Cure Meat Research Paper

Cured meats like serrano ham and pepperoni are just continuations of the age-old human tradition of salting meat to preserve it and make it safe for eating. Curing helps to prevent foodborne illness caused by bacteria like Clostridium botulinum. It is also important to recognize that the curing salts used to cure meat can be deadly if they are not handled carefully. Cure meats safely by following these steps: Decide which meat you want to cure. Ham is the most popular choice, but you can cure any meat. To make things easier, choose meat cuts that consist mostly of the same muscle group. Start by completely thawing the meat that you plan to cure. Cure preparations are not able to penetrate frozen meats. After thawing, trim off any fat or tendons. Choose the curing salt. You can use sea or kosher salt, which will draw out moisture and reduce (but not eliminate) the risk of foodborne illness. The moisture will be drawn out of both the meat and any bacteria in the meat. This will intensify the meat's flavor and hopefully kill bacteria. For a greater degree of safety, you will need to use curing salt. Curing salt goes by several names including Prague powder, Instacure and pink salt. It comes
Instead of making a rub with the curing salt and other ingredients, you will make a brine. Combine the curing salt, your preferred spices and sugar in a plastic or glass bowl then add water that has been boiled and cooled to room temperature. You will need enough water to fully submerge the meat. To get 1 gallon of brine, use 1 1/2 teaspoons of curing salt 1 along with your chosen spices and the preferred amount of sugar. Place the meat into the brine. For thicker cuts, you may want to inject the brine into the meat in addition to soaking it. Place the meat and brine solution into a refrigerator in a brining bag or another nonreactive container. Store in the refrigerator 1 day for every pound of