Methods of curing meats: dry curing, wet curing & combination curing

There are three methods of curing meats: Dry Curing (salt), Wet Curing (salt and water), also known as Immersion Curing and Combination Curing

Fast action, greater loss of meat weight due to the loss of water, product will have more pronounced flavor, will be saltier and will be better preserved. Suitable for meats that will not be cooked but smoked and air- dryed or just air-dryed. It is the best curing method for people living in hot climate or having no refrigeration.

Dry curing has been performed the same way since the 13 th century. It is basically the salting method with the addition of nitrates.Before smoking the salt with nitrates had to be rubbed in ham or other meat cuts which was a tough job because it could only be done by hand. Then pork pieces were packed in tubs forcing the meat and coarse salt as tightly as possible and left there for determined time sometimes even up up to 6 weeks. The salt was dehydrating the meat and drawing the moisture out of it. All that liquid would simply drain away through the hole in the bottom of the tub. This drainage played important part in the process as the moisture was taking with it minute meat particles and blood. Those in turn might spoil the brine if given high enough temperatures. If a brine is kept at refrigerator temperatures the drainage hole is not needed and the liquid can sit at the bottom of the vessel. Some of the liquid will be re-absorbed by the meat itself. Of course if the product is to be air-dried the liquid is unwelcome as it will slow down the drying process.

Often meat was rubbed lightly with salt but more salt was applied around bones by kneading it harder with thumbs. Then meats were placed on a tilted table to drain from 6 to 12 hours. One pound of salt (1 %) was used for each 100 lbs of meat. Meat treated that way has less chance of spoiling as much of the moisture and leftover blood will drain away. Then meat was washed briefly with cold water to remove any traces of the bloody liquid and a dry mix was applied to its moist surface what helped to dissolve and hold the cure.

The dry cure method is the fastest method as it uses nothing but salt (100 %) wherein in wet cure the maximum salt content is 26 % . At that point brine becomes saturated and no more salt can be absorbed by water. Dry cure can be used under wider temperature variations (warmer climate-no refrigeration) and there is less possibility it may go sour. The purpose of air drying is to remove moisture from the meat and the dry cure being mostly salt is not bringing any extra moisture into the meat.

The wet cure (water, salt and nitrite) will be a bad choice for curing of air dried products as it will provide extra moisture (water) instead of removing it. In most cases after dry curing, meats go for smoking, then for air drying and there is no cooking involved. In addition to salt and nitrates, the ingredients like sugar (not recommended when temperatures are high), coriander, thyme, and juniper are often added to the dry mix.

There is some unavoidable loss of natural juices and meat protein when salting or dry curing method is used (less than 1%). Salted piece will remain in salt for a few weeks or will hang in the air even longer (loosing more moisture) and the lost water will not be replaced. The final product will weigh 15-20% less than the weight of the original meat. In case of byproducts like liver, heart, kidneys and heart the weight loss can be as large as 34-40%.

Salt that is rubbed in into the surface of the meat starts migrating inside and at the same time water that is present inside of the meat starts to travel towards outside. You may say that the water is leaking out of the meat. This process is very fast during first 7 days and then slows down as there is more salt inside of the meat and less water. Most dry cured products will be smoked and/or air dried and this is a welcome scenario as a lot of moisture has been eliminated and there is smaller possibility of meat spoiling during further air-drying.

Eventually the equilibrium is reached when all salt is inside of the meat and no more water loss occurs. Unfortunatelly some meat juice (protein, minerals) was lost together with water and of course the meat piece lost some of its original weight. Salt which is already inside of the meat penetrates meat fibres and they swell, become larger and are able to accept and hold water inside of them. Think of them like if they were a sponge that when wet can hold quite a lot of water. In most cases the bloody liquid simply drains away and there is an inevitable weight loss. If the same meats meats were packed in a sealed tub without drainage holes, some of the natural brine that was created will be absorbed back into the meat. Due to increased salt content the product may feel salty what is offset somewhat by adding sugar into the mixture.

To guarantee continuous supply of salt and uninterupted curing of the meat, the dry curing is performed in a few stages.

1. The ingredients should be thoroughly mixed and divided into two equal parts. The first part of the mix should be rubbed in into the meat paying extra attention to bone areas which like to spoil first. An extra amount of salt should be supplied there by forcing it with the thumbs. During this initial salting of the meat, it is important to thoroughly cover all surface of the meat piece with salt, because the high salt level and the colder temperatures are the only means of protection against the growth of spoilage bacteria.

Then the meats would be packed tightly in a container with larger pieces like hams on the bottom and smaller pieces on the top so that each piece will retain its shape. The meats are packed skin down. Liquid drawn drom the meat will accumulate on the bottom of the container and if the holes were made it would drain off. This liquid can stay in container providing the curing is done at low temperatures (35-40 F). Most of the liquid will be re-absorbed by the meat itself.

2. The remaining part of the mix should be divided in two parts, using each part for the two following saltings. The second cure shall be applied later exactly like the one earlier, paying special attention to the bones. When repacking place the pieces in different order from the one they originally occupied.

For best results it is recommended to repack meats again on the twenty first day. The reason cure is applied in stages is that we want to have continuous supply of salt and nitrate to continue the process. After curing is complete, the meat pieces must be rinsed in fresh water to remove any crystalized salt that accumulates on the surface what would prevent sucessful smoke penetration (some products may not be smoked at all). Then the meats are hung or placed on wire mesh for draining. Store meat at a refrigerator temperature of 38° – 40° F (3° - 4° C).

The USA regulations permit the following amounts of nitrates/nitrites for dry cure:

Nitrate. 3 ½ oz. sodium or potassium nitrate (saltpeter) per 100 lbs. of meat. FSIS/USDA permits cure mixtures that contain nitrate (e.g., Prague Powder 2, Insta-Cure 2) for dry-cured products that are not to be cooked, smoked, or refrigerated. Dry cure using 3.5 oz nitrate per 100 lbs. meat maximum

Nitrite. 1 oz. sodium or potassium nitrite per 100 lbs. of meat (dry cured). FSIS/USDA permits using cure mixtures that contain nitrite (e.g., Prague Powder 1, Insta-Cure 1) for all meats that require cooking, smoking or canning. Dry cure using 1 oz. nitrite per 100 lbs. meat maximum is almost the same as 1 lb. of Cure #1 (nitrite mixed with salt) for 100 lbs. meat.

¼ oz. sodium or potassium nitrite per 100 lbs. chopped meat. That corresponds to 4 oz. of Cure 1 added directly to ground meat when making sausages. This is the amount of cure that can be added directly to the meat during mixing of the ingredients (ground meat, salt, spices). Then the mixture can be stuffed into casing. This formula can also be applied when curing meat for sausages where the times are very short (36-72 hours).

1 oz. Cure 1 per 25 lbs. of meat – about 1 level teaspoon of Cure 1 for 5 lbs of meat.

Nowadays it is almost impossible to obtain nitrates and premixed nitrite cures (Cure 1, Cure 2) are offered instead.

Note: Cure 1, Prague 1, Instacure 1, Pink Cure 1 are all the same and correspond to mixture of 6.25 % of sodium nitrite and 93.75 % of salt.

In case of “pumped” bacon the use of sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate is prohibited; the limit of ingoing sodium nitrite shall be 120 ppm (or 148 ppm potassium nitrite); the limit of ingoing sodium ascorbate (vitamin C) or sodium erythorbate (isoascorbate) shall be 550 ppm. Those changes allow to produce bacon that does not form nitrosamines (nitrosamines can create cancer in test animals) when cooked at 340 F for 3 minutes on each side. The above changes apply only to pumped bacon and do not apply to dry cured bacon.

The standard time proven curing mixture for each 100 lbs. of meat has been: 8:3:3 which is 8 lbs. salt, 3 lbs. sugar, 3 oz. saltpeter (potassium nitrate). If you look at the formula cloesely you will see that if you rubbed in 8 lbs of salt into 100 lbs of meat (there will be some minor losses) the salt concentration comes to 8 %. There is no way anybody will eat such a salty product today. To compensate for this saltiness 3 lbs of sugar was added to the mix. Nowadays it is almost impossible to obtain nitrates and premixed nitrite cures (Cure 1, Cure 2) are offered instead. Thus the formula becomes: 8 lbs. salt, 3 lbs. sugar, 1 lb. Cure 1. Keep in mind that in dry mix salt and nitrite (Cure # 1) are the main curing agents, sugar, pepper and spices are used for flavoring.

The length of curing depends very much on a size of the meat and its composition. Fatty tissues and skin create a significant barrier to curing solution. When curing a large meat piece for example a ham, a curing solution will start penetrating meat on the lean side of the meat and then will progress deeper forward towards the bone and the skin side. There will be very little penetration on the fatty skin side.

It seems logical that removing the fat layer of the skin will speed up curing. It definitely will, but it is not such a good idea. The fat acts as a barrier not only to curing but to smoking and removal of moisture as well. After smoking the ham might be baked or poached in hot water to make it safe to eat and here that fat acting as a barrier will prevent a loss of dissolved protein and meat juices that will try to migrate into the water.

Even at lower temperatures the bone marrow can start spoiling after 30 days and there is no way to stop it. Of course the danger is more pronounced when curing at higher than refrigerator temperatures. This is why pumping meat pieces first is a good idea as it shortens the curing time.

The USDA recommends to overhaul meats on the third and tenth days of the cure. The curing time will depend on a size of the meat piece and your own preference for a strong or lightly salted product. If a product will be kept at higher than refrigerator temperatures, the strong cure (traditional 8:3:3) and longer times will be applied. A basic rule is 2 days per pound for for the small cuts and the bacon and 3 days per pound for hams and shoulders. For example , a six pound bacon would require about 12 days in cure, while a 12 pound ham would need 36 days. Another formula calls for seven days of curing per inch of thickness. A ham weighing 12-14 lbs and 5 inches thick hrough the thickest part will be cured 5 x 7 = 35 days. Lighter pieces should end up on top so they can be taken out first allowing larger pieces to continue curing. Otherwise they may taste too salty.

Keep in mind that the above time proven curing times were established for maximum meat preservation and if you expect to consume your meat within 30 days, the times can be shorten by about 1/3. We assume that a traditional 8:3:3 formula is used.

Smaller meat cuts like bacon, butt, and loins can be cured with a dry mixture based on the following formula for 100 lbs. of meat: 4 lbs. salt, 1.5 lbs. sugar, 2 oz. Saltpeter (1 lb. Cure 1). Divide the mixture into three equal parts. Apply the first one-third and leave meat to cure. After three days overhaul and rub in the second part. After three days more apply the last third of the mixture. Total time of curing about 12 days.

Note: generally, the addition of spices occurs after the last re-salting has been completed

A nice approach is to combine pumping meat first with a brine and then to apply a dry mix on outside. This way a meat piece cures immediately inside and the salt migrates from the surface inside of the meat. Curing times can be shorter now and the risk of bone souring (bone taint) will be greatly reduced.

When making fermented or air-dried products that will not be cooked the Cure 2 should be used.

What would happen if we skip the curing process and just add salt, nitrite and spices after grinding. The way most sausage books recommend ? Nothing, it would still be a very good sausage but not the super quality product we want you to make. To be fair, we would like to add that there are some sausages that use meat that is not cured. For instance Polish Smoked Sausage uses cured meat, yet tha same sausage is called Staropolska Sausage if the meat is not cured. Both sausages are made of pork and use the same spices.

Curing imparts to meats a certain peculiar flavor which is in demand by a consumer and if we cure hams, bacons, chops, butts, and fish because they taste better, so why not to cure the sausage ? After all sausages are also made of meat and if hams and loins taste better when cured, why not to have a better sausage ?

The fact that we grind meat makes it only easier on our teeth to chew it – it does not improve the color, texture or the flavor of the sausage. Someone might say : but I ‘ve mixed nitrite and spices with ground meat before stuffing so that’s OK. Well, it’s not ok, the problem is that not enough time was allowed for proper curing to take place and the sausage is only partially cured.

The curing of meat decreases its water holding capacity. In wet curing method the meat absorbs water as well as curing ingredients and after some time it looses some of its water holding capacity. This is not the case with dry cured meats which do not absorb water but rather loose it what results in a small weight loss. Dry cured meats will hold better water inside what plays important role during smoking and cooking.

Meat for sausages is normally cured by using the dry method of curing. If wet method was used too much of the meat juices will escape into curing solution and we won’t be able to stuff them back into a casing. Meat should be cut into smaller pieces, about 2 inches (5-6 cm) and not heavier than 0. 5 lb (250 g). The curing time depends directly on the length of the time involved and we can decrease this time by making meat cuts even smaller by grinding them in a grinder through a large plate.

Meat should be throughly mixed with Instacure 1 (salt, nitrite), and placed tightly in a container, not higher than 8 inches (20 cm). Then it should be stored in refrigerator. The container can be covered with a clean cloth and left this way. Sometimes top meat layer may develop slight grayish color due to reaction with oxygen in the air but this is normal and there is nothing wrong with meat itself.

Note: if the meat for sausages will be cured, and the recipe calls for sugar, the sugar is added to meat with salt and Cure 1.

The curing times at 40° F (refrigerator temperature) temperature are as folows :

Most sausage recipes call for about 2 % of salt in relation to meat weight. Any amount between 1.5 % and 2 % will taste pleasing to most people and we have chosen 1.8 % as basis for our calculations presented in the table below. For sausages we can use ¼ sodium nitrite per 100 lbs what corresponds to 1 oz of Cure # 1 for 25 lbs of meat (156 ppm nitrite content).

After curing meat is ground and mixed with all remaining ingredients. Be careful now when applying salt that the recipe calls for. Most likely you may not need any as enough salt entered the meat during curing process. That is why you should TASTE your sausage before stuffing.

Note: if you cure meat for sausages the meat may have enough salt that migrated from the dry cure mix (salt plus Cure #1). There is 93.75 % of salt in Cure #1. Every recipe always asks for salt which may not be needed now, so don’t add any whem mixing ingredients. Just remember to TASTE your product before stuffing and you can add more salt now. Altough sugar is is part of a dry mix it is better not to use it (use only salt and Cure #1) when making sausages as there is no reason to make meat sweeter. If a recipe specifically calls for sugar and no curing takes place it should be added during mixing of the ingredients.

Slower than dry curing, slight meat weight gain (significant weight gain in commercially made products due to large amount of pumped into meat curing solutions), product less salty but with shorter shelf life, flavor of the product milder and more palatable. Nowadays more popular method of the two.

The wet curing method or immersion curing has been traditionally used for larger cuts of meat like butts or hams that were smoked. It is accomplished by placing meats in a wet curing solution (water, salt, nitrites, sugar). Sugar is added only when curing at refrigerator temperatures, otherwise it will begin fermentation and start spoiling the meat. Wet curing is used to preserve meat, add curing flavor and provide pink color to the meat. After wet curing the meats are normally smoked.

Most meat cuts require about 3 – 14 days of curing time even at 40° F (4° C). It is still a fine curing method for smaller cuts of meat that will have a shorter curing time. To distribute evenly the curing solution at the half curing time the meats have to be turned over (top pieces placed at the bottom and vice versa) and prevented from swimming up to the surface. The reason being that salt has a tendency to sink to the bottom and nitrates/nitrites like to swim up to the top. The curing solution is not uniform and it has to be agitated once in a while otherwise meats will not be cured evenly. During that time we have to scoop up the foam and any slime that might gather on the surface, as that might be a source of contamination.

Using this method, large pieces of meat like hams need to remain in solution for up to 6 weeks and with such a long curing time there is a danger of meat spoiling from within the center where the bone is located. That is why it is much safer to shorten curing times by applying combination curing (stitch pumping plus wet cure) when curing large pieces of meat.

How Wet Curing Works

During wet curing meat products loose some of its water and soluable materials (meat juice, minerals) but are gaining salt.There are basically two distinct phases:

Salt migrates from the solution towards inside of the meat and the water from the inside of the meat travels to the solution that is is outside. This process is very fast during first 7 days, then diffusion slows down as the salt pressure becomes equalized on both sides of the meat and finally stops. During this phase there is a net meat loss due to the loss of water and also some unavoidable loss of natural juices and meat protein which is much smaller than if a salting or dry curing method were used. This loss of meat juices and protein amounts to about 1% when long term curing hams.

In a second phase salt which is already inside of the meat penetrates meat fibres and they swell, become larger and are able to accept and hold water inside of them. Think of them like if they were a sponge that when wet can hold quite a lot of water. Now the solution is flowing back into the meat creating a net gain of meat that will depend on the total time of curing, amount of fat in the meat, salt concentration and method of curing. Under normal conditions this gain happens only after 30 days of curing.

Altough the exchange of salt and water stops when salt pressure is balanced on both sides of the meat, nevertheless the chemical and biological reactions continue (nitrate realease nitrite which reacts with mioglobin and produces pink color).The cured meat in a way matures (ages) and develops a characteristic aroma especially noticeable in case of a cured ham.

When meat is chopped or ground and then extracted with water, some of the proteins will dissolve. When the meat is left in large pieces, less protein will dissolve. The meat which is covered by fat and skin over part of its surface (hams), the losses to brine will be reduced. The protein losses will depend on strength of the brine (stronger the brine, the smaller the losses) and the time of curing and will vary from 1 to 4 percent of original weight. That happens in brines below 20 percent salt concentration (brines weaker than 75 degrees). These losses are very undesirable as they affect the final flavor of the meat.

Note: all concentrations of brine allow the meat to take up salt. The maximum amount of water was absorbed by the meats when their salt content had reached 4 to 5 per cent.

The purpose of soaking is to provide more even salt distribution inside of the meat. A large piece of meat for example a ham or a picnic (shoulder) even when fully cured will not have a uniform salt distribution. The reason being is that a ham on one side has a layer of fat that lies between the skin and the lean meat underneath. The skin and the accompanied fat layer creates a significant barrier to salt penetration and the curing solution will penetrate ham from its face and from its leaner side. After curing there will be moore salt near the lean face than near the fat area. The following drawings are based on data from the book “Meat Through The Microscope”, C. Robert Moulton, Ph.D and W. Lee Lewis, Ph.D, The University of Chicago.

When immersed in cold fresh water the salt which is present in a ham will start travelling outwards (sort of reverse curing). The outside areas (especially the surface) contain more salt and have the shortest distance to water. Those areas will loose salt first and the salt distribution inside of the meat will be more uniform. Soaking can be performed even on a fully smoked and cooked sausage that was greatly oversalted. Place it in a cold water (refrigerator) overnight and you might save your product.

Note: when pumping meat with a brine injector we achieve more uniform salt distribution and soaking can be eliminated. We can directly inject brine under the fat layer to speed up the curing process.

Today the meat preservation plays the secondary role and for the best tasting product it is advisable to soak meats in running water. If not using running water the container where meats are soaked should have the water replaced every 30 minutes. The reason for soaking is the removal of excess salt that normally accumulates on the surface of the meats and more uniform distribution of the salt inside of the meat.. The recommended times are: 2 hours for the hams and shoulders and 30 minutes for the bacon. Some sources ask for 3 minutes of soaking for each day of curing. Keep in mind that soaking will remove about 10 % of the curing ingredients that were introduced into the meat. The surface of the meat should be washed with water to remove any crystals of the salt what will prevent proper smoke penetration. Then the meats are hung or placed on wire mesh and allowed to drip for 24 hours before smoking. Store meat at a refrigerator temperature of 38° – 40° F (3° - 4° C).

Pumping of the meat and then immersing it in a solution allows more even salt distribution inside. The salt distribution inside of the ham will further equalize during smoking process. If meats are pumped first and immersed in a brine or submitted to a massaging process there is no need for soaking.

Rinsing/soaking should be done in cold running water 62º – 68º F (17º-20º C) and the time will depend on the size of the meat pieces and the total time of curing. If after curing meats are not going to be soaked, they should be briefly rinsed with warm water 106º – 114º F (43º-45ºC) to remove any salt crystals and then hung in well ventillated area for drying. The surface of the meat must be dry or feel tacky before it can continue for smoking. Air fan can speed up drying process or meat can dry out in a smoker by applying some heat. The temperature should not be higher than 120º F (48º C) and all drafts shall be opened as we want flow of the fresh air. That wil normally take about a day.

We do achieve certain weight gain when wet curing meats, even without chemicals, but this is not the reason why a home sausage maker cures meats.

Commercial plants add phosphates to wet cure solution which hold extra amounts of water and that of course amounts to higher profits. Water retaining chemicals that are used in commercial applications can be very effective and using the state of the art pumping machines allows for pumping up to 80 % of curing solution into meat in relation to the original weight. There are high technology companies that produce especially prepared mixtures that are used for that purpose.

The artery pumping - a wet cure method where a long needle, connected with a hose to a pump, will inject a brine solution into the ham’s artery. It is a very efficient way of distributing the curing solution uniformly and quickly through the meat. The arterial blood system of the animal becomes a pipeline for the brine distribution throughout the ham. A leg will have to be carefully and professionally butchered so the artery will remain intact. There is of course no possibility of a bone removal prior to pumping. It was a very popular method during Russia’s engagement in the First World War (1914-1918) and during the Second World War (1941-1945). After the kill the pigs were immediately artery-pumped. The solution pumped out all blood from the animal then remained in its system.This method requires some anatomy knowledge on a part of the operator but is still too slow for present meat processors and is going out of fashion.

The stitch pumping is a wet cure method where the curing solution is applied under pressure to the surface of a ham, bacon, butt etc., with a bank of needles connected to a pump. The solution comes from the pump and its pressure is strictly controlled otherwise it will create tear and internal damage to the meat fibers.

A home sausage maker can use a manual meat syringe to perform the same function though on a somewhat limited scale. The syringe holds 4 oz of brine and has a 5 3/8” long needle with 12 tiny holes around its surface. There is no need to worry about pressure which is constant and low enough not to create any damage to meat fibers. For home sausage maker the main advantage of the pumping meat is the ability to direct curing solution around the bones of the ham what will very effectively prevent bone souring.

Stitch pumping though very effective do not allow for an even distribution of the brine and it should be followed by either:

The stitch pumping is a wet cure method where the curing solution is applied under pressure to the surface of a ham, bacon, butt etc., with a needle or a bank of needles connected to a pump. The fact that you have pumped up your meat does not mean it is already cured. It either has to go into a tumbler to be massaged for a day or two or it has to be immersed in the remaining solution for prescribed time. Very often it was pumped with a stronger solution (75 %) and immersed in a weaker brine (70 %).

How much to pump?

The amount of solution that will be introduced into the meat depends largely on the total time of curing:

Keep in mind that pumping meat introduces moisture into the product which is undesirable in dry meats or when the main purpose of curing is meat preservation. In these cases dry curing method is more suitable. Hams are generally pumped with a solution of similar or greater strength than the solution that will cover them. That allows curing ingredients to work simultonously on inside and to penetrate the meat from outside. The final effect will be more uniform salt distribution and a faster curing time.

How and where to pump

Large pieces of meat like hams have tendency to start spoiling within from the bone area what is known as “bone taint” which can happen after 30 days. Needless to say higher than recommended temperatures will greatly speed up the process. Direct introduction of a brine into those areas will allow for immediate curing to take place thus protecting meat from spoilage and reducing total curing time. Bone-sour is more common when large pieces of meat like hams and picnics, are cured in a brine. Salt present in brine takes almost twice as long to penetrate the ham as does salt from the dry cure. For this reason large cuts of meat should always be pumped with a curing solution and then immersed in brine or rubbed with dry mix on outside and left for curing. Pumping the meat and applying dry mix on outside is the fastest curing method.

For hams and shoulders that weigh 10 – 15 lbs use 3 pumpfuls of brine (1-shank, 2-knuckle joint and 3-aitch bone).

After meat is pumped with the solution, it is placed in tubs up to 3’ high and weighed down from the top so the pieces will remain completely immersed in brine.

Product	Brine Strength in SALometer degrees	% (weight) of pumped solution in relation to the original meat weight (100 kg)	Number of injections	Amount of Brine in % relation to the weight of the meat (100 kg)	Curing Time in Days
Smoked and Boiled Ham	65 - 85	6 – 7 (6-7 kg)	7 - 9	40	If Artery 6-10 If Stitch 8-12
Smoked and Boiled Butt	65 - 85	6 - 7	5 - 7	40	If Artery 5-8 If Stitch 6-10
Smoked Canadian Bacon, Smoked Loin	55 - 65	2 - 3	2 - 3	40	5 - 7
Boiled Beef Ham	65 – 85 (3% sugar added to brine in relation to salt)	6 – 7	2 - 4	30	8 - 10
Smoked Bacon	65 – 85	5 – 6	4 – 5	30	4 - 6
Smoked Jowls	65 – 85	2 –3	4 – 5	30	4 - 6

Overhauling means periodic re-arrengement of meat pieces that are inside of a curing container. It is done for the following reasons:

· There will be less curing in areas where meats touch each other. Undercured meat areas may have different shade of pink color.

· The curing solution will have sections of different density-salt will sink to the bottom, nitrate will swim up to the top

· When meats are placed on top of each other the top layers supply pressure to the bottom section and the meat juices will leak out into the brine. That is why meats should not be stacked higher than 3 feet.

The strength of the solution will change in time, salt might settle on the bottom, nitrites might be on top, some meat juices will enter the brine, meat pieces may touch each other etc. To allow all meats to cure evenly, the solution should be remixed and agitated. A rule of thumb is to overhaul the meat every seventh day for three weeks. A smaller piece that will be cured for 10 days only, should be overhauled after 5 days. The easiest way is to use two separate containers and switch the meats from one container to the other. The pieces that were on top are now on the bottom and vice versa. Then the brine can be stirred and poured over meat pieces in a new container. If only one container is used the meat should be removed, the brine stirred, and the meat reinserted in a different order.

Spices and vinegar

Spices are used in curing meats for the flavor they impart. It is known that the oils contained in spices can inhibit bacterial browth. To be of any use they will have to be in very high concentration and even then they can not be used alone in curing. There was a myth a few centuries ago (no refrigeration) that when some highly flavored spices like saffron, marjoram, curry and others were added to recipes, the meats kept well. The fact is that they helped to mask the ordor of the slowly decomposing meats making them acceptable for consumption. It is like putting on perfume instead taking a shower. Now you know why some countries like to use a lot of strong spices. In hot climate people use a lot of hot peppers not even knowing why. Eating hot food (peppers) make your body sweat all over and it gets cooled at the same time. For a guy sitting under a palm tree and without access to electricity and the air conditioning, the only means to cool down is to keep on eating hot peppers and drinking cold beer.

Pepper is basically added for flavor. It has no value as a preservative and has little efect when added to brine cures since it can not dissolve in water. But it can be rubbed on the meat after curing or smoking, adding some flavor.

Vinegar is very effective in preventing the growth of bacteria as most bacteria do not like acidy environment. Vinegar also adds flavor to the product and is commonly used in marinades and barbecue sauces. It is also used in Mexican Chorizo Sausage.

A rule of thumb for curing times estimates for the traditional wet cure method (brine strength 50 – 65 degrees) :

The following brine strengths are for orientation purpose only and feel free to improvise your own brines.

Fish - 80 degrees ( 1 lb of salt to 2 ¼ quarts of water, or 210 mg of salt/1 liter of water)

· Its meat contains very little salt and a lot of water. These are the ideal conditions for the development of meat spoiling bacteria.

· Fish is home to an unusually high concentration of bacteria. Most of bacteria is present in the slime that covers body of the fish and in its digestive tract.

By placing fish in a strong 80 degrees brine we are perfoming an all out attack on the bacteria preventing them from growing. Salt penetrates flesh of the fish very rapidly and the brining times are relatively short, between 1 and 2 hours. Such short times prevent any significant development of bacteria. Brines stronger than 80 degrees can deposit salt crystals on the surface of the fish skin creating unattractive white patches that can be difficult to remove. We can get better and more uniform salt penetration if the brining times are longer but that will call for 40 degrees solution. In such a brine fish may be left overnight but if the temperature of the brine will exceed 40º F we will face development of bacteria and the danger of food poisoning (Clostridium botulinum).

Note: Nitrites are not allowed in all species of fish used for smoking. The Food and Drug Administration currently allows nitrites to be used in salmon, sablefish, shad, chubs, and tuna.

On the other end when curing poultry it is very easy to end up with a product that’s too salty to use. One of the reasons is that the brine is prepared as if a poultry were a piece of ham and no consideretion is given to the fact that a large part of any bird consists of bones. The bones are not going to absorb any salt and the curing times need to be either shorter or the brine strength weaker.

Note: if you find that your cured product is too salty, immerse it in a cold freshwater and place it in refrigerator overnight. Salt will migrate from the meat into fresh water and you might save your meat.

Wet cures are slower than dry ones and the meat must remain in solution a bit longer. A basic rule is to keep them one day longer per pound than in the dry cure method. Another way to estimate times is to allow 11 days per inch of thickness through the thickest part.

Meats coming out of brine should be washed in cold water and hanged to drip for 24 hours before smoking.

3. Combination Curing. Dry cure method with the wet cure method. The outside is rubbed with dry mix (salt and nitrite) and left overnight to start curing. Then it is placed in the wet cure solution to complete curing. That allows for some gain in curing time and will help to keep the brine healthier (providing that the liquid that had accumulated overnight would be drained off). Spray pumping (artery or stitch) and the wet cure method. A ham or a meat piece can be spray pumped (artery or stitch) with a curing solution and then immersed in a container. The meat pieces should be completely covered and weighed down to prevent pieces from rising to the surface. They must also be turned over periodically for the duration of curing. Combination curing shortens curing time. Dry cure method with the spray pumping (artery or stitch). A ham can be manually spray pumped with curing solution. The outside can be rubbed with dry mix (salt and nitrite) and then placed one on top of the other in the container adding more dry mix. That will allow the inside curing solution to penetrate the meat more evenly while the outside dry mix solution will be moving towards the inside.

Combination curing is nowadays very popular method as it drastically cuts down processing time. Below there are some typical curing times that employ combination curing. Dry mix (salt and nitrates/nitrites) are rubbed into meat pieces, then placed on top of each other (up to 3’ high) in a container. Extra mix is added between layers and the the meat is left to cure for 24 hours. Then container is filled with a wet curing solution and secured from the top for neat pieces to be completely immersed in brine.

Product	Brine Strength in SALometer degrees	% (weight) of dry mixture in relation to original meat weight (100 kg)	Dry Curing Time in Hours	Amount of Brine in % relation to the weight of the meat (100 kg)	Curing Time in Brine (in Days)	Draining Time in Days
Smoked Loin	50 - 55	2 (2 kg)	24 - 36	30 (30 liters)	5 - 8	1
Smoked Butt	50 – 55	2 – 6	24 – 36	30	6 – 10	1
Boiled Butt	50 – 55	2 – 6	24 – 36	30	6 - 10	1
Smoked Bacon	65 – 85	3	24 – 36	40	7 – 10	1 - 2
Smoked Jowls	65 – 85	3	24 – 36	40	7 – 10	1 - 2

Massaging

Massaging is an additional curing step employed by commercial plants. It involves placing pieces of meat that are pumped with curing solution into a meat tumbler. This is a machine with a rotating drum and the meat pieces will be bouncing around its mowing walls providing even better brine distribution inside of the meat. The meat does not have to be immersed in brine at all. Using high production stitch pumping machines and a tumbler, a ham can be ready for the smoker in 24 hours. You can massage your meat by hitting it with a closed fist all around, you could even wrapp up meat with a towel and hit it for a few minutes with a heavy object. You could also buy a small capacity tumbler machine.

Best Meats for Curing

· Pork – best color, taste and flavor

· Beef – significant loss of protein and minerals

· Lamb – little improvement

· Veal – little improvement

Curing and a Modern, Health Conscious Consumer

Adding salt to meat greatly increases so called osmotic pressure and a large sodium intake in our diet increases osmotic pressure in our body as well. After all our flesh and animal meat both are very similar and contain about 70% of water. Now you have your own body brine- the more salt you add, the stronger the brine and the higher the osmotic pressure. A modern, health conscious consumer may find the final product too salty. Preservation is the last thing on his mind as he keeps his meats in a refrigerator.

A modern consumer may be on a low sodium diet and his palate has been acustomed to a different salt content. He will find the traditionally cured products (8-3-3 mixture) excessively salty. In such a case he may change the traditionally used mixtures and use the following combination:

4 lbs. salt, 1 lbs. sugar and 2 ¾ oz of nitrate and ¼ oz. of nitrite. That will be enough to dry cure 100 lbs of meat. The only problem is that the average home sausage maker has no access to pure nitrate and nitrite. Fortunately the premixed formulas (Cure 1 and Cure 2) are commonly available.

To cure 100 lbs meat you need: 4 lbs. salt, 1 lbs. sugar, 1 lb. Cure 1 – for curing up to 2 weeks

To cure 1 lb of meat you need 1 Tbs of salt, 1 tsp of sugar, 1/3 tsp of Cure 1 – for curing up to 2 weeks

If the curing time will be longer than 2 weeks, use Cure 2 instead.

Dry Curing

Rub with ½ cure, overhaul after 1 week with ¼ of the mix, overhaul after 2 weeks with remaining ¼ mixture.

Curing times: cure for 7 days per inch of maximum thickness – 5” cut will require: 5 x 7 = 35 days of curing.

Wet Curing

If we mix the traditional dry cure with 41/2 – 6 gallons of water we obtain brines of different strength:

8 lbs. of salt/4 ½ gallon of water = 66 degrees brine. Best for hams and shoulders.

8 lbs. of salt/5 gallons of water = 61 degrees brine. Loins and bacon

8 lbs. of salt/5 ½ gallon of water = 57 degrees brine. Loins, bacon, spareribs

8 lbs. of water/6 gallons of water = 52 degrees brine. Spareribs

4 lbs. of salt/6 gal of water = 26 degrees brine. Poultry

Curing times: 11 to 13 days per inch of maximum thickness

It is very easy to re-adjust one’s salt preferences and it will take only about 3 weeks. Simply lower down the amount of salt you consume in your meals and in 3 weeks you will still like your meals even though they contain half of the salt that you employed before. But, when cooking for your friends, remember to increase the amount of salt as they will probably have different salt expectations.

Curing at Higher Temperatures

Altough in modern era curing is performed at low temperatures, nevertheless there are countries and people without refrigerators and they want to eat, hunt and preserve meats, too. They should follow instructions included in the the traditional curing section that call for higher amounts of salt and use of nitrates.. They will be also better of with using nitrate (potassium or sodium) instead of Cure 1 (sodium nitrite), as nitrate works better at higher temperatures and will supply fresh nitrite for long time. That becomes important as most of these products will be kept at room temperatures. If potassium nitrate can not be obtained, Cure 2 will be the next choice as it contains 6.25 % of sodium nitrite and 4 % of sodium nitrate. We have seen in recipes curing temperatures going as high as 46º F (8º C) without any ill effects on a consumer but this is something that should be avoided.

Useful Notes:

Sodium nitrite corrodes aluminum

Modern-day cured meats at retail have a residual nitrite content of about 10 ppm.

Keep records as they will become an involuable reference for the future

Cooking fixes color of the cured meats and if a piece of meat will not be uniformly cured, the subsequent cooking will fix the uncured areas. When later cut and exposed to the air the product will reveal grey/green areas of uncured meat.

Cure mixtures and curing solutions do not work on frozen meat. Meat must be first thawed.

More information related to nitrates/nitrites can be accessed at the: nitrates

Page edited on September 14, 2006


meat pump	perforated needles	slanted needles
Photographs courtesy The SausageMaker, Buffalo, N.Y.

	A mixture of 25 lbs of salt, 2 lbs of brown sugar and 2 oz of potassium nitrate is rubbed into the fresh ham		Hams are tightly packed in salt and placed in a curing tub for 6 weeks. Holes in the bottom of the tub allowed the salty water to drain out. Then followed 2 weeks of smoking.
Ham production in XVIII Century Virginia. Photos courtesy The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.


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How and where to pump

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