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  • Sodium free diet

    I am on a sodium free diet and was wondering if I can cure meat with potassium nitrate(salt substitute) instead of sodium nitrate. John
    Hybrid smoker. SMGO/w Brinkman offset fire box.

    My web site, John's Journal.


  • #2
    Well..yes and no... the potassium form has been removed from FDA lists. But... honestly, if it's just you... AND you know the concentrations of your cure, as you will be making your own. Really - look into K (potassium) nitrite.

    BBally is the man for this, as far as concentrations/PPM stuff. I can do it, but I'll just check him. Or Danger Dan ;{)
    In God I trust- All others pay cash...
    Check out the Mad Hunky and products at https://madhunkymeats.com or https://www.facebook.com/MadHunkyMeats
    Lang 60D, The Beast, 18 and 22 WSM, Brinkmann Backroads trailer, Weber 22 Kettle, gutted MB burning watts

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    • #3
      potassium nitrate is still used in europe.
      But I think you're getting slightly mixed up here.

      A 'low sodium' diet usually refers to your intake of sodium chloride - common salt. Which in excessive quantities effects your blood pressure and the body's ability to manage it's osmotic cell fluid transfers effectively (one result is - high blood pressure - there are others, none of them good for you).

      A sodium free diet however will kill you,as sodium chloride is essential for the body to function. Plus sodium is present in a vast number of foodstuffs as trace amounts of salts of one variety or another.

      So having established that a sodium free diet is not what you are on - simply because it's
      1) impossible and
      2) fatal

      Lets look at the curing aspects.
      Can't find out what happens to the sodium atom during curing - but it's not going to form sodium chloride. Free chlorine is not present in meat.

      So for the purpose of a low salt (where we mean sodium chloride) diet, curing salts should not be an issue.
      Whatever the sodium atoms do when released from the nitrous component - they definitely don't form sodium chloride.

      IN fact if you ever want to cure or eat cured meat again I suggest you DON'T look up the chemistry of curing on wikipedia, talk about negative press :-)
      Made In England - Fine Tuned By The USA
      Just call me 'One Grind'



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      • #4
        Sorry for the confusion, I knew it was a low sodium diet and not a sodium free diet. I am assuming that if I exceed the minimum temperature for various meets, I won't have to cure. John
        Hybrid smoker. SMGO/w Brinkman offset fire box.

        My web site, John's Journal.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by jbest123 View Post
          Sorry for the confusion, I knew it was a low sodium diet and not a sodium free diet. I am assuming that if I exceed the minimum temperature for various meets, I won't have to cure. John
          It's more a time thing, JB. The "danger zone" is what you need to avoid. I know it has changed a little, and I can't recall the new spec, but the old one (MORE safe) was you must increase food temps from 40 thru 140° within 4 hours. This is of course the surface temps of large hunks (NOT PENETRATED BY INJECTION/PROBES) and the internal temps of injected, rolled and sausage meats.

          Curing allows you to operate OUTSIDE the danger zone.
          In God I trust- All others pay cash...
          Check out the Mad Hunky and products at https://madhunkymeats.com or https://www.facebook.com/MadHunkyMeats
          Lang 60D, The Beast, 18 and 22 WSM, Brinkmann Backroads trailer, Weber 22 Kettle, gutted MB burning watts

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          • #6
            curing will not effect your salt (nacl) intake as long as you use either cure #1 or #2
            It's only because we tend to also slap on loads of salt as well (sigh, we really do need a better word for this lol) that cured foods are traditionally high in salt.

            So if you have a low salt sausage recipe that you want to cure - cure it, just use cure#1 and not something like tenderquick.

            Also if you are going to use 'salt' substitutes. Do so sparingly, both potassium chloride and ammonium chloride are used as substitutes - both have a 'saltier' taste than sodium chloride - but both can be toxic in large quantities.

            To create low salt recipes try thinking along citrus lines. Sharp flavours are strong enough to be sufficient without salt.
            Also think about using a little msg (no it's not poison, no it doesn't do bad things to you, yes it is based on naturally occuring compounds) it adds an extra savouryness without using salt.
            glutamates are present in lots of tings that we all use - so msg is really just adding it direct instead of half a gallon of worcestershire sauce :-)

            Also - unless you're strongly diabetic - think about sweet cures for bacon and ham. Sugar has almost exactly the same preserving and moisture extraction properties as salt and in concentration similiar antibacterial properties. A sugar cure with maybe some pepper, chilli, coriander. lemongrass etc and cure#1 makes a really great ham/bbb/cb.

            Think horseradish and mustard as well. Again both 'sharp' enough flavours to not need salt.

            Personally I actually like cooking for people with dietary restrictions - makes you think and gets you out of your comfort zone.
            So try not to think of it as being a pain but rather as an interesting challenge :-)
            (obviously I draw the line at vegans - who are being deliberately awkward to draw attentiuon to themselves)
            Last edited by curious aardvark; 03-03-2011, 06:15 AM.
            Made In England - Fine Tuned By The USA
            Just call me 'One Grind'



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            • #7
              Thought just occured to me. If you wanted to reduce salt in a store bought product, just soak it in ice cold water. I would think it would dramatically reduce the sodium content, then you could season with salt substitutes. Just a thought but I would think you could get a pretty nice ham steak that way and still have a relatively low sodium product.
              JT

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Whisky Fish View Post
                Thought just occured to me. If you wanted to reduce salt in a store bought product, just soak it in ice cold water. I would think it would dramatically reduce the sodium content, then you could season with salt substitutes. Just a thought but I would think you could get a pretty nice ham steak that way and still have a relatively low sodium product.
                but you would get very soggy chips
                Made In England - Fine Tuned By The USA
                Just call me 'One Grind'



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