Organic Nitrate-Free Bacon: The Sizzling Truth

Organic Nitrate Free Bacon is one of our most popular products, but even going back centuries, curing meats has been essential to the survival of man as it enabled people to extend the life of raw produce without a fridge. So how was this achieved before the development of artificial preservatives? Bacon is made by curing pork loin in a salt-based mix, the rest of the mix can vary depending on the producer.

The Traditional Method of Curing Bacon

Pork loin was originally cured using a simple mix of salt and sugar to make bacon. The whole process from raw loin to bacon rashers typically takes a minimum of 7 days. Yet due to the high demand of bacon and its popularity as a breakfast staple amongst the west, it has encouraged producers to look for unnatural preservatives to increase their products shelf life in supermarkets and reduce the time the loin is left in cure.

The Rise of Unnatural Preservatives in Supermarket Bacon

Supermarket bacon is commonly produced in two days using the wet-cured method which combines salt, sugar, sodium nitrate and other chemicals with the loin. The loin is left to soak or is injected with this solution, this makes for bacon high in moisture and low in flavour. The liquid also adds weight and therefore makes it more expensive per kilo.

These unnatural preservatives used are added nitrates, which react with the meat and form nitrosamines that can have a detrimental impact on health. Nitrosamines are essentially carcinogenic compounds that appear when you combine nitrates and naturally broken down proteins called 'amines'. Although they only appear in small amounts the fewer your bacon contains the better. Did you know that this reaction between the nitrates and the proteins in the pork gives bacon its iconic pink colouring!

This is why we opt for a cure that does not require nitrates and in turn why it doesn't have a typically distinctive bacon colouring.

Our Organic Nitrate-Free Bacon

We offer plain nitrate-free bacon, smoked nitrate-free bacon as well as middle bacon, so no matter your preference we can meet your bacon needs!

Our expert butchers cure bacon using a traditional method. They combine precise measurements of salt, raw organic cane sugar and organic molasses to make a premium quality product with superior flavour to supermarket bought. They hang loin in the mixture over 10 days allowing for the meat to absorb all the elements of the cure and develop a tasty rasher! Can you taste the difference?