Bacon Curing Calculator

Calculate the cure salt (Prague Powder #1), kosher salt, and sugar needed to dry-cure pork belly into bacon, scaled to your meat weight.

Pork Belly Weight Weight of the raw pork belly before curing.

Weight Unit

Cure Type Cure #2 is for long-dry-cured products (salami, prosciutto) and does not apply to bacon.

Belly Thickness (inches) Measured at the thickest point of the belly.

Kosher Salt Brand

Kosher Salt (% of meat weight)

Sugar (% of meat weight, optional)

Cure #1 (Prague Powder #1)

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Enter your pork belly weight to see the cure recipe

Cure #1 (tsp)

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Kosher Salt

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Sugar

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Est. Cure Time

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⚠️ Always follow your Cure #1 product's package instructions exactly — nitrite concentration is not standardized across every brand. This calculator is a starting point, not a substitute for a tested recipe.

Curing Salt Safety

What Cure #1 is: a blend of table salt and sodium nitrite (typically 6.25% nitrite, 93.75% salt), dyed pink so it's never mistaken for regular salt.
Why it matters: nitrite prevents Clostridium botulinum (botulism) from growing during the low-oxygen, refrigerated curing process bacon requires.
Never exceed the package ratio. Overdosing nitrite is a real health risk — always weigh your cure salt on a gram-accurate scale rather than eyeballing it.
Follow a tested recipe. This calculator gives a sourced starting-point ratio, not a food-safety guarantee — cross-check against your cure salt manufacturer's instructions and a trusted curing reference before curing meat at home.
Keep it away from children and pets. Cure #1 looks and can be mistaken for a seasoning salt; store it clearly labeled and out of reach.
Refrigerate throughout the cure. Keep pork belly at or below 38°F (3°C) for the full cure duration.

Approximate dry-cure time by pork belly thickness (equilibrium curing, refrigerated)

Belly thickness	Approx. cure time	Notes
1 in (2.5 cm)	~7 days	Turn/massage the bag daily
1.5 in (3.8 cm)	~10-11 days	Turn/massage the bag daily
2 in (5 cm)	~14 days	Turn/massage the bag daily
2.5 in (6.4 cm)	~17-18 days	Turn/massage the bag daily

A common rule of thumb is about 7 days per inch of thickness at the thickest point, plus 2-3 extra days as a safety margin. After curing, rinse the belly, pat dry, and refrigerate uncovered for 12-24 hours (forms the tacky "pellicle" that helps smoke adhere) before smoking or cooking.

4 min read 5 steps 7 terms 3 examples 6 FAQs cureSaltGrams = meatWeightGrams × 0.0025

General reference Written by Calculover Editorial Team · Updated 2026-07-31

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Walk-through

How to Use This Calculator

5 steps

Weigh your pork belly

Weigh the raw, trimmed pork belly on a kitchen scale in pounds or kilograms. Accuracy here matters more than any other input — every cure ingredient scales directly off this number.

Enter the weight and adjust salt/sugar

Enter the weight in the Cure Recipe tab, choose lb or kg, and adjust the kosher salt (default 2%) and sugar (default 1%) percentages to taste. Prague Powder #1 is fixed at the standard 0.25%-by-weight ratio.

Read the cure recipe

The result card shows the exact grams (and teaspoon equivalent) of Cure #1, plus the salt and sugar amounts. Weigh each on a gram-accurate kitchen scale rather than measuring by volume when precision matters.

Mix, apply, and refrigerate

Combine the cure #1, salt, and sugar and rub evenly over all sides of the pork belly. Seal in a food-safe bag, refrigerate at or below 38°F (3°C), and check the Cure Time Guide tab for how long to cure based on thickness.

Rinse, dry, and cook or smoke

After curing, rinse off the surface cure, pat dry, and refrigerate uncovered for 12-24 hours to form the pellicle. From there you can smoke, bake, or pan-cook the bacon.

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Reference

Formula & Methodology

2 formulas

Cure #1 (Prague Powder #1)

cureSaltGrams = meatWeightGrams × 0.0025

The standard home-curing ratio for Prague Powder #1 is 0.25% of the meat's weight, a figure widely cited in home-curing references (e.g. Rhulman & Polcyn's Charcuterie, and Marianski's Meat Curing guidance) and consistent with targeting roughly 150-200 ppm ingoing sodium nitrite. The commonly paired volume equivalent — about 1 level teaspoon per 5 lb of meat — is shown alongside as cureSaltTsp = cureSaltGrams ÷ 6.15.

Kosher salt and sugar

saltGrams = meatWeightGrams × (saltPct ÷ 100); sugarGrams = meatWeightGrams × (sugarPct ÷ 100)

Kosher salt (default 2% of meat weight) and sugar (default 1%, optional) are calculated the same way — as a straightforward percentage of the meat's weight — and can be adjusted to taste.

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General reference

Trust, Methodology & Sources

Written by Calculover Editorial Team · Updated 2026-07-31

Editorial accountability

Author: Calculover Editorial Team - Editor

Owner: Calculover Editorial Team - Editorial owner

Last reviewed: 2026-07-31

Last verified: 2026-07-31

Methodology

Limitations & guidance

This bacon curing calculator adheres strictly to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) guidelines under 9 CFR 424.21(c) for ingoing sodium nitrite concentration in dry-cured pork belly products (maximum 200 ppm).

Food Safety Disclaimer: Curing meat at home requires strict adherence to temperature control (≤ 38°F / 3.3°C throughout curing) and accurate mass measurements. Always weigh Cure #1 using a digital scale accurate to 0.01g or 0.1g. Never substitute Prague Powder #2 for Prague Powder #1 in short bacon cures.

Professional guidance:

Primary sources

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Glossary

Key Terms Explained

7 terms

Prague Powder #1 A curing salt blend, typically 6.25% sodium nitrite and 93.75% table salt, dyed pink so it's never confused with regular salt. Also called Cure #1 or Insta Cure #1. Used for bacon, ham, and other cures that will be cooked, smoked, or refrigerated for a relatively short period.

Sodium nitrite The active preservative in Cure #1. It prevents the growth of Clostridium botulinum (the bacterium responsible for botulism) in the low-oxygen, refrigerated environment meat curing requires, and contributes to cured meat's characteristic color and flavor.

Dry cure A curing method where salt, cure #1, and sugar are rubbed directly onto the meat's surface (as opposed to a liquid brine). The salt draws out moisture over days, forming a concentrated cure that penetrates the meat.

Pork belly The boneless cut of pork from the belly of the pig, used to make bacon. Thickness varies by cut and butcher, which is why cure time depends on thickness rather than weight alone.

Cure time How long the meat needs to sit in the cure, refrigerated, before it's ready. For bacon, this is commonly estimated at about 7 days per inch of belly thickness at its thickest point, plus a safety margin.

Equilibrium curing A curing approach where the exact percentage of salt/cure/sugar relative to meat weight is calculated up front (as this calculator does), so the meat can't be over-salted even if left curing longer than strictly necessary — unlike older cure methods, which relied on rinsing off excess.

Pellicle The tacky, slightly dry surface layer that forms on cured meat after it's rinsed and air-dried uncovered in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours. It helps smoke adhere evenly during the smoking step.

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Scenarios

Real-World Examples

3 worked examples

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Home curer

5 lb pork belly, standard recipe

Pork belly weight 5 lb Salt / sugar 2% / 1%

A 5 lb pork belly (≈2,268 g) needs about 5.7 g (≈0.9 tsp) of Cure #1, 45.4 g of kosher salt, and 22.7 g of sugar. This is the classic small-batch home-curing size.

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Batch curer

10 lb batch, double recipe

Pork belly weight 10 lb Salt / sugar 2% / 1%

Doubling the weight to 10 lb (≈4,536 g) doubles every ingredient: about 11.3 g (≈1.8 tsp) of Cure #1, 90.7 g of salt, and 45.4 g of sugar — the calculator scales linearly, so larger batches never need guesswork.

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Low-sugar variant

5 lb pork belly, no sugar

Pork belly weight 5 lb Salt / sugar 2% / 0%

Setting sugar to 0% keeps the cure #1 (5.7 g) and salt (45.4 g) amounts unchanged — sugar is purely a flavor/browning addition and can be omitted without affecting the food-safety math.

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Deep Dive

Understanding the Bacon Curing Calculator

3 chapters · 4 min read

Home-cured bacon relies on getting the ratio of curing salt to meat right — too little and the cure may not adequately protect against bacterial growth during the curing period; too much and you risk over-salting or exceeding safe nitrite levels. This calculator scales the standard Prague Powder #1 ratio, plus kosher salt and sugar, to your exact pork belly weight so you're not eyeballing amounts.

How the Bacon Curing Calculator works

The calculator uses the widely-cited home-curing standard for Prague Powder #1: 0.25% of the meat's weight. That ratio is designed to deliver roughly 150-200 parts per million of ingoing sodium nitrite, which is within commonly accepted home-curing guidance for products like bacon that are refrigerated and eventually cooked. The calculator converts your entered weight to grams, multiplies by 0.25%, and also shows the teaspoon equivalent (about 6.15 g per level teaspoon of Cure #1) since many home curers measure by volume. Kosher salt and sugar are calculated the same way, as a straightforward percentage of meat weight that you can adjust.

Inputs and what they mean

Pork belly weight is the single most important input — everything scales from it, so weigh the trimmed belly on a scale rather than estimating. The weight-unit toggle lets you work in pounds or kilograms. Cure type is fixed to Prague Powder #1, which is the standard for bacon; Prague Powder #2 (Cure #2) is a different formulation used for products that dry-cure for weeks or months without cooking, such as salami or prosciutto, and doesn't apply here. Salt and sugar percentages default to 2% and 1% respectively — reasonable starting points that many home-curing recipes use — but can be adjusted for saltier or sweeter bacon.

Limits and edge cases

This calculator gives you a sourced starting-point ratio — it is not a substitute for a tested recipe or for the specific instructions that came with your Cure #1 product. Nitrite concentration is not standardized across every brand or country, so always check your product's label and follow its stated usage rate exactly; if your package's instructions differ from the 0.25% ratio used here, defer to the package. Never guess at cure salt amounts by eye — use a scale accurate to at least 0.1 g for small batches. If you're unsure about food safety at any step, consult a trusted, tested curing reference or your local extension office before proceeding.

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Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

6 questions

What is Cure #1?+

Cure #1 (Prague Powder #1, also called Insta Cure #1) is a blend of sodium nitrite and table salt, typically 6.25% nitrite and 93.75% salt, dyed pink so it can never be mistaken for regular table salt. It's the standard curing salt for bacon, ham, and other meats that will be refrigerated for a relatively short cure and then cooked or smoked.

What's the standard ratio?+

The most commonly cited home-curing ratio is about 0.25% of the meat's weight, which is roughly equivalent to 1 level teaspoon of Cure #1 per 5 lb of meat. This calculator uses the weight-based percentage as the primary figure since it scales precisely to any batch size, and shows the teaspoon equivalent alongside it.

How long does bacon need to cure?+

Cure time depends on the thickness of the pork belly, not its total weight — a common rule of thumb is about 7 days per inch of thickness at the thickest point, plus a couple of extra days as a safety margin. See the Cure Time Guide tab for a reference table by thickness. Turn or massage the bag daily throughout the cure.

Is this a food-safety guarantee?+

No. This calculator provides a sourced, widely-used starting-point ratio, not a guarantee of food safety. Always follow a tested recipe and your specific Cure #1 product's package instructions exactly, since nitrite concentration and recommended usage rates can vary by manufacturer.

What's the risk of using too much Cure #1?+

Yes, this is a serious risk. Sodium nitrite is toxic in large quantities, and curing salts are formulated to be safe only when used at the recommended low percentage of meat weight. Never exceed your product's maximum recommended ratio, always weigh cure salt precisely on a gram-accurate scale, and keep Cure #1 stored clearly labeled and out of reach of children and pets.

Do I need to smoke the bacon after curing?+

No — smoking is a common next step for flavor, but it isn't required. After curing, rinsing, and drying to form the pellicle, you can smoke the bacon over low heat, or simply cook it directly (baking or pan-frying) without smoking. This calculator covers the cure recipe and cure time; smoking technique is a separate step not covered here.

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