Process
Curing without added nitrite
Products cured with a vegetable source of nitrate, or with no nitrate or nitrite at all.
Published parameters
| Parameter | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Labelling | the standard name may be used when immediately preceded by "Uncured" in the same size and style of lettering | 9 CFR 319.2 |
| Dry cured ham without nitrate or nitrite | brine concentration not less than 10 percent, or water activity not more than 0.92 | 9 CFR 319.106(b)(4) |
What the step is for
Produces the same appearance and much of the same effect while carrying a different label.
The regulation treats a product cured with celery powder as uncured, because the nitrite was not added as nitrite. That is a labelling position, not a claim about chemistry, and 9 CFR 319.2 sets out exactly how the name has to change.
What is worth noticing is what 9 CFR 319.106 does when the nitrite is genuinely absent. It raises the bar on the other hurdles: a dry cured ham made without any nitrate or nitrite has to reach a brine concentration of at least 10 percent or a water activity of no more than 0.92, where one made with nitrite only has to reach 4 percent internal salt.
Hazards this step bears on
Instruments this step is measured with
Every parameter above is stated in a unit. These are the instruments those units are read with, and that is the only claim being made for them: they let you find out what your product is. None of them makes this step safe, none of them is required by any of the sources cited above, and this site does not tell anyone that a procedure works. Consumables, cures and cultures are deliberately not linked from a method page; they are on supplies.
Affiliate links
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Water activity meter
Water activity is the number the shelf-stability limits are stated in, and it cannot be computed from weight loss or from composition. It is measured or it is unknown.
Parameter: FSIS-GD-2014-0010, aw 0.85 in air or 0.91 vacuum packed
Listing
- Lowest new, checked 2026-09-04
- $499.00
- Brand
- GOYOJO
- ASIN
- B0CCR7Z6G2
Affiliate link, tag carbs.com-20. Prices read from the Amazon Creators API on 2026-09-04 and not re-fetched since. Amazon prices move within a day; treat these as the figure on that date, not as a quote.
Salinity refractometer
Brine concentration is 100 x salt / (salt + water). A refractometer measures the strength of the brine you made, which is not the same as the strength you meant to make.
Parameter: FSIS-GD-2016-0002, percent brine formula
Listing
Salinity Refractometer with ATC 0~28% Saltwater Brine Refractometer
- Lowest new, checked 2026-09-04
- $17.99
- Brand
- Hallocool
- ASIN
- B0B5WSMXLH
Affiliate link, tag carbs.com-20. Prices read from the Amazon Creators API on 2026-09-04 and not re-fetched since. Amazon prices move within a day; treat these as the figure on that date, not as a quote.
Bench scale, 15 kg
Weight loss is measured against the green weight, and 9 CFR 319.106(b)(7) states its figure as a percentage of that weight. A whole leg needs a scale with the range for it.
Parameter: 9 CFR 319.106(b)(7), at least 18 percent below fresh uncured weight
Listing
33LB/15KG Digital Kitchen Scale, USB Rechargeable Stainless Steel
- Lowest new, checked 2026-09-04
- $12.99
- Brand
- PHX Grove
- ASIN
- B0GFK27PBS
Affiliate link, tag carbs.com-20. Prices read from the Amazon Creators API on 2026-09-04 and not re-fetched since. Amazon prices move within a day; treat these as the figure on that date, not as a quote.
Regulatory citations are to the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, Title 9, as in force on 1 January 2026. FSIS guideline citations give the guideline identifier; the documents are listed with their URLs on methodology.