omitting saltpeter in a pate de campagne

[melissafitz]

for the life of me, i can't find saltpeter. the chopped meat (pork and pork liver) will sit for 24 hrs in the fridge and then will cook and then sit again for 2 days. it's la regalade's terrine -- from an oldish saveur issue.

advice? experience? much thanks!

[lesliec]

Um. Presumably it's in there as a preservative, or maybe a colour enhancer (I seem to recall it stops such things going greyish), or perhaps both. As long as the meat's thoroughly cooked I can't seem much harm in leaving it out.

Others may disagree with my theories about what it's in there for. I'm quite happy to be corrected.

When I was at school you could get it from garden supply shops, but it got more difficult when more people got interested in making gunpowder with it. You might still be able to talk to a pharmacy about getting small quantities. Potassium nitrate is its other name.

Good luck,

Leslie

[Kerry Beal]

You could probably use a bit of pink salt in it's place - which contains sodium nitrite and get the same colour enhancing effect.

I'm pretty sure I can buy salt peter at the Punjab market near me - but they carry a whole lot of stuff I can't get elsewhere.

Edited December 17, 2009 by Kerry Beal (log)

[melissafitz]

well -- i've left it out. we'll have to see how it goes from here. i don't have pink salt, so i'm unable to even stir that in last minute.

i'm hoping the short(ish) sitting time will prevent discoloration. i plan on it being eaten by tuesday at the latest...

thanks kerry & leslie!

[David A. Goldfarb]

I have no problem at all with a pate de campagne being brown. It looks perfectly normal that way, so if you aren't planning to store it for weeks, I think it's okay to leave the nitrite out. Pink salt #1 of some form or other (sodium nitrite) is more commonly used today than saltpeter (potassium nitrate).

[OliverB]

just for future reference, via google you'll find several chem supply places that sell it, but you seem to have to get a pound at least. As it's only around $10 that's probably not a big problem. And if you don't like to order it from some chem supply place, it appears to be sold via Amazon too.

But using pink salt should work as well, though I'm not sure about the dosage, if you'd use the same amount or more/less.

I have pink salt, but I like to do some things the real old fashioned way at times, I might just have to get me some.

Note that this can be used to make gun powder and other such stuff, if you're afraid of landing on some watch list you might want to stick to pink salt

edit: too funny not to add to this, a quote from Amazon:

" Frequently Bought Together:

Customers buy this item with waterproof wick cannon fuse 10 ft by ISLE"

I guess you might want to ask your favorite pirate or civil war re-enactor for a pinch of this stuff!

Edited December 18, 2009 by OliverB (log)

[melissafitz]

david -- thanks! that was just the reply i was looking for -- absolution from leaving the stuff out!

and thanks also, oliver -- i do think it's funny that my pharmacy won't sell one ounce of the stuff b/c of it's relation to gun powder yet you can buy it by the pound on line. and with a wick cannon fuse, at that!