while also helping create the characteristic cured color associated with traditional cured meats.
Yield / Coverage
One 8 oz jar / 227g will cure approximately 1,668 lb of meat when used at 300 ppm, or 0.03% of the green weight of the meat system.
How Much Do I Use?
A common standard use rate is 300-400 ppm, or 0.03-0.04% of the green weight of the meat system. This is often considered a general minimum use level across many traditional cured meat applications. However, you are legally allowed to add more.
Legal maximum use levels vary by product type and application:
For ground or comminuted meat products, potassium nitrate may be used up to 1,718 ppm, or 0.1718% of the green weight of the meat system.
For brine applications, the legal maximum concentration is generally 700 ppm, meaning higher use levels than 300 ppm may be permitted depending on the formulation and process.
For dry-cured whole muscle products, potassium nitrate may be used up to 2,187 ppm, or 0.2187% of the green weight of the muscle.
Always use potassium nitrate according to the applicable product standard, curing method, and regulatory requirements for your specific application.
