What Is Meat Curing? And Why Jill’s Sausages Does It Differently
Curing is one of the oldest and most traditional ways of preserving meat. Historically, people cured meat by adding salt, sugar, nitrites, and sometimes smoke, which helped prevent spoilage and added flavour.
Today, while modern refrigeration has made preservation easier, meat curing remains an essential step in producing flavourful and appealing deli meats—like sausages, ham, bacon, and smoked items such as duck, fish, or cheese.
But here’s the big question:
If traditional curing uses chemical additives like nitrites, how can it be safe—or healthy?
Let’s explore, and explain why Jill’s Sausages chooses a different approach to curing entirely.
Why Is Meat Cured in the First Place?
Meat curing began as a way to stop meat from spoiling before refrigeration existed. Salt and sugar remove moisture, which slows the growth of bacteria. Later, sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate were introduced to further extend shelf life and give cured meats that familiar pinkish colour and distinct flavour.
These additives are still commonly used in:
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Commercial ham
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Supermarket bacon
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Hot dogs
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Smoked deli meats
But the tradeoff? Regular consumption of cured meats with nitrites has been linked to health risks, including increased cancer risk. That’s where the debate on natural curing and alternatives comes in.
What Are Celery-Based Cures?
You may have seen “no added nitrites” or “cured with celery powder” on food packaging. This sounds more natural—but what does it really mean?
Celery, along with other vegetables like beetroot and spinach, contains high levels of naturally occurring nitrates. When these are fermented or processed into powders, they can act just like synthetic nitrites in curing meat.
So in celery-cured meat, you still get:
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Extended shelf life
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Pink colour
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Familiar deli flavour
But here’s the catch—these vegetable-based nitrites are not regulated. That means the nitrate content can vary significantly from batch to batch. This inconsistency can pose a risk, especially during large-scale meat production.
Is Celery Powder Safe for Curing Meat?
Let’s talk about safety and transparency.
Unlike synthetic nitrites—which are tightly regulated and pre-measured—celery powder does not have the same oversight. This makes it harder to control:
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The amount of nitrate present
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How completely it breaks down during curing
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Whether nitrosamines (a known carcinogen) might form
Ironically, celery-based curing might sound healthier—but under the wrong conditions, it could lead to more harmful compounds being produced.
In industrial settings, meat producers often use cure accelerators (like sodium erythorbate) to speed up the nitrite-to-nitric oxide reaction and reduce harmful residues. But when using celery powder, this step is often skipped—further increasing risk.
Does Jill’s Sausages Use Celery for Curing?
No we don’t.
At Jill’s Sausages, our commitment is to your health and peace of mind. That’s why we do not use celery powder, sodium nitrite, or any nitrate/nitrite-based preservatives—natural or synthetic.
Instead, we have developed a unique, proprietary method of natural curing that delivers:
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Safe, long-lasting preservation
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Appealing colour and texture
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Zero added chemicals
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Truly nitrate-free, nitrite-free deli meats
Our technique draws inspiration from traditional food science, but applies it in a way that ensures clean-label, wholesome meats for your family and customers.
Final Thoughts: Why Our Curing Method Matters
In today’s world, more people are paying attention to what’s in their food—and that’s a good thing. When it comes to deli meats, not all “natural” cures are created equal.
We go beyond the marketing label. At Jill’s Sausages, we believe in:
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Transparency
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Ingredient integrity
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And genuine care for your health
We’ve taken the hard road to ensure our sausages, hams, and deli meats are completely free of preservatives, nitrites, and additives—without sacrificing taste, texture, or shelf life.
Now that’s what we call real food.