Member 55145
Distinguished Member
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2005
- Messages
- 12,085
- Reaction score
- 3,495
- Points
- 2,139
We used to get nitrate free bacon in waitrose, they stopped doing it unfortunatelyUn-smoked bacon is still cured with salts including nitrates. It's by products of the nitrates interacting with the meat that turn into carcinogenic nitrosamines if the bacon is cooked at a high temperature. We're talking over 180deg C here, a gentle fry or oven cook would be fine. Smoking introducing some extra chemical nasties but it's the curing process that's the major concern. I don't think that WHO has distinguished between smoked cured products and no-smoked cured products.
Edit: You may be thinking of homemade bacon using only salt without nitrates or nitrites? That should be a lot "safer", but you tend to get salted pork rather than "bacon"
The way you could tell is by all the white gunk that oozes out.