Brined and "Cured" Products

Near Country offers customers a handful of smoked products, from bacon to seasonal specialties like corned beef.  Because the world of smoking and curing meats can be surprisingly confusing, we wanted to explain the processes we and our partners use.

Brining without use of any nitrates / nitrites

  • Near Country Provisions products prepared this way: 
    • Bacon
    • Boneless Smoked Hams
  • What it means
    • Salt is used in a brine. No synthetic or natural nitrates or nitrites are used.
    • Pork and beef cuts prepared this way do not get as pinkish/reddish as those prepared with synthetic or natural nitrates/nitrites, and retain more of the flavor and texture of the pork than cuts prepared using methods below.
  • What the label says: "Uncured." USDA requires that for products to be labeled "cured," they must be made with sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate, potassium nitrite or potassium nitrate. Note that salt has been used for millennia as a curing agent, but it does not fulfill the USDA label requirement for "cured." 
  • Should I cook the meat before eating?  Yes

Brining with naturally-occurring nitrates / nitrites

  • Near Country Provisions products prepared this way:  
    • Corned Beef (2022 version)
    • Beef Franks (Hotdogs)
  • What it means: Salt and celery, beet or prune powder (which contain naturally-occurring sodium nitrate) are are used in a brine. No synthetic nitrates or nitrites are added.  
  • What the label says:
    • Corned Beef: "Raw, Cured."
    • Beef Franks: "Uncured"
  • Should I cook the meat before eating?  For Near Country Provisions corned beef and hotdogs, Yes. For other cuts, it may depend. (Bacon is always cooked independent of brining method.)

    Brining with added nitrates / nitrites

    • Near Country Provisions products prepared this way:  Bone-in Smoked Hams
    • What it means: Sodium nitrite is added to the brine. 
    • What the label says: Just "Smoked Ham." Excludes the "Uncured" and "Raw" qualifiers, or may say "Cured."  
    • Should I cook the meat before eating?  For Near Country Provisions Bone-in Smoked Ham, you don't have to, but you can. For other cuts, it may depend. (Bacon is always cooked independent of brining method.)