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Step 3: Cure
Curing salt (also called pink salt, Prague Powder or sól peklowa) adds nitrite, which protects smoked sausage while it's warm and gives the pink colour and cured flavour.
Safety: curing salt is toxic in large amounts. Weigh it on a gram scale, never by spoon, and keep it away from children and pets.
Choose your curing salt
Curing salts come in very different strengths, so choosing the right one matters more than anything else here.
| Type | Sodium nitrite | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cure #1 / Prague Powder #1 | 6.25% | Common in the US. You need very little. |
| European curing salt (e.g. sól peklowa) | 0.5–0.6% | Common in Europe. Mostly salt; you need about 10 times more. |
| Cure #2 | 6.25% + nitrate | For long dry-cured sausage like salami, not for cooked sausage. |
| Other | From the label | Type the sodium nitrite % (or range) printed on the pack. |
Never swap Cure #1 and European curing salt one-for-one, and don't just multiply by 10. Choose the right one and let Linkulator work out the amount.
How much to add
Linkulator shows the curing salt to add in grams, to 0.01 g for small batches. If your pack gives a range like 0.5–0.6%, it doses for the strongest value, so you can never go over the target, and shows the range you'll actually get.
Advanced extras
- Target sodium nitrite: the slider marks the limit for your country (see Rules by country).
- Work out the curing salt from salt %: European curing salts are meant to be your salt. This option uses the curing salt for all the salt and shows the nitrite you'll get.
- Full notes: the nitrite in ppm on the meat and on the whole batch, as nitrite ion for EU rules, and how it compares with your country's limit.