Big no-no in the FDA manual, but I personally think it's better than the other nitrates for curing.
As a free man, I've decided that the benefit outweighs the potential downside. I don't need government telling me what I should consume within my own home.
/johnny
LOL - I didn’t know you can buy saltpeter in bulk anymore.
.” I actually used potassium nitrate (saltpeter) in the cure brine. “
From the reading I’ve been doing on the subject this afternoon, it seems that saltpeter is an essential ingredient for curing pork, especially hams and bacon...
J, you seem pretty knowledgable on the subject — is there any reasonable method to extend shelf life of cured meat (dried, salted, smoked) beyond the 90-100 days that the articles I read seem to agree on??