Ingredients --
Sodium nitrate
Chemical Formula: NaNO3
Synonyms
Soda nitre,
Chile saltpeter,
Sodium saltpeter,
Nitratine,
Nitric acid sodium salt
Description
White crystals.
Uses
Sodium nitrate has been used for centuries to cure meat.
Bacterial action during curing converts the sodium nitrate
into
sodium nitrite,
which kills the bacteria that cause botulism, and combines
with the myoglobin in the meat to form the pink color
associated with ham.
These days, sodium nitrite replaces most of the sodium nitrate
used in cured meats, except for that used in slow cured country ham.