Potassium Nitrate?

Here is a link that might be useful: Google shopping

Yes. Some of those sources are WAY cheaper than what I'm getting, but I'm wondering if they are food grade. Some specifically say not meant for consumption. I'd assume what the pharmacy is giving me is food grade? Either way, I can't imagine getting it from one of those sources earlier than Monday.

Do you have any butcher shops or delis nearby? Saltpeter is also called Prague Powder or pink salt or pink curing salt. I've had luck calling our local butcher shop/deli and getting small amounts of ingredients from them (like the time when I was short about 10 feet of sausage casing - they were more than happy to sell me a small amount to finish my sausage making).

Great suggestion, thanks! Unfortunately after calling all the obvious independents I've still come up short. My gut tells me to just add it later, but I think I'd rather be safe and just be a couple days late with the corned beef. Not like I'm Irish or having company anyway so what's it matter.

I've seen it in the sausage and jerky making area of Cabela's. Do you have one near you?

I believe you can make corned beef very well without the saltpeter....it won't be that bright pink, but will taste better and be better for you.
Linda C

You may be able to find a product called Morton's Tender Quick, which consists of salt, sugar, sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate, IIRC. I have used that for making cured meats. It could be subbed for the salt, sugar and saltpeter in the recipe, following the directions on the package for the amount to use.

You need to be careful. Nitrates can be toxic if used in too great an amount.

There is a lot to know about this kind of meat curing. For example, nitrates convert to nitrites as the meat ages. So they are important in making some dry cured products such as salami, which require long aging.

In Southern New England, something called gray corned beef is sold along side the usual corned beef at this time of year. Gray corned beef is made without nitrites or nitrates, so it doesn't retain the red color that bacon, salami, regular corned beef and such products have. No doubt it doesn't look as attractive but it tastes the same. You could go ahead with your recipe, omitting the saltpeter.

Jim

I agree, you could go ahead with the recipe and forget about the saltpeter, but my choice would be wait until Monday and brine the beef 8 days, I get a little uneasy about meat sitting around that long.

Annie

"I get a little uneasy about meat sitting around that long."

So, wouldn't you brine it ASAP?

Jim

I've been making corned beef and corned tongue from the same recipe and without nitrates for over 40 years. And I do it in a large stainless steel pot (which I switched to after the old crock began to leak) on the floor of my pantry. Comes out great!

Thanks a lot for your responses. I had considered making it without the nitrates as several of the reviewers did, but somehow I just want it to look right. Linda's comment about it tasting better without does leave me scratching my head though.

I'm aware of the health issue and have faith that the Food Network wouldn't publish a recipe that could kill me, so I'd be hesitant to make any substitutions on my own. As a general statement, we eat extremely little cured meat so I'm sure we're ok with adding a meal of corned beef once a year.

Frankly, I prefer red corned beef too. We do "eat with our eyes".

It is important to know what your doing when using nitrites and nitrates. I'm surprised that Alton Brown uses potassium nitrate. As I understand it, that is outmoded. I thought sodium nitrite is used today. But I could be wrong.

Jim

Here is a link that might be useful: Nitrite and Nitrate

Hi Everybody,

First, just to be clear Saltpetre (Saltpeter in the US) is NOT Prague Powder, PP#1 is a 6.25% mixture of SODIUM NITRITE. Saltpeter is POTASSIUM NITRATE (sodium vs. potassium, nitrite vs. nitrate). Frank is correct, Potassium Nitrate is not used very much any more, that is why Prague Powder is also known as "modern cure" and "pink curing salt".

So, nothing wrong with using Saltpetre. You can get it at an old style druggist. If not, you can order it overnight from most major drug stores. I ordered it from Walgreen's, they sell the Humco brand using the chemical name of Potassium Nitrate. If you ask for saltpetre, any druggist under the age of 60 will probably look at you like you are nuts. Ask them to look it up in their computer. It is NOT food grade, which means it does not get inspected by the USDA for consumption, but it is produced in a clean chemical process. Everybody uses it, though if you call Humco, they will tell you that they can't endorse it for curing meat (with a wink).

The chemical reaction that occurs has been known for years; the Nitrate in Potassium Nitrate breaks down into Nitrites due to enzymes and bacteria, which in turn create nitric oxide, which is what binds to the hemoglobin molecule in the blood in meat and keep it pink. This same reaction occurs naturally in the body through breathing and the cardio vascular process. If there is a problem getting nitric oxide into the blood extremities lose their pink color and turn gray.

So most modern cures that require short curing times rely on a Prague Powder #1, which uses Sodium Nitrite to skip the step of going fron Nitrate to Nitrite. You also need less chemical to get the same cure, so DO NOT SUBSTITUTE IN RECIPES WITHOUT CORRECTION!. If you were curing sausages that need months to cure, you use a different formulation that has both sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate. The nitrite goes to work fast, while the nitrate does the normal breakdown over time into nitrite and then nitric oxide (this is PP#2).

Keep in mind that the added function of the nitrates/nitrites is as a preservative. So the meat can be kept longer without the bad bacteria giving it their "funk". :) That's the start of the process, along with salt, good bacteria and mold, that allows raw meat to turn into dry cured sausages like salami without refrigeration.

So if you want to do this in the future, just order from any spice house or sausage supply online, compare prices, and order some Praque Powder #1 or "pink salt". The remainder above the 6.25% of Sodium Nitrite is just table salt. They die it pink so that you don't mistake it for regular salt. Since you use so little, a 4oz bag goes a long way.

And if you want to experiment, you can use any leftover saltpeter to make smoke bombs, flares, and gunpowder. ;)

Hope this helps a little :)

Jim, I do brine the meat and I did make cornbed beef myself last year, but mine only brined for three days, not ten.

Yes, I know it should be fine, but I keep thinking about beef sitting around for 10 days, with or without preservatives and it makes me a bit uneasy. Probably all the years of having those "safety rules" beaten into my head in the required food safety classes when we owned the bar.

At any rate, I tend to not use any chemicals if I can help it. I made an exception for the pancetta because it isn't brined, so I bought the pink salt because my dislike of chemicals was outvoted by my fear of pork hanging in my basement for a couple of weeks.

So, my corned beef had no chemicals, but I only brined it for 3 days and it definitely wasn't red.

Other people probably wouldn't have any problem with it at all, and I say they should go for it. It's all a matter of each person's personal comfort level.

Annie

Thanks Fred!....That's the kind of stuff I like to know.
Linda C

That sure is good information, thanks! I think what I'm seeing (outside of Annie's uneasiness, LOL) is that the saltpeter is fine. Now here's the next question: The only brisket that the store had has a sell-by date of tomorrow. The butcher insisted that since I'll be brining/curing it, it'll be fine for the 10 days. Would you trust that or would you look elsewhere for something a little fresher?

Could you go ahead & get the "only brisket" & freeze it until you are ready to brine? Saves you needing to search around - a bird in the hand...