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of nitrosamines in cured and cooked foods such as bacon. The evidence suggests that, in limited quantities, nitrites are not a substantial health concern. For a thorough discussion of the controversy, see the redoubtable Harold McGee’s On Food and Cooking, where he says, “Nitrosamines are known to be powerful DNA-damaging chemicals, yet at present there’s no clear evidence that the nitrites in cured meats increase the risk of developing cancer. Still it’s probably prudent to eat cured meats in moderation and cook them gently.”

When pink salt (sodium nitrite) or the #2 curing salts (sodium nitrate) is listed in one of our recipes, it is critical to use it as directed in order to prevent the potential of botulism poisoning. It is only required for foods that will smoked or sausages that will be air-dried. Some of the recipes in the book list pink salt as optional; this is because in some preparations, pâtés and terrines for instance, the pink salt adds flavor and a rosy hue that is more appealing than the gray it would otherwise be. But provided these foods are properly refrigerated, the pink salt is not required for food safety issues.

LACTIC ACID ADDITIVES AND LIVE CULTURES

Acid is another important part of the dry-cure process. Brian and I recommend using a live culture, called Bactoferm F-RM-52 (see Sources, page 301); it feeds on the sugars in the sausage mixture and releases lactic acid, reducing the pH level and thereby preventing bacterial growth (pH is a measure, scaled from 0 to 14, of the acidity or alkalinity of a given environment). Strips of paper measuring pH are inexpensive and easily available by mail (see Sources, page 304). If you get involved in a lot of dry-curing, it’s not a bad idea to invest in a pH meter, at about $350 (see Sources, page 304). Sausage with a pH no higher than 4.9 is considered to be sufficiently acidic to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria.

When working with these live cultures, which are freeze-dried and need to be rehydrated, it’s important to use distilled water. Some water is chlorinated, which could kill the live cultures. Please note that while 1 ounce/25 grams of Bactoferm is enough for 220 pounds of sausage, recipes for small batches must contain at least a quarter of the package to ensure that enough of the live culture gets into the sausage; the product is completely safe, adding too much is not harmful in any way.

SUGAR

These recipes call for a sugar called dextrose, which is finely textured glucose derived from cornstarch. It is used in dry-cured sausages because it dissolves more easily and is distributed thoughout the mixture more uniformly than table sugar. (See Sources, page 301.)

MOLD

Mold is not desirable, but some mold is not harmful. Rule of thumb: Fuzzy mold, no matter what color, is bad, as is any mold that is not white, and should be wiped off the surface with a clean cloth soaked in brine (1⁄4 cup per quart/50 grams per liter is sufficient), just as cheesemakers do with some cheeses. Fuzzy mold (usually it has a greenish cast) can even dig through the casing and damage the interior; if you find evidence of it, to be cautious, throw the sausage away and try again. Dry white mold, the kind one often sees on dry-cured sausages, is generally considered to be good mold in that it prevents bad molds from growing, feeds on the oxygen at the surface of the sausage, and creates a protective layer, not unlike smoke.

PREVENTING TRICHINOSIS BY FREEZING

Trichinosis, a food-borne sickness caused by the larvae of the Trichinella worm in pork and wild game, was once common in the United States, mainly contracted by eating pork that hadn’t been thoroughly cooked. Today, pork is far less likely to carry the larvae than are wild game, and the disease is relatively rare. About thirty eight cases were recorded each year during the 1990s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And since then, regulations in how pigs are fed, as well as increasingly informed consumers and the ease of freezing meat, have also contributed to the reduced incidence.