Because some of the widely cured pieces would otherwise be abandoned, the technique of curing meat fits neatly into the “nose to tail” tradition of utilizing every part of the animal. Continue reading to find out more about meat curing techniques as well as crucial rules and restrictions
What is a meat cure?
Any meat that has been preserved by removing moisture is referred to as a meat cure. By removing moisture from the meat, it acquires new textural features that make it less favorable to bacterial growth. The most popular method is to use salt to pull moisture out of the meat, resulting in a new, more shelf-stable material known as “cured meat.”
Benefits of getting your meat cured
Meat cure helps in :
- reduces the danger of botulism in meat
- aids in meat preservation
- improves the flavor of the finished product, and
- gives the end cooked product a pink “cured” color (If you don’t use Cure, your sausage will be grey.)
How to cure meat
- Dry Curing
Cover the meat completely in salt for a whole day to dry cure it. To ensure that the meat is properly covered, fill a container with salt, set the meat on top, and cover with more salt until the meat is buried. If desired, flavorings (such as celery seed and black pepper) can be added at this time.
- Equilibrium Curing
If you’re concerned about wasting so much salt, you can attempt a different (more modern) approach. To begin, weigh the meat. Apply 3% of that weight’s worth of salt to the meat, evenly and thoroughly coating it, then pack everything up with a vacuum sealer and store it in the refrigerator for around 5 days. This method is known as “equilibrium curing.”
- Adding Flavors
After the meat has been dehydrated to some extent, the fun part begins: flavoring it! To make your own signature cured meats, such as prosciutto, you can use a limitless variety of herbs and spices. Simply brush off the majority of the salt (a little on the exterior is fine) and coat the meat in your spice combination. Then it’s hung to entirely dry.
Takeaway
Meat curing is thus an important stage in obtaining high-quality meat products. And this information will be quite beneficial to you.
