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As a producer of natural grass-fed meats, we are often asked why we use sodium nitrites in making our smoked and cured products. So we want to explain in some detail why we use nitrites, and why we must reject the so-called "nitrate-free" methods used on many hams and bacons sold in natural food stores.
To be clear, it is ONLY our cured, smoked or mixed-ingredient products that have any kind of additives. Our ground beef, steaks, roasts, chops, ribs, etc. are all entirely free from added ingredients of any kind. Our linked pork sausages, of course, have seasonings, but they are entirely free from any added preservatives.
The primary reason to add nitrites is that nitrites prevent the growth of the bacteria that causes botulism poisoning, which thrives in the kind of moist, warm and anaerobic conditions created by the process of curing and smoking meats. Botulism is often fatal to humans, and even a clean meat shop like ours is not a guarantee against the possible presence of the Clostridium botulinum bacterium. Therefore, it is imperative to prevent this and other bacterium from growing on cured or smoked meats. Period. This being the case, then how do many "natural" meat producers safely sell ham, bacon, and jerky that is labeled "No Nitrites Added"? The answer is that most of them use celery juice and/or sea salts as a "natural" preservative, which sounds good on the surface, but there is a catch that the USDA apparently doesn't think you need to know about. The reason celery juice and sea salts protect the meat from bacterium is because THEY CONTAIN NITRITES! So, besides the fact that you are consuming nitrites when you eat "nitrite-free" meats, the larger problem is this: while the sodium nitrites we use at Thundering Hooves are easy to measure and regulate in a recipe, the naturally occurring nitrites in celery and sea salts form in less predictable quantities. This makes it more likely that too much or too little is used in any given meats. According to the meat scientists at Washington State University with whom we consult, the real concern with nitrites is if you consume too much of them due to improper amounts being applied. Conversely, too little could result in the growth of dangerous bacterium. They have recommended to us for the safety of our customers that we continue to use sodium nitrites as we have been using.
If you want to read more about this subject, we recommend the following three links, which can explain the nitrate/nitrite issue in greater detail and clarity. Natural and Organic Cured Meat Products
Ask the Meat Man
Nitrate free: Where does the truth end?
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