Uncured bacon isn't any healthier in terms of nitrites and nitrates(washingtonpost.com)
washingtonpost.com
Uncured bacon isn't any healthier in terms of nitrites and nitrates
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/08/14/uncured-bacon-health-nitrites/
33 comments
Jamon like most other Spanish hams (even the most expensive kind) has added nitrites. AFAIK Prosciutto Di Parma is the only expensive ham that's dry cured without any nitrites or other additives/preservatives besides salt.
As outsider I thought that uncured referred to essentially some form of fresh pork belly.
So it comes to the usual not using specific thing, but something containing it. Like no added MSG...
So it comes to the usual not using specific thing, but something containing it. Like no added MSG...
There's nothing wrong with MSG
And celery salt contains massively.high levels of nautral nitrates/nitrites which cures meat. Pork producers have requested celery salt products to be labeled as cured instead of uncured. But the USDA has not taken this suggestion up yet.
Preach!
Living in the country you see all these, but you’re right that prices for cured meat end up pricing everyone out except rich folks
Living in the country you see all these, but you’re right that prices for cured meat end up pricing everyone out except rich folks
I've always wondered what you really needed to do to bacon to be safe from parasites (like trichinosis)
I raise pigs here on my farm, fed with locally sourced grains and leftover milk from our cow. My wife reacts to nitrites/nitrates, so we make our own bacon from the whole sides.
We use a traditional cure that's basically just salt, letting it brine for a week in the fridge. Then we smoke the cured slabs and slice it into vacuum-sealed packs for the freezer.
The result is some of the best bacon on the planet, and I wouldn't sell it for any price. By contrast, we previously had our butchers cure the bacon, and it has never been as good. Even their nitrate free recipe does not compare to homemade.
Still, I think the biggest difference has been feeding them milk; the flavor difference has been nearly incomparable to past pork, which was already infinitely better than what you can buy in the stores.
We use a traditional cure that's basically just salt, letting it brine for a week in the fridge. Then we smoke the cured slabs and slice it into vacuum-sealed packs for the freezer.
The result is some of the best bacon on the planet, and I wouldn't sell it for any price. By contrast, we previously had our butchers cure the bacon, and it has never been as good. Even their nitrate free recipe does not compare to homemade.
Still, I think the biggest difference has been feeding them milk; the flavor difference has been nearly incomparable to past pork, which was already infinitely better than what you can buy in the stores.
To sum up:
'Cured' and 'uncured' are weird artifacts of the US Agriculture Department's labeling requirements and refer to the source of the nitrates/nitrites used to cure the product, not their amount or type. Cured and uncured bacon are the same thing.
'Cured' and 'uncured' are weird artifacts of the US Agriculture Department's labeling requirements and refer to the source of the nitrates/nitrites used to cure the product, not their amount or type. Cured and uncured bacon are the same thing.
At some point in ny life, I realized that the meaning of every term on food packaging conforms to a specific statutory or regulatory definition, and not a linguistic or intuitive meaning. The net result is that I end up opting for things with few ingredients and do a lot of Googling of terms to understand what they really mean.
It's also very ironic. I'm nearly 50 and have childhood memories of being dragged by my parents to natural food stores in a time where that meant driving for an hour or two to get there because they were few ans far between. Now, I don't have to go very far to find what I want, but the heavy commercialization of "natural" now means I trust things far less.
It's also very ironic. I'm nearly 50 and have childhood memories of being dragged by my parents to natural food stores in a time where that meant driving for an hour or two to get there because they were few ans far between. Now, I don't have to go very far to find what I want, but the heavy commercialization of "natural" now means I trust things far less.
"Most forms of processed meat are considered unhealthy and have been linked to an increased risk for health complications like cancer. The chemicals used in processed meat are what makes it harmful to your health".
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/why-processed-meat-is-b...
I'm not eating bacon for my health! I eat bacon because it's extraordinarily delicious, and because Saint Peter!
Best invention today: shelf-stable boxes of bacon
Best invention today: shelf-stable boxes of bacon
Shelf stable bacon us an abomination. It's just slim Jim's in a different shape
I eat bacon because it saves me money on retirement contributions
Real smoked bacon is the way to go, though you won't find it in an American supermarket (just fake smoked bacon), just some ethnic European stores at best. Sadly all the Polish meat shops have long since closed around here..
>Real smoked bacon is the way to go, though you won't find it in an American supermarket (just fake smoked bacon), just some ethnic European stores at best.
Didn't take long to find:
https://www.safeway.com/shop/product-details.960167221.html
https://www.safeway.com/shop/product-details.188560019.html
Didn't take long to find:
https://www.safeway.com/shop/product-details.960167221.html
https://www.safeway.com/shop/product-details.188560019.html
Best smoked bacon available in the U.S. — but it will cost you!:
https://vanderosefarms.com/product/americas-best-uncured-bac...
https://vanderosefarms.com/product/americas-best-uncured-bac...
Not sure if that's what the OP meant by "real" -- both of the Safeway entries list nitrites in the ingredients, and the Vande Rose Farms item contains celery powder (which is "uncured" by USDA's definition, but contains nitrites as well).
Excellent observation
Vande Rose Farms states: ALL NATURAL INGREDIENTS
but — among them is "cultured celery powder" which indeed "contains nitrites as well."
It would appear Vande Rose Farms is hiding behind the USDA definition of uncured — as do other makers — to seem more "natural."
They also offer a Dry Cured version: https://vanderosefarms.com/product/americas-best-cured-bacon...
I am reminded of a dialogue I had with an area representative for Boars Head Meats whom I met while he was arranging his display in a Kroger store.
We got to talking about cured vs. uncured meats and I decided to really get to the bottom of it (this was maybe 10 years ago).
After significant effort I discovered that "Uncured" products actually contain MORE nitrites and nitrates than "Cured" because it is impossible to accurately measure nitrite/nitrate levels in the celery powder extracts used in "Uncured" meats so manufacturers routinely add much more than they would otherwise need to so as to be able to always pass FDA tests for bacteria etc. growth. required for certification.
I sent my findings to the Boars Head rep and he was surprised and agreed that I was correct.
Vande Rose Farms states: ALL NATURAL INGREDIENTS
but — among them is "cultured celery powder" which indeed "contains nitrites as well."
It would appear Vande Rose Farms is hiding behind the USDA definition of uncured — as do other makers — to seem more "natural."
They also offer a Dry Cured version: https://vanderosefarms.com/product/americas-best-cured-bacon...
I am reminded of a dialogue I had with an area representative for Boars Head Meats whom I met while he was arranging his display in a Kroger store.
We got to talking about cured vs. uncured meats and I decided to really get to the bottom of it (this was maybe 10 years ago).
After significant effort I discovered that "Uncured" products actually contain MORE nitrites and nitrates than "Cured" because it is impossible to accurately measure nitrite/nitrate levels in the celery powder extracts used in "Uncured" meats so manufacturers routinely add much more than they would otherwise need to so as to be able to always pass FDA tests for bacteria etc. growth. required for certification.
I sent my findings to the Boars Head rep and he was surprised and agreed that I was correct.
I only eat supernatural ingredients though...
Great, now if I just drive for 8 hours I can go visit one of those stores.
Safeway isn't exactly a niche store, and Oscar Mayer isn't exactly a niche brand. I'm sure you can find one in a nearby supermarket if you look.
Also, here's another result from walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-Sliced-Hickory-Smoked...
Also, here's another result from walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-Sliced-Hickory-Smoked...
I really don’t get how you can so aggressively miss the point and link to bacon cured with nitrates. They’re referring to bacon preserved with smoking alone.
I'm sure smoked meat is way more unhealthy than cured bacon! The issue with nitrites is that you need to consume them along with vitamin C rich foods and then you have no health detriments. But smoked meat has tons of carcinogens. Yeah, it tastes and smell great, no doubt.
You can also make it yourself assuming you have a smoker. It's not terribly hard either.
I smoke using a Weber kettle grill; i.e. no explicit smoker required. It doesn't have a huge capacity, but it makes amazing pork ribs.
Bacon is the candy of the meat family.
1. Cured (traditional) - Cured meat in the traditional sense basically means covering it in salt and letting it age. You can either brine it or dry-salt it. No nitrates/nitrites. Cured bacon in this sense would mean taking the whole slab of bacon, covering it in salt, and hanging it to dry - "dry-cured". This yields unique flavor and, more importantly, greatly extends shelf-life. Prosciutto and jamon are made this way and can be kept for years with this method.
2. Cured (USDA definition) - Cured per USDA means injected with a salt and nitrate/nitrite solution. Sometimes spices are added. Products like bacon are typically kept wet and sealed in plastic, though some things are dry-aged, as above. This yields mild visual, flavor, and moderate shelf-life improvements to the product. What most Americans know as ham ("city-ham") is processed in this way, as opposed to country ham, which is traditionally-cured, like prosciutto.
3. Uncured (USDA definition) - Uncured per USDA differs from USDA-cured only in the source of the nitrates/nitrites. In this method, they typically come from celery salt. As with USDA-cured, this gives mild visual, flavor, and only moderate shelf-life improvements to the meat.
Most Americans have never had traditionally-cured meat. Traditionally-cured meat doesn't have anything like the harmful effects of USDA-cured/uncured meat does, due to the absence of nitrates/nitrites. I would also wager that a wet, fatty, acidic thing marinating inside plastic packaging also has something to do with being cancer-causing, as it likely leeches chemicals from the plastic.
So traditionally-cured meat is what you want. Salt-only. Unfortunately, it's harder to find in America. And if you do, it's priced like some kind of gourmet luxury good - unacceptable. Cured meat is how my peasant family got through winters in days past - it's for everyone, not just kings!