Salting, Curing, and Smoking

• Curing


  The method of preservation and flavoring processes in meat and fish by the combination of salt, sugar and nitrate or nitrite
• Salting


  Salting is one of the curing methods wherein salt is the chief preservative. It preserves food by lowering its moisture content through the process of osmosis
• Smoking


  Smoking or smoke-curing is a method of preserving food by the application of smoke with the aid of salting, drying and heat treatment. Smoked fish is locally known as tinapa. The two types of smoking are hot smoking and cold smoking
• Salting

  1. Dry Salting

  2. Brining

  3. Paste Coating Method
• Salting


  • First natural 'chemical' preservative added to foods and has been used extensively in the preservation of fish, meat and vegetables
  • Salt acts as a preservative by inhibiting microbial growth
  • Salt acts by drawing water out of the cells of foods and bacteria through a process known as osmosis
  • Salt is also effective in protecting foods against molds and yeast
• Brine


  Salt and water solution or injected with a salt solution
• Dry Curing (Salt Curing)

  Rubbed with salt
• Salt will not prevent all microbial growth as although most microbes cannot grow in conditions where the concentration of salt is above 10%
• Most often foods must be preserved in much lower salt concentrations to retain the desirable qualities of the food
• Different bacteria and fungi also have differing tolerance to salt, this should be considered along with an awareness of what microbes are likely to spoil the food you are aiming to preserve
• Follow tested recipes and recommendations regarding the amount of salt required for home food preservation
• Choose your salt carefully- use a pickling salt or Kosher salt
• Curing


  Addition of salt, sugar, and nitrite or nitrate to meats for purpose of preservation, flavor enhancement, or color development
• Curing


  • Shelf life extension
  • Development of unique properties
  • Resistance to rapid deterioration
  • Controlling microbial growth
• Curing Ingredients

  • Salt (NaCl)
  • Sugar (C12H22O11)
  • Nitrite (NaNO2) or Nitrate (NaNO3)
• Salt


  • Contributes flavor
  • Preservative effect
  • Controls microbial growth
  • Osmosis (enhances transport of nitrate, nitrite, and sugar)
• Sugar


  • Contributes flavor
  • Provides source of energy for nitrate converting bacteria
  • Lowers the acidity of the cure
• Nitrite (NaNO2) or Nitrate (NaNO3)


  • Contributes flavor
  • Prevents warmed-over flavor (WOF) in reheated products
  • Retards development of rancidity during storage
  • Prevents growth of C. botulinum in canned products
  • Bacteriostatic - Capable of inhibiting the growth or reproduction of bacteria
  • Contributes cured-pink color to the product
• FSIS(Food Safety and Inspection Service) allows use of nitrate (NaNO3 or KNO3) ONLY in dry cured meats or dry sausage
• FSIS permits use of Nitrites (NaNO2 or KNO2) in bacon
• Ingoing nitrite level cannot exceed 120 ppm and must be accompanied by 550ppm sodium ascorbate or sodium erythorbate
• Residual nitrite must not exceed 40 ppm
• Curing Reaction


  1. Deoxymyoglobin + Nitric Oxide = Nitric Oxide Myoglobin

  2. Nitrosylhemochromagen is responsible for stable cured-pink color
• Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Ascorbate and Sodium Erythorbate


  Speed color development by reducing Metmyoglobin to Myoglobin and speeding reduction of HONO to NO
• Alkaline Phosphates


  Usually Sodium Tripolyphosphate, added to decrease shrink during curing & smoking, cannot exceed 0.5%, increase water holding capacity (WHC) of muscle proteins
• Methods of Curing


  1. Dry Curing

  2. Dry Sugar Curing

  3. Curing With Liquid (Brine Curing)

  4. Combination Curing

  5. Sausage Curing
• Dry Curing


  Use of salt or salt plus nitrite or nitrate, involves rubbing cure mixture over surface, penetration of NaCl occurs through osmosis
• Curing With Liquid (Brine Curing)


  Can either be Cover Pickle (placing meat in brine) or Sweet Pickle (sugar added to brine), penetration of cure occurs via osmosis, more uniform distribution of cure
• Sausage Curing


  Mixture of curing salts and spices with ground meat, done in the refrigerator, when curing is complete the sausage is cooked before serving
• Home Cured have Shorter shelf life than commercially cured foods
• Smoking


  Smoking, as a mode of food preservation, is probably as old as cooking with fire. Heat and smoke infuse a delicate flavor into fish, ham, poultry and meat and can prevent the growth of microbes
• Preservation Mechanisms of Smoking

  • Heat
  • Chemical
  • Surface Dehydration
• Pellicle


  Tacky skin that forms when food is allowed to air-dry, acts as a protective barrier and captures the smoke's flavor and color
• Methods of Smoking


  1. Hot Smoking

  2. Cold Smoking

  3. Liquid Smoke
• Hot Smoking


  Done in a short period of time, just until the meat is cooked, the meat is cooked and smoked at the same time over a burning fire or electric elements of a kiln, temperature 165 – 185°F
• Cold Smoking


  Done over a much longer period of time, e.g. 12-24 hours, over a smoldering fire (below 85°F), since foods are held in the temperature danger zone, rapid microbial growth (40-140°F) could occur, fermented, salted, or cured meat only should be cold-smoked, most cold-smoked products should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F before they are eaten
• Liquid Smoke


  More precisely controlled and the smoke flavor is instantaneous