Enter your pork belly weight, thickness, and choose your salt level, sugar level, and curing method to get a complete bacon cure recipe. The calculator returns exact amounts of salt, sugar, and pink curing salt (Prague Powder #1) in grams or ounces, plus an estimated cure time based on meat thickness.
Estimated Cure Time
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Salt Required
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Pink Curing Salt (Prague Powder #1)
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Sugar Required
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Water Required (Wet Brine)
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Salt %
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Sugar %
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Traditional dry curing applies an excess of salt to the meat over time, which is then rinsed off at the end. Equilibrium curing uses precise salt ratios matched to the meat's weight, so the meat absorbs exactly the right amount of salt with no rinsing required. The result is a more consistent, less salty bacon every time.
A curing calculator ensures you use accurate, safe amounts of salt, sugar, and pink curing salt (sodium nitrite). Too little curing salt can allow dangerous bacteria like Clostridium botulinum to grow; too much can be harmful. Calculating by meat weight removes the guesswork and makes your cure both safe and repeatable.
Typically 5–10 days in the refrigerator, depending on the thickness of the meat. A general rule of thumb is 1 day per 0.5 inch of thickness, plus 1–2 extra days. One advantage of equilibrium curing is that you cannot over-cure the bacon, so a few extra days won't ruin it.
Prague Powder #1 is a curing agent made of salt and sodium nitrite (6.25%). It inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria, preserves the pink color of the meat, and contributes to the characteristic cured flavor. It is used in small, precise amounts — typically 0.25% of the meat's weight — and should never be substituted for regular table salt.
Dry curing rubs the cure mixture directly onto the surface of the meat and lets it penetrate over several days. Wet brining submerges the meat in a saltwater solution containing the cure. Dry curing tends to produce a more concentrated flavor, while wet brining can result in a juicier product. Both methods can produce excellent bacon.
In the small quantities used for curing meat, sodium nitrite is considered safe by food safety authorities. The amounts recommended (0.25% of meat weight for Prague Powder #1) are well within safe consumption limits. Many vegetables naturally contain far higher levels of nitrates than cured meats.
For equilibrium curing, the standard salt amount is 2.25% of the meat's weight. For example, for a 2 kg (2000 g) pork belly, you would need 45 g of salt. You can adjust this between 2.0% (lower salt) and 3.0% (extra savory) based on your taste preference.
Absolutely. Once your salt, sugar, and pink curing salt are calculated, you can add any additional spices — black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, maple syrup, herbs — to taste. These do not affect the safety of the cure, only the flavor profile of your finished bacon.