Curing (food preservation)

Curing is a method of preserving food (usually meat or fish) to prevent spoilage. Food can be cured by brining
(soaking food in a saltwater solution), smoking, or salting (packing food in salt. In food preparation, curing refers to
various preservation and flavoring processes, especially of meat or fish, by the addition of a combination of salt,
sugar and either nitrate or nitrite. Many curing processes also involve smoking. The cure ingredients can be
rubbed on to the food surface, mixed into foods dry (dry curing), or dissolved in water (brine, wet, or pickle curing).
In the latter processes, the food is submerged in the brine until completely covered. With large cuts of meat, brine
may also be injected into the muscle. 

 Salting / Corning
Salting can be accomplished by adding salt dry or in brine to meats. Meat was dry-cured with coarse "corns" or
pellets of salt. Salt brine curing involves the creation of brine containing salt, water and other ingredients such as
sugar, erythorbate, or nitrites. Age-old tradition was to add salt to the brine until it floated an egg. Today, however,
it is preferred to use a hydrometer or to carefully mix measured ingredients from a reliable recipe. Once mixed and
placed into a suitable container, the food is submerged in the salt brine. Brine curing usually produces an end
product that is less salty compared to dry curing. Injection of brine into the meat can also speed the curing process.
 Nitrate/ Nitrite Curing

Nitrate, when added to food, converts to nitrite before exerting a preservative function. Nitrite prevents the growth
of a harmful bacterium called Clostridium botulinum and it may also have preservation effects on other harmful and
spoilage bacteria.

CURE MIXTURES
Prague Powder #1, Insta Cure, or Modern Cure.
This cure contains sodium nitrite (6.25%) mixed with salt (93.75%). Consumers are recommended to use 1 oz. for
every 25 lb. of meat or one level teaspoon of cure for 5 lb. of meat.

Prague Powder #2
This mix is used for dry cured meats that require long (weeks to months) cures. It contains 1 oz. of sodium nitrite and
0.64 oz. of sodium nitrate. It is recommended that this cure be combined with each 1 lb. of salt and for products that
do not require cooking, smoking, or refrigeration. This cure, which contains sodium nitrate, acts like a time-release
cure, slowly breaking down into sodium nitrite, then into nitric oxide. The manufacturer recommends using 1 oz. of
cure for 25 lbs. of meat or one level teaspoon of cure for 5 lbs. of meat.

Saltpeter, Sodium or Potassium Nitrate

Commercially, nitrate is no longer allowed for use in curing of smoked and cooked meats, non-smoked and cooked
meats, or sausages (US FDA 1999). However, nitrate is still allowed in small amounts in the making of dry cured
uncooked products.

FLAVOR OF CURED MEATS

Salt
Because of the amount of salt used in most curing processes, the salt flavor is the most predominant.

Sugar
Sugar is a minor part of the composite flavor, with bacon being an exception. Because of the tremendous amount of
salt used, sugar serves to reduce the harshness of the salt in cured meat and enhance the sweetness of the product
(ie. Sweet Lebanon Bologna). Sugar also serves as a nutrient source for the flavor-producing bacteria of meat during
long curing processes.
Spices and Flavor Enhancers
Spices add characteristic flavors to the meats. Recent studies have suggested that some spices can have added
preservative effects (Doyle 1999). However, the quantities of spice needed to achieve these effects may be well
beyond the reasonable quantities of use.

Nitrates/Nitrites
Nitrites and nitrate conversion to nitrite provide the characteristic cured flavor and color.

  Fermentation
The tangy flavor observed in dry fermented sausages, such as pepperoni, is the result of bacterial fermentation or
the addition of chemicals such as glucono-δ(delta)-lactone.

Smoking
The process of smoking gives the product the characteristic smoky flavor that can be varied slightly with cure recipes
and types of smoke used.
Examples of Curing Foods:
Cured Salmon: Gravlax

1 cup coarsely chopped dill

1 cup kosher salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 pounds (wild center cut) salmon
zest of 1/2 lime, 1/2 lemon (optional)

Combine the dill, salt, sugar and zest in a bowl and mix well. Lay a large piece of plastic wrap on a plate. Place 1/2 of
the dill mixture on the wrap. Place the salmon skin side down onto the mixture. Cover the fish with the remaining dill
mixture. Wrap the salmon tightly in the plastic. Use an additional piece of plastic wrap around the initial wrapping.
Place the plate in the refrigerator and put a medium weight (book) on top to help in the extraction of water from the
fish. You might want to put some paper towels between the fish and weight since a bit of liquid will be extracted.
Rotate the fish, and pour off any released liquids every 12 hours.

After 36 hours unwrap the salmon and brush off and discard the herb and salt mixture. Blot the fish with paper
towels. Dry the salmon in the regrigerator for about an hour before slicing the fish thinly on an angle.

Shown in image: Gravlax on french toast with Crème fraîche and dill. A small dripping of high quality olive oil is also
added.

Duck Ham -- Cured Duck Breast

2 Pekin (Long Island) Duck Breast

2 cups kosher salt
1 cup sugar
3 garlic cloves smashed and finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme 
1 tablespoon crushed dry bay leaf

If the duck if fatty, place the breast in the freezer for 30 minutes and then carefully remove the fat leaving a only a
thin layer.

Mix the salt, sugar, smashed garlic and herbs in a bowl. 

Lay two pieces of plastic wrap on two two different plates. Add 1/4 of the salt mixture on each piece of plastic wrap.
Top each with a duck breast (skin side down). Divide the remaining salt mixture on top of each duck breast ensuring
the breast are surrounded with the salt mixture. Wrap each breast tightly in the plastic wrap.

After 24 hours unwrap each breast and discard all the salt mixture. Blot dry with a paper towel. Slice thinly and serve
similar to prosciutto.