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I'm interested in curing meat, and most recipes require pink salt (which contains nitrites to help cure the meat). Is Himalayan pink salt the same thing?

tM --
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  • No, they are not the same. The Pink Salt for curing meat is sometimes referred to as Saltpeter though not exactly the same. See http://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/10829/3649 – MandoMando Feb 03 '14 at 18:19

2 Answers2

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No, these are completely different products.

As you indicate, so called "pink salt" is a mixture of sodium chloride (regular salt) and sodium nitrate (or sodium nitrite) for curing meats, tinted pink to distinguish it from regular table salt. it allows relatively accurate small batch curing, as in home sausage making.

Himalayan pink salt is a naturally mined rock salt, whose impurities can tint it a variety of colors, including pinkish, from iron oxide.

Hawaiian pink salt is another naturally harvested salt whose red clay impurities tint it a pink color.

SAJ14SAJ
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    Hawaiian pink salt doesn't exactly naturally contain impurities from clay - it's (white) sea salt with clay added. – Cascabel Feb 03 '14 at 01:22
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I have been using Himalayan Pink Salt for years...it is the only salt I use.

Curing salt is basically table salt with some added chemicals. It is merely dyed pink to help it blend better with meat.

Himalayan Pink Salt is not processed like table salt. Himalayan contains additional trace minerals.

Salt with trace minerals always has a non-white color. Celtic Sea Salt, for example (which is really good salt) has a brownish sandy color. Pink Himalayan salt is a sort of sandy rose or pink color. All the truly natural full-spectrum salts are sandy, pink, or brownish in color.

rumtscho
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Timothy
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    This site has a policy not to give nutritional health advice, and for on-topic health matters (principally relating to pathogens / parasites) to limit ourselves to quoting authorities such as national food safety bodies. – Peter Taylor Feb 03 '14 at 09:52
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    I don't think the pink color is to help it blend with meat (regular salt would dissolve and become invisible anyway). The neon pink color is so that it isn't eaten accidentally. – SourDoh Feb 03 '14 at 23:26