http://homecooking.about.com/od/beefrecipes/r/blbeef29.htm

But I think saltpetre has other properties too. Have a search with google.

"Just for the record, many common chemicals in use in the home today are also explosive constituents, but no one raises an eyebrow about their employment in the home cos they don't know what they are"

Best kept that way, it wasn't the Anarchist's Cookbook for nothing.

Originally Posted by Trans-sane

The splinter-drawing compound? Shit... Bloody useful stuff and I usually need it if I do any chippying.

I use soap and sugar. Seems to work just as well.

Originally Posted by Cabana

The missus will be getting my salty beef on boxing day........that is if I had one.

What a cock or a missus?

Sodium nitrite - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


I've made bacon from belly pork a few times, but gave the saltpetre a miss

The basic reason for cooking this way is
1 it tastes f@cking great
2 in olden times it meant the cooked meat could be kept for months without refrigeration, the salt petre acting as a preservative as in Corned beef and salami, etc

You dont need to use saltpetre. Up until about a year ago it was readily available here in La La Land as it was considered to be an essential ingredient for Christmas Ham. It could be bought by the sack load but clearly some one in power with a bit of paranoia put 2+2 and made bang.
A local butcher and I did some research and discovered its main purpose is to keep the colour of the meat (a nice pink). OK it has some microbe destroying properties too but if the meat is properly cured then you should have no problems.We recently did a brisket for 20 ppl and everyone said how delicious it was and it kept its colour.
I have just done one today for Christmas>Normally I like to leave it for three weeks in brine but we were doing other things so ran short of time.If you want the recipe please ask.
Pork including curing bacon is easy too but slightly different recipe.The bacon is superb

Originally Posted by jarrod248

Might be difficult to get from a pharmacy especially a large chain. I had to make a special order to get iodine! They are like supermarkets and if it's not on the plan they often can't put it on the shelves. Magnesium sulphate paste is also something difficult to get these days.

I was helping a barefoot doctor clinic in Nepal, and a f@cking incredible ugly one eyed old hag came in with a little boy of about six months old absolutely honking,It was obvious that this kid had not been washed since birth so me and the Canadian female doctor dug a pit and made a bath out of my ground sheet, we had to soak the scabs off the poor little might, and then I pulled out my jumbo sized tub of Magsulf paste, the Old hag went ballistic as I started to smear handfuls of the stuff on he baby, and would not let me continue until I gave her some, she F@cking eat it, and I almost threw up.

Originally Posted by jim24

I was helping a barefoot doctor clinic in Nepal, and a f@cking incredible ugly one eyed old hag came in with a little boy of about six months old absolutely honking,It was obvious that this kid had not been washed since birth so me and the Canadian female doctor dug a pit and made a bath out of my ground sheet, we had to soak the scabs off the poor little might, and then I pulled out my jumbo sized tub of Magsulf paste, the Old hag went ballistic as I started to smear handfuls of the stuff on he baby, and would not let me continue until I gave her some, she F@cking eat it, and I almost threw up.

Filthy beast.

The thing is, we cure for the taste, and usually in small batches, so no need to buy a pig and smother it in carcinogens because we don't rely on it to keep for 4 months......