Jerky & Sausage Cure Calculator
Exact Cure #1 amounts for jerky, sausage and bacon at the standard 156 ppm rate, to gram precision — because guessing with nitrite is dangerous.
⚠ Curing salt is seriously toxic if misused — precision is the whole point. Weigh it on a gram scale (teaspoons are a last resort), never substitute it for table salt, store it clearly labeled away from the kitchen salt and away from children — it looks like pink table salt. More cure is never better: this calculator produces the standard packaged rate exactly, and exceeding it makes food less safe, not more.
The rate: 0.25% of meat weight — identical to the packaged instructions (1 oz per 25 lb; 1 level tsp per 5 lb) and delivering 156 ppm sodium nitrite, the USDA standard for ground and comminuted products. The additional-salt figure already subtracts the salt the cure itself contributes. Cure #1 is for products that will be cooked or smoked (jerky, sausage, bacon); Cure #2 (with nitrate) exists only for weeks-long dry-cured salumi and is never interchangeable. Mix cure thoroughly and evenly — hot spots are how shortcuts fail. Refrigerate during curing, always.
How to use
- Weigh your meat accurately in grams.
- Read the exact cure weight required.
- Measure on a gram scale, never by spoon.
- Mix thoroughly through the whole batch.
Frequently asked questions
What is Cure #1?
A mixture of 6.25 per cent sodium nitrite in 93.75 per cent salt, dyed pink so it cannot be mistaken for table salt. The dilution exists precisely because pure sodium nitrite is dangerous in small quantities — the salt makes accurate measurement possible at the tiny doses required.
Why 156 parts per million?
It is the standard maximum ingoing rate for most cured products under US regulation, set to inhibit Clostridium botulinum reliably while staying well below any level of concern. It is not a suggestion to be scaled up for extra safety — more nitrite is not safer, in either direction.
Can I measure cure with a teaspoon?
You should not. Spoon measures vary with how the cure has settled and how level the spoon is, and the margin for error at these quantities is small. A gram scale reading to 0.1 g costs very little and is the correct tool. This is one of the few kitchen tasks where volume measurement is genuinely unsafe.
Why use nitrite at all?
Because it prevents botulism in exactly the conditions curing creates — low oxygen, moderate salt, extended time at temperatures bacteria tolerate. Botulinum toxin is among the most potent known, it produces no smell or taste, and cooking does not reliably destroy it. Nitrite-free 'natural' cures using celery powder deliver the same chemical from a different source, and are not an avoidance of it.
What is the difference between Cure #1 and Cure #2?
Cure #2 adds sodium nitrate, which converts slowly to nitrite over weeks, so it suits long dry-cured products aged without cooking. Cure #1 is for anything that will be cooked or eaten within a few weeks. Substituting one for the other is a meaningful error.
Is this a substitute for proper curing guidance?
No. This calculates a quantity; it does not cover temperature control, time, water activity, or the specific requirements of your product. Follow a tested recipe from a reputable source, and where a process has a critical control point, treat it as critical. Nothing here is food-safety advice.
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