Chapter 5

Cured and Smoked Foods

Chapter 5 Objectives

 Understand the history and purpose of cured and

smoked foods
 Identify the crucial ingredients for preserving foods
 Explain the function of salt in osmosis,
dehydration, and fermentation
 Describe the role of curing salts in preserving foods
 Discuss seasoning and flavoring options for cured
and smoked foods
Chapter 5 Objectives

 Compare the effects of dry cures and brines

 Describe the evolution of brining from a
preservation technique to a flavoring technique
 Evaluate cold smoking and hot smoking
alternatives
 Explain the technique of air-drying
 Describe the method of preservation in fat
Preservation Techniques in Chapter 5

 Curing and brining

 Smoking
 Drying
 Preserving in fat
Ingredients for Preserving Foods

 Salt is the basic ingredient used in preserving food

 Basic processes in which salt plays an important
role:
 Osmosis
 Dehydration
 Fermentation
 Denaturing proteins
Osmosis

 A simple definition states that osmosis is the

movement of a solvent (typically water) through a
semipermeable membrane (the cell walls) in order
to equalize the concentration of a solute (typically
salt) on both sides of the membrane
 Getting the salt inside the cell, where it can kill off
harmful pathogens, is the essence of salt-curing
foods
Dehydration

 Applying salt to foods can dry them effectively,

since the salt tends to attract the free water, making
it unavailable to microbes
 Exposure to air or heat for controlled periods
allows the water to evaporate, reducing the overall
volume and weight of the food
Fermentation

 Enzymes ferment the food by breaking down the

compounds in these foods into gases and organic
compounds
 By increasing the acid levels in the food, enzymes
also help to preserve foods, since most harmful
pathogens can only thrive when the levels of acids
are within a specific pH range
 Salt is important to act as a control on this process,
since it affects how much water is available to the
enzymes
Denaturing Proteins

 Changing the structure of the proteins found in

food
 The strands that make up the protein are
encouraged to lengthen or coil, open or close,
recombine or dissolve in such a way that foods that
were once soft may become firm, smooth foods
may become grainy, translucent foods may become
cloudy, etc.
Curing Salts: Nitrates and Nitrites

 Compounds already present in unrefined salts:

 Nitrates (NO3) take longer to break down in cured
foods than nitrites
 Nitrites (NO2) break down faster, making them
appropriate for use in any cured item that will later be
fully cooked
Nitrosamine

 When nitrates and nitrites break down in the

presence of extreme heat (specifically, when bacon
is cooked), potentially dangerous substances known
as nitrosamines may form in the food
 Discovered to be carcinogenic in 1956
 The use of nitrates and nitrites is closely regulated
Tinted Cure Mix, Pink Cure, and
Prague Powder I
 TCM (or Insta-cure #1):
 94% sodium chloride (salt) and 6% sodium nitrite
 Tinted pink for identification reasons

 Recommended ratio:
 4 oz of TCM to each 100 lb of meat
Prague Powder II

 Prague Powder II (Insta-cure #2) contains:

 Salt
 Sodium nitrite
 Sodium nitrate
 Pink coloring

 Used to make dry and dry-fermented products

Cure Accelerators:
Sodium Erythorbate and Ascorbate
 Work together with nitrites to enhance color
development and flavor retention in cured foods
 Have some of the same reddening effects of nitrates
and nitrites but is temporary
 Cannot be used to substitute for nitrates or nitrites
Seasoning and Flavoring Ingredients

 Sugar (sweeteners):  Spices and Herbs:

 Dextrose  Cinnamon
 Corn syrup  Allspice
 Sugar  Nutmeg
 Mace
 Honey
 Cardamom
 Maple syrup  Dried or fresh chilies
 Infusions or essences
 Wines
 Fruit juices
 Vinegars
Cures and Brines

 Curing is the generic term used to indicate brines,

pickling or corning solutions, or dry cures
 When salt, in the form of a dry cure or brine, is
applied to a food, the food is referred to as cured,
brined, pickled, or corned
 Salt brines may also be known as pickles; this is true
whether or not vinegar is added to the brine
Dry Cures

 Can be as simple as salt alone

 More often is a mixture of salt, a sweetener,
flavorings, and a curing blend
 Mixture is packed and rubbed over the surface of
the food
 Keeping the foods in direct contact with the cure
helps to ensure an evenly preserved product
Dry Cure Times for Meats

Item to be Cured Approx. Curing Time

¼-inch thick, approx. 1 – 2 hours

1-inch thick, approx., lean 3 – 8 hours

meat
1½-inch thick pork belly 7 – 10 days

Ham, bone-in (15 – 18 lbs.) 40 – 45 days

Brines

 When a dry cure is dissolved in water, it is known

as a wet cure, or a brine
 Technique used primarily to retain moisture
 Two brining techniques:
1. Brine-soaking – submerging food in brine (smaller
items)
2. Injecting brine – ensures the brine penetrates
completely and evenly (larger items); brine is the
equivalent of 10% of item’s weight
Brines

 Formula for moisture and flavor:

 1 lb. sugar
 1 lb. salt
 4 gallons of water
 1 gallon of ice

 Heat 1 gallon of water, add the salt, sugar, and

flavorings. Dissolve the salt and sugar. Add 3
gallons of cold water and 1 gallon of ice to chill the
brine.
Brining Time for Meats
Item Not Pumped Pumped (10% of
weight)
Chicken or duck breast 24 – 36 hours Not recommended

Chicken, whole 24 – 36 hours 12 – 16 hours

Pork butt or loin 5 – 6 days 2 ½ – 3 days
(boneless)

Turkey, whole 10 – 12 lbs. 5 – 6 days 3 days

Corned Brisket 7 – 8 days 3 – 5 days

Ham boneless 6 days 4 days

Ham, bone-in 20 – 24 days 6 – 7 days
Smoke

 Basic features of smokers:

 Smoke source
 Smoke chamber where food is exposed
 Circulation
 Ventilation
Smoke
 Woods for smoking:  Other sources:
 Hickory  Teas
 Oak  Herb stems
 Cherry  Whole spices
 Walnut  Grapevine clippings
 Chestnut  Corn husks
 Apple  Fruit peels
 Alder  Peanut shells
 Mesquite
 Wood from citrus trees
Smoke: The Pellicle

 Before cured foods are smoked, they should be

allowed to air-dry long enough to form a tacky skin,
known as a pellicle
 It acts as a kind of protective barrier for the food,
and also plays an important role in capturing the
smoke’s flavor and color
 Most foods can be properly dried by placing them
on racks or by hanging them on hooks or sticks
where air is flowing around all sides
Cold Smoking

 Criteria for cold-smoked items:

 Type of cure
 Duration of cure
 Whether or not the food will be air-dried after smoking
 Foods that will be cooked by another means after
smoking
Cold Smoking

 Temperature for cold smoking: Below 100°F

 In this temperature range, foods take on a rich
smoky flavor, develop a deep mahogany color, and
tend to retain a relatively moist texture
 They are not cooked as a result of the smoking
process and proteins do not denature
Hot Smoking

 Temperature for hot smoking: 165 – 185°F

 Food exposed to smoke and heat in a controlled
environment
 Foods are fully cooked, moist, and flavorful
 Safe to eat without further cooking
Smoke-Roasting

 Any process that has the attributes of both smoking

and roasting
 Sometimes referred to as barbecuing or spit-
roasting
 Equipment that can be used:
 Smoke-roaster
 Closed wood-fire oven
 Barbecue pit
 Any smoker that can reach above 250°F
 Conventional oven
Pan-Smoking

 Smoking without using a smoker or smokehouse

 Gives smoke-enhanced flavor
 Items needed:
 2 disposable aluminum pans
 Rack
 Sawdust

 Drawback: hard to control smoke and flavor may

be too intense or bitter
Drying
 Some items need to be air-dried in lieu of or in
addition to smoking
 Requires careful balance of temperature and
humidity control
 Items that are preserved by drying:
 Serrano ham (cured and cold-smoked first)
 Smithfield hams (cured and cold-smoked first)
 Prosciutto crudo di Parma (cured and cold-smoked first)
 Roman-Style Air-Dried Beef
 Bresealo
 Beef jerky
Preserving in Fat: Confits and Rillettes

Classic methods of preserving food

 Process for confits:
 Cured
 Simmered in rendered fat
 Placed in crocks and
completely covered in fat
 Meats age in fat for 1 week
 Process for rillettes:
 Stew boned meats in fat or
broth with vegetables and
aromatics
 Cooked meat is blended
with fat to make a paste
 Stored in crocks or pots,
covered with a layer of fat
to act as a seal