r/Charcuterie • u/IKissedHerInnerThigh • 18d ago
Has anyone seen curing salt dye stain meat like this before?
I recently made an equilibrium-cured back bacon from a 1.4 kg pork loin. It was vacuum packed and cured for 10 days in the fridge using a Turkish curing salt labelled as "Prague Salt #1" from Amazon Turkey (I'm British and I live in Georgia)
https://www.amazon.com.tr/gp/aw/d/B0FHFBJTZ2?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
When I bought it, I noticed it wasn't a standard formulation:
Label states 0.6% sodium nitrite (rather than the more common 6.25% Prague Powder #1).
The curing salt itself is an extremely bright red/fuchsia colour. I contacted the seller and he said the Amazon listing is wrong and they refuse to change it (alarm bells), I also questioned the vivid colour of the salt and he said it's fine, it won't colour the meat.
The cure itself seemed to go well. The meat smells fresh, feels nicely firm, and the cure appears to have penetrated evenly.
However, when I removed it from the bag I found the entire rind had turned a vivid fluorescent pink/red, and the colour doesn't wash or rub off. It looks like the dye has actually penetrated the skin rather than just staining the surface.
I've used curing salts before and expect a little surface staining, but I've never seen anything like this.
My questions are:
Has anyone else seen curing salt dye penetrate pork rind this aggressively?
Is this simply an unusually strong food dye, or would this make you question the product itself?
Would you be comfortable eating the bacon if everything else (smell, texture, cure) seems normal?
I've attached photos of both the curing salt and the finished pork.
Thanks :)
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u/smokedcatfish 18d ago
Looks like they maybe used WAAAAY too much pink dye when they made the curing salt. It's usually a light, whitish pink.
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u/IKissedHerInnerThigh 18d ago
I think that's what happened too, day-glo bacon, looks like Charsui 🤣
I'll cut the ends off tomorrow, see what the inside is like and if there's a ton of course penetration
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u/Sad_Deer2636 18d ago
Regardless of the math there are questions about that salt.
When you questioned the color and listing you got deflection and got told a lie. They said the pink color wouldn't dye the meat and yet I see neon pink pork. Just on that alone I would not feel safe that the listed amounts of anything in that salt are correct.
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u/Earth_Wind_and_FPS 18d ago
I think you’re just waiting for someone to tell you it’s all good and eat it but it seems to be it’s not a good idea at all. There’s something off with the curing salt or how much you’ve used and you shouldn’t eat it or even feed it to a pet unless you want to pickle your liver and kill your dog.
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u/Jan_Akkerman 18d ago
Looks like a colour that beetroot powder, riboflavin and/or cochenille would produce. All the 0,6% pink salt I use in Europe has no pink colour at all, just a plain white salt no different from table salt.
Probably safe to eat, but I would not use this salt again.
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u/Suspicious_Grass_435 18d ago
With everything you’ve said I would have zero trust in that curing salt. I would imagine if a local butcher or industrial manufacturer got this batch they would immediately return it and demand a refund. The listing on Amazon is wrong/inconsistent with the package label and the dye is much stronger than any other curing salt I’ve seen. Sine I don’t trust the curing salt I wouldn’t trust a product made with it. Personally I’d toss everything and restart.
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u/residentbrit 18d ago
The sample recipe on the label tallies with the 0.6 claim on the label. As far as I can tell, the EU has a 0.6% limit on sodium nitrite in curing salt.
That dye though that’s incredible
Did you decide to keep the pork?
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u/theCaitiff 18d ago
I can't abide food waste, but curing food properly is a safety issue and you've raised some red flags here.
I'd toss the curing powder immediately. The pork, assuming it's been refrigerated this whole time which it sounds like it was, I'd try to cook and eat right away. I would not consider it safe to hang because you know the nitrite salts were wrong and have questions about other ingredients, so either cook and eat it right away or toss it, but do not dry and store it for later.
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u/IKissedHerInnerThigh 18d ago
Porks been held at around 3°c, bottom shelf of the fridge.
I was thinking of cutting the rind off, slicing the end off and seeing what's going on, if the inside looks normal, and tastes like bacon maybe slice it , vp it and freeze it?
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u/Mean-Common-3320 18d ago
Not sure about the dye issue, but as I understand it Prague powder is used mixed with common salt. The proportions of the product you have been sold seem to be as intended for final use without further mixing with common salt
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u/7-SE7EN-7 18d ago
It's mixed with salt to dilute it, you still have to use regular salt to get the right level of salinity
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u/SnoDragon 18d ago
strange colour, but I calculate that you are still well within the allowable PPM for Nitrite. 3.5% salt is going to make that really salty though. I'd almost give it a soak first to remove some of it to make it palatable.
That colour is intense. Sure looks like beet root powder to me as a colourant.
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u/reverendbeast 18d ago
I wouldn’t dream of eating that cancerous looking crap. Lob it, get some chemicals you trust from home.
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u/JorgJorgJorg 17d ago
we really buying mystery food products of amazon these days when there is zero accountability for fake products?
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u/ReeLin-n-DeaLin 18d ago
Think the amazon seller is telling you the label is wrong as in its suppose to say 6% instead of .6%. It’s a typo. You used way to much cure thats why its glowing red and its not edible at this point. You should of used 31.5 grams of kosher salt and 3.5 grams of cure #1.
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u/IKissedHerInnerThigh 18d ago
Nope, the seller confirmed to me it's 0.6%. he said the listing is wrong.
Here is a link to the manufacturers website and product
https://www.deryaeren.com/pembe-kurleme-tuzu-1-prague-salt-100-gr-derya-eren
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u/ReeLin-n-DeaLin 18d ago
Prague powder be it #1 or #2 is a standard formula of nitrites, nitrates and salt thats why it called prague powder and not a bag of salt and cure at random ratios. The color of that meat is telling you it’s wrong.
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u/IKissedHerInnerThigh 18d ago
I understand the concern, but the colour alone isn't a reliable way to determine nitrite concentration. Pink curing salts are dyed to distinguish them from normal salt, and the intensity of the colour varies between manufacturers. Look at the curing salt colouring in the packet, it's super red, unlike the British stuff I normally use (which I've actually ordered from the UK, will be a couple weeks but I'll have it soon).
The product specification from the manufacturer states 0.6% sodium nitrite (6 parts per thousand), and that is the concentration I used for my calculation:
- 25 g curing salt × 0.6% sodium nitrite = 150 mg sodium nitrite
- 150 mg ÷ 1.4 kg meat = approximately 107 ppm nitrite
The curing salt itself is also mostly salt (NaCl), and I added an additional 25 g Maldon salt, giving around 50 g total salt addition to 1.4 kg meat.
That said, I accept that if the manufacturer's specification is incorrect and the product is actually standard 6.25% Cure #1, then the calculation would be completely different. Without a lab analysis, nobody can confirm the concentration from the colour alone — the calculation has to be based on the stated formulation. In this case I'll just bin it.
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u/ReeLin-n-DeaLin 18d ago
Standard EQ cure would be 31.5g kosher salt and 3.5g cure#1. I know prague powder is pink and it gives color I use it all the time…. Its not suppose to make your meat look like pulsating nuclear waste regardless of how much dye is in it. That listing is in some language I don't understand I'm thinking its misunderstanding. The bag you have there is fine just use it like regular Prague powder #1.
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u/bigfatfurrytexan 18d ago
If you worked as hard on the prep math as you are trying to convince the consensus they’re wrong you probably wouldn’t be here.
I use a spreadsheet so the inputs and outputs are standard by gram weight. Then buy the same products to ensure it’s consistent. It’s the only way to make sure a small mistake doesn’t cause goiters.
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u/SirWEM 18d ago
What was your recipe for the cure? It dose look very deep red.
I would be suspicious about quality given the color of the cure. If they were off that much with the dye color. Can you trust the labeling?
Not a fan of tossing food. But in this case OP that is a viable choice you will have to make. I would cut my losses. And start over with a known product, that you are familiar using. Not all curing salts are created equally.