Thank you all so very much for the fantastic suggestions. I have gone
to every pharmacy (Rite-Aide, CVS, all the mom and pops), grocery
stores (kroger,mejier,walmart,sams club), butcher shop, pet and
livestock feed store, health food store, whole food markets, farm
supply, meat processors, lawn and garden places, and on and on ane none
of them carry nor can they get it when I can get them to understand
what I am talking about. I've searched in 10 nearby counties ( I'm in
the central kentucky area) I wanted a local source but looks like online
is the only way to go.
I too have eaten sausage fresh and enjoy it that way too, but the tast,
texture and color prvided by the curing is unbeatable. I did use the
Morton's TenderQuick, but found it too salty.

On May 4, 1:04*pm, (Fred Giles) wrote:
> Thank *you all so very much for the fantastic suggestions. *I have gone
> to every *pharmacy (Rite-Aide, CVS, all the mom and pops), *grocery
> stores (kroger,mejier,walmart,sams club), butcher shop, pet and
> livestock feed store, health food store, whole food markets, farm
> supply, meat processors, lawn and garden places, and on and on ane none
> of them carry *nor can they get it when I can get them to understand
> what I am talking about. *I've searched in 10 nearby counties ( I'm in
> the central kentucky area) I wanted a local source but looks like online
> is the only way to go.
> I too have eaten sausage fresh and enjoy it that way too, but the tast,
> texture and color prvided by the curing is unbeatable. * I did use the
> Morton's TenderQuick, but found it too salty.

Saltpeter is not necessary for good tasting sausage. A well balanced
sausage stuffing mix and quality meat products are the only
requirements. Buy a quality mix from a butcher supply company and
you're away.
If you really want and need saltpeter then most drugstores have it and
if the pharmacist is at all educated, he/she can order it in. There
may be restrictions though since saltpeter can be used to manufacture
fireworks and/or explosives. Since 9/11, who knows what quantities are
allowed...ask your pharmacist.
==

"Fred Giles" > wrote in message
...
> Thank you all so very much for the fantastic suggestions. I have gone
> to every pharmacy (Rite-Aide, CVS, all the mom and pops), grocery
> stores (kroger,mejier,walmart,sams club), butcher shop, pet and
> livestock feed store, health food store, whole food markets, farm
> supply, meat processors, lawn and garden places, and on and on ane none
> of them carry nor can they get it when I can get them to understand
> what I am talking about. I've searched in 10 nearby counties ( I'm in
> the central kentucky area) I wanted a local source but looks like online
> is the only way to go.
> I too have eaten sausage fresh and enjoy it that way too, but the tast,
> texture and color prvided by the curing is unbeatable. I did use the
> Morton's TenderQuick, but found it too salty.
>
look for sodium nitrate, from what I am told, that is the same thing.

On Tue, 4 May 2010 15:04:23 -0400, Fred Giles wrote:

> I too have eaten sausage fresh and enjoy it that way too, but the tast,
> texture and color prvided by the curing is unbeatable. I did use the
> Morton's TenderQuick, but found it too salty.

Hah! So there!

[dancing circles around Bob]

:-)

-sw

On Tue, 4 May 2010 16:14:58 -0400, "Virginia Tadrzynski"
> wrote:

>look for sodium nitrate, from what I am told, that is the same thing.

Saltpetre is potassium nitrate. The use of nitrates in cures has
largely been replaced by nitrites, so the "standard" cure (Prague No1
(Insta Cure #1)) now contains 6% sodium nitrite and 94% salt (coloured
pink by some manufactures to clearly distinguish it from salt or
sugar). Older recipes would have been potassium (or sodium) nitrate
and salt.

The required nitrate level in the US is about 150-160 parts per
million so 4 ounces of the no 1 curing salt to 100 pounds of meat or
0.4 ounces or 11 grams per 10 lbs. of meat is necessary to achieve the
proper level of nitrite addition.

Catering and butchery suppliers will usually only sell salt/nitrate
pre-mixes as otherwise it is very easy to use too much nitrite (or
nitrate) and both are quite poisonous. 4 gm of either sodium or
potassium nitrite is usually a lethal dose.

I believe the US limit for Potassium Nitrate is just under 3 oz per
100lbs of meat, the European limit is much lower (178 mg/kg potassium
nitrate or about a third of an ounce per 100lbs).

In article >,
(Fred Giles) wrote:

> Thank you all so very much for the fantastic suggestions. I have gone
> to every pharmacy (Rite-Aide, CVS, all the mom and pops), grocery
> stores (kroger,mejier,walmart,sams club), butcher shop, pet and
> livestock feed store, health food store, whole food markets, farm
> supply, meat processors, lawn and garden places, and on and on ane none
> of them carry nor can they get it when I can get them to understand
> what I am talking about. I've searched in 10 nearby counties ( I'm in
> the central kentucky area) I wanted a local source but looks like online
> is the only way to go.
> I too have eaten sausage fresh and enjoy it that way too, but the tast,
> texture and color prvided by the curing is unbeatable. I did use the
> Morton's TenderQuick, but found it too salty.

Sausage, if you plan to freeze it, does not need it.
I've only ever used it for Canadian Bacon.

I had my local pharmacist order it for me. It is otherwise known as
Potassium Nitrate. Charles knew exactly what I was referring to and
ordered me a 1lb. jar for around 20 bucks.

But, I use a private Pharmacy, not one of the big box ones. He also is
compounding my thyroid medication now as the drug companies stopped
making a commercial T3/T4 combo that my Dr. wanted me to use as it works
better than crappy old Synthroid...

My Pharmacist is a real Pharmacist, not just a pill counter. ;-)

If you really want to play with this stuff, e-mail me and I will put you
in touch with them. You might also be able to get it via mail order off
the 'net:

<http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=...&aq=2s&aqi=g-s
10&aql=&oq=pottasi&gs_rfai=&fp=7661a96b06bced5f>

Or:

<http://tinyurl.com/24wy2bs>
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat. --Alex Levine

In article
>,
Roy > wrote:

> On May 4, 1:04*pm, (Fred Giles) wrote:
> > Thank *you all so very much for the fantastic suggestions. *I have gone
> > to every *pharmacy (Rite-Aide, CVS, all the mom and pops), *grocery
> > stores (kroger,mejier,walmart,sams club), butcher shop, pet and
> > livestock feed store, health food store, whole food markets, farm
> > supply, meat processors, lawn and garden places, and on and on ane none
> > of them carry *nor can they get it when I can get them to understand
> > what I am talking about. *I've searched in 10 nearby counties ( I'm in
> > the central kentucky area) I wanted a local source but looks like online
> > is the only way to go.
> > I too have eaten sausage fresh and enjoy it that way too, but the tast,
> > texture and color prvided by the curing is unbeatable. * I did use the
> > Morton's TenderQuick, but found it too salty.
>
> Saltpeter is not necessary for good tasting sausage. A well balanced
> sausage stuffing mix and quality meat products are the only
> requirements. Buy a quality mix from a butcher supply company and
> you're away.
> If you really want and need saltpeter then most drugstores have it and
> if the pharmacist is at all educated, he/she can order it in. There
> may be restrictions though since saltpeter can be used to manufacture
> fireworks and/or explosives. Since 9/11, who knows what quantities are
> allowed...ask your pharmacist.
> ==

My local pharmacist ordered it for me. ;-) I gave them a sample of the
Canadian Bacon I was making to prove to them that I really did want it
for meat preservation and was not a domestic terrorist. <g>

There are "recipes" on the web I am sure for using it for other
purposes, but since I have no interest in doing that, I've not bothered
to look...
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
*Only Irish *coffee provides in a single glass all four *essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar *and fat. --Alex Levine

In article >,
"Virginia Tadrzynski" > wrote:

> "Fred Giles" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Thank you all so very much for the fantastic suggestions. I have gone
> > to every pharmacy (Rite-Aide, CVS, all the mom and pops), grocery
> > stores (kroger,mejier,walmart,sams club), butcher shop, pet and
> > livestock feed store, health food store, whole food markets, farm
> > supply, meat processors, lawn and garden places, and on and on ane none
> > of them carry nor can they get it when I can get them to understand
> > what I am talking about. I've searched in 10 nearby counties ( I'm in
> > the central kentucky area) I wanted a local source but looks like online
> > is the only way to go.
> > I too have eaten sausage fresh and enjoy it that way too, but the tast,
> > texture and color prvided by the curing is unbeatable. I did use the
> > Morton's TenderQuick, but found it too salty.
> >
> look for sodium nitrate, from what I am told, that is the same thing.

No, Salt Petre is Potassium Nitrate.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
*Only Irish *coffee provides in a single glass all four *essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar *and fat. --Alex Levine

In article >,
Peter Parry > wrote:

> On Tue, 4 May 2010 16:14:58 -0400, "Virginia Tadrzynski"
> > wrote:
>
> >look for sodium nitrate, from what I am told, that is the same thing.
>
> Saltpetre is potassium nitrate. The use of nitrates in cures has
> largely been replaced by nitrites, so the "standard" cure (Prague No1
> (Insta Cure #1)) now contains 6% sodium nitrite and 94% salt (coloured
> pink by some manufactures to clearly distinguish it from salt or
> sugar). Older recipes would have been potassium (or sodium) nitrate
> and salt.
>
> The required nitrate level in the US is about 150-160 parts per
> million so 4 ounces of the no 1 curing salt to 100 pounds of meat or
> 0.4 ounces or 11 grams per 10 lbs. of meat is necessary to achieve the
> proper level of nitrite addition.
>
> Catering and butchery suppliers will usually only sell salt/nitrate
> pre-mixes as otherwise it is very easy to use too much nitrite (or
> nitrate) and both are quite poisonous. 4 gm of either sodium or
> potassium nitrite is usually a lethal dose.
>
> I believe the US limit for Potassium Nitrate is just under 3 oz per
> 100lbs of meat, the European limit is much lower (178 mg/kg potassium
> nitrate or about a third of an ounce per 100lbs).

That is good info., thanks! I've only ever done wet curing and used a
recipe I ran across adding 1 part Potassium Nitrate to 15 parts salt. I
then used 2 Tbs. per gallon of that mix for pork curing.

I later did another portion prior to smoking the meat using only salt,
sugar and herbs.

The difference in the color and texture of the meat was rather drastic.
All other "treatment" was the same.

Anyway, I've cured about 15 lbs. of pork loin this way (see my picasa
albums for canadian bacon details) and I've not died, nor have any
people I've given portions of it to.

But I do agree that you have to do a LOT of research prior to using this
stuff to do it safely!

I'd have to do a lot more research before daring to use it in a sausage
recipe and quite frankly, it is not needed unless you are going to make
a dried/smoked sausage.

All the sausage I've made has been frozen, including the smoked beef
sausage which was wonderful except that it crumbled easily. I've since
read up on using binders and settled with whey protein powder.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat. --Alex Levine

Thanks for your response. I have tried every pharmacy in my city and 10
surrounding counties and none stock it and tell me they can not order
it. Fred

Thanks for your help Omlete! I am going to try one more pharmacy that I
over looked in my area and will get back to you.
I understand that saltpeter is not necessary, but I find the sodium
products too salty tasting and they don't seem to fix the color the way
I like. And as I've said, I do enjoy fresh sausage, but the taste and
texture can't compare to cured so I will live with the potential
dangers. LOL

Fred Giles wrote:
> Thanks for your help Omlete! I am going to try one more pharmacy that I
> over looked in my area and will get back to you.
> I understand that saltpeter is not necessary, but I find the sodium
> products too salty tasting and they don't seem to fix the color the way
> I like. And as I've said, I do enjoy fresh sausage, but the taste and
> texture can't compare to cured so I will live with the potential
> dangers. LOL
>


For $5 you can get a lifetime supply of professional curing salts that
will do a much better job than saltpeter.

Bob

In article >,
(Fred Giles) wrote:

> Thanks for your help Omlete! I am going to try one more pharmacy that I
> over looked in my area and will get back to you.
> I understand that saltpeter is not necessary, but I find the sodium
> products too salty tasting and they don't seem to fix the color the way
> I like. And as I've said, I do enjoy fresh sausage, but the taste and
> texture can't compare to cured so I will live with the potential
> dangers. LOL

You're going to way to much trouble for no valid reason. Since the
amount of cure you use is so miniscule, the potassium vs sodium factor
is totally irrevelant. Just order some cure#1 which is used at the rate
of 1 tsp. per 5 pounds of meat. The saltiness of your product is
determined by how much table salt you add to it. Cure #1 is safe and
easy to use and is widely available online.

D.M.

In article >,
(Fred Giles) wrote:

> Thanks for your response. I have tried every pharmacy in my city and 10
> surrounding counties and none stock it and tell me they can not order
> it. Fred

Your pharmacies suck. ;-)
Mine had no trouble at all. There is a 1 lb. jar in my spice cabinet
that I've used only two Tbs. of since I first started the great Canadian
Bacon experiment!

But, I've been using the same Pharmacist now for about 20 years and it's
a small, private Pharmacy, not a big box one.

He also is now personally compounding my Thyroid meds with my Dr.'s
elated approval...
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat. --Alex Levine

In article >,
(Fred Giles) wrote:

> Thanks for your help Omlete! I am going to try one more pharmacy that I
> over looked in my area and will get back to you.
> I understand that saltpeter is not necessary, but I find the sodium
> products too salty tasting and they don't seem to fix the color the way
> I like. And as I've said, I do enjoy fresh sausage, but the taste and
> texture can't compare to cured so I will live with the potential
> dangers. LOL

I do understand. ;-) And if you still can not get it, e-mail me
privately and I'll put you in touch with my pharmacy. He may do mail
order... or I can send you some of what I have as that one lb. will
last me a very long time!

It does not take much. <g>
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat. --Alex Levine

In article >,
zxcvbob > wrote:

> Fred Giles wrote:
> > Thanks for your help Omlete! I am going to try one more pharmacy that I
> > over looked in my area and will get back to you.
> > I understand that saltpeter is not necessary, but I find the sodium
> > products too salty tasting and they don't seem to fix the color the way
> > I like. And as I've said, I do enjoy fresh sausage, but the taste and
> > texture can't compare to cured so I will live with the potential
> > dangers. LOL
> >
>
>
> For $5 you can get a lifetime supply of professional curing salts that
> will do a much better job than saltpeter.
>
> Bob

I dunno. I've only used Potassium Nitrate so far in the recommended
dosages for a wet cure and have not tried curing salts.

Many many many commercial meats using Sodium Nitrite are also WAY too
salty for my personal tastes, so he could very well have a good point.

To date, I have enjoyed my home cured products more.

Not having tried to use a commercial curing product yet tho', I can not
say for sure, but it would be interesting to compare the two.

To date as I said, I have liked my home made stuff with Salt Petre
better, but I also cut the amount of plain salt used in the curing
solutions in half.

And I've used raw sugar instead of bleached in the sugar/salt brine
along with herbages...
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
*Only Irish *coffee provides in a single glass all four *essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar *and fat. --Alex Levine