What ratio of salt, sugar, and curing salt for bacon?

The canonical equilibrium dry cure (used by Ruhlman, Polcyn, Symons, McGee)

For pork belly bacon, equilibrium curing uses precise percentages of total meat weight:

• Salt: 2.5-3% by weight (provides flavor + microbial safety + meat firming)
• Sugar: 1-2% by weight (balances salt, feeds Maillard for color, adds depth)
• Pink curing salt #1 (Insta-Cure #1, Prague Powder #1): 0.25% by weight = ~150 ppm nitrite at finish (USDA safe limit)

Pink salt #1 vs #2 (use the right one)

• #1 = 93.75% salt + 6.25% sodium nitrite. Used for short cures (under 30 days) — bacon, ham, hot dogs, pastrami. DOES NOT contain nitrate.
• #2 = 89.75% salt + 6.25% sodium nitrite + 4% sodium nitrate. Used for long-cured products (over 30 days, NOT cooked) — country ham, salami, prosciutto. The nitrate slowly converts to nitrite over time.

For bacon (cooked product), use #1 only. Never substitute pink salt for table salt or vice versa — they look identical but pink salt at table-salt quantities is toxic.

Exact formula (5 lb pork belly = 2268 g)

• Salt: 2.5% × 2268g = 56.7g (round to 57g) — kosher salt
• Sugar: 1% × 2268g = 22.7g (round to 23g) — brown sugar or maple sugar
• Pink salt #1: 0.25% × 2268g = 5.67g (round to 5.7g) — measured precisely with scale, NOT volumes
• Optional spices: peppercorns, juniper, bay, garlic, smoked paprika — to taste

Method

1. Mix dry cure thoroughly (whisk in bowl)
2. Trim belly skin/silver skin if present (or leave skin-on for crispy bottom)
3. Coat all sides of belly with cure mixture
4. Place in vacuum bag OR plastic zip bag with as much air removed as possible
5. Refrigerate 7 days, flipping daily — liquid will accumulate (this is normal; it's brine forming via osmosis)
6. After 7 days: rinse cure off thoroughly under cold water (cure is concentrated; un-rinsed will be too salty)
7. Pat dry with paper towels
8. Refrigerate uncovered overnight (8-12 hr) to form pellicle (dry tacky surface — helps smoke adhere)
9. Cold-smoke 4-6 hours at 70-90°F OR hot-smoke 2-3 hours at 200°F to internal 150°F
10. Cool, slice, fry or refrigerate up to 2 weeks vacuum-sealed

Why precise percentages matter

The 0.25% pink salt = 150ppm nitrite is the USDA safe maximum AND the level that prevents Clostridium botulinum (botulism — fatal). Below 100ppm = unsafe (botulism risk in low-oxygen meat). Above 200ppm = excessive nitrite, off-flavor. Stick to 0.25% by weight, no exceptions.

Salt at 2.5% provides full cure penetration; below 2% = under-cured (microbial risk); above 3.5% = oversalted.

Sugar at 1% balances saltiness + helps with browning. Below 0.5% = bland; above 2.5% = sweet bacon (some people prefer this, e.g., maple bacon at 2-3%).

Common mistakes

• Using table salt (smaller crystals = different volume = wrong weight if measuring by spoon) — ALWAYS measure salt by weight in grams
• Mixing pink salt #1 with #2 — different products, different uses
• Skipping the rinse step — bacon will be inedibly salty
• Cure time too short (under 5 days) = under-cured, mushy texture
• Cure time too long (over 10 days at 2.5% salt) = oversalted; longer cures need LOWER salt %
• Slicing while warm — slices crumble; chill thoroughly before slicing

Cross-reference: see /pages/what-ratio-of/cure-salt-nitrite for nitrite chemistry deep-dive + /pages/what-ratio-of/salt-to-meat-dry-brine for non-cured (no nitrite) dry brining + /pages/how-long-does/curing-bacon for timeline-only view.