You will need a number of consumable items. Your exact needs will depend on what you are going to smoke, the curing and other techniques you will employ, and the seasonings you wish to use. You will need a number of consumable items. Your exact needs will depend on what you are going to smoke, the curing and other techniques you will employ, and the seasonings you wish to use.
One of the best kinds of salt to use for all curing purposes is the kind known as pickling salt or canning salt. This salt is over 99 percent pure, and it contains no iodine or other additives. Equally acceptable is non-iodized table salt (also known as plain salt); only a free-flow agent (usually calcium silicate or magnesium carbonate) is added. This salt, too, is also over 99 percent pure. When used for curing, the impurities or additives in salt, depending on the kind and amount, can cause discoloration and bitterness in fish and, to a lesser extent, in meats. The free-flow agent will cause no problems.
A 5-pound (2.27 kg) box of pickling salt can be obtained in most grocery stores for about $1.50. A 25-pound (11.35 kg) bag of table salt (containing the acceptable free-flow agent) can be purchased at a wholesale grocery store for about $3.50. There are few reasons to use anything other than one of these two varieties for curing. Iodized salt and sea salt contain minerals that are good for you, but they are not the best salts for curing fish and meat.
Pickling salt and table salt are fine-grain salts. Fine-grain salts are best for the following reasons:
Meat-curing formulas dating back 100 years, or even earlier, are still being printed in today’s books. To maintain authenticity, rock salt is specified if rock salt was called for in the original formula—and it probably was. In days past, rock salt was commonly used because it was the purest form of salt available, and the purity of the distinctly cubic-shaped crystals could be judged by eye. If the tug of nostalgia tempts you to try some of these recipes, just remember that you will get the same result by using fine-grain salt. There is nothing magic about rock salt.
Kosher salt, especially flaked kosher salt, is quite acceptable for curing because it is a pure salt with no additives. The only negative point is that it will not dissolve as quickly as the fine-grain salt mentioned above. However, if you need to use it for religious reasons, or if you want to use it because you believe that it has a better flavor, you can rest assured that it will do an excellent job of curing. (Numerous gourmands believe that kosher salt tastes better than either plain or iodized salt.)
Store salt in a tightly sealed plastic bag to protect it from humidity. Pure salt may become lumpy even if it is stored in a plastic bag, but its quality will not be diminished. Storage time does not lessen the quality, either, so don’t hesitate to buy a large quantity if that is most economical.
If it becomes lumpy, break the lumps and use it. The best way to deal with lumpy salt, sugar, or spices is to put the seasoning into a strainer or a flour sifter, and then break the lumps. If the seasoning passes through the wire mesh, it is fine enough to use. This technique also works well for curing blends that have been premixed in bulk. Such cures often become lumpy when stored.
Some kind of sweetener is a basic ingredient in all good cures and in many seasoning blends. Sweeteners help to tenderize meat; they counteract the toughening caused by salt. Sweeteners also mellow the harsh taste of salt. Although a sweetener is a basic ingredient for a cure, the kind of sweetener used is a matter of preference and availability. If a certain kind of sweetener is called for in a formula, feel free to substitute another kind.
Whenever the word sugar is used in this book, understand it to mean the common granulated white sugar made from either sugarcane or sugar beets. In some countries—but not the United States—nongranulated white sugar is more common than the granulated type. If the non-granulated type is used, and if you measure by volume, pack it in the measuring cup or measuring spoon. Use about 10 percent more to achieve the same degree of sweetness.
Dark brown sugar has a stronger taste than light brown sugar because of the addition of molasses. Using one of these sugars can impart a slightly different flavor nuance to your product. Brown sugar is usually not granulated. Nongranulated brown sugar should be packed firmly in the measuring spoon so that the measurements will be consistent from batch to batch.
If you have ever tasted honey-cured ham or bacon, you already know the special flavor that only honey can impart. Use honey as a sweetener in any curing or seasoning operation if you think it will help to achieve your flavor goal. Keep in mind, however, that honey is the sweetest of the sweeteners; a one-to-one substitution for another sweetener might make your product a little too sweet. If honey is substituted for granulated sugar, reduce the amount by 20 percent.
If honey has crystallized, liquefy it by putting the jar in a pan of hot water for a few hours. If you need to liquefy it faster than that, use a microwave oven at full power, and zap it 15 seconds at a time until the honey is clear. Of course, if the honey jar is not made of glass, you will need to use a microwave-proof dish.
In this book, corn syrup is used as a sweetener and a binder in sausage making. You will find more information about corn syrup in chapter 12.
I truly enjoy ham and bacon when it is cured with honey, but I think I like it just a little better cured with maple syrup. In my opinion, the maple syrup can be either the real stuff or imitation. The syrup you can concoct yourself (using imitation maple flavor, brown sugar, water, and corn syrup) is also excellent for curing. I can certainly distinguish between real maple syrup and the imitation type when I eat it on pancakes or waffles, but not when it is used as a meat-curing ingredient.
To retard mold formation on either natural maple syrup or homemade maple syrup, store it in the refrigerator or freezer. If it crystallizes, liquefy it as you would liquefy honey (see above).
When making maple-syrup-cured bacon or ham, the addition of about ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) of imitation maple flavor per pound (450 g) of meat will enhance the maple aroma of these products. Add this imitation flavor to the modern dry cure blend at the same time as the maple syrup. This flavoring can be found in almost any grocery store where spices and flavorings are displayed.
Light, unsulfured molasses is preferred. The next best is mild-flavored unsulfured molasses; this is more common, and it is easier to buy. Full-flavored or dark molasses has a stronger taste—unsulfured is best. Blackstrap molasses has a very strong flavor that many people find disagreeable, particularly if it is sulfured.
For most of us, there is no clear distinction between the word spice and the word herb, especially when the subject is seasoning for food. Even the experts do not always agree. If I were to try to distinguish between the two words, the most likely result would be that your eyelids would begin to droop, and I would be in need of a tranquilizer. It is more fun to talk about food smoking than about semantics, so let’s use the word spices to mean “spices and herbs.”
Certain smoked foods can’t be made unless many kinds of spices are used; pastrami is one example. On the other hand, all meats, poultry, and fish can be seasoned exquisitely without using a speck of spice. The kinds of spices you will need depends on your taste, your smoking objectives, and your desire for culinary adventure. Appendix 1 contains a list of spices commonly used in smoking and sausage making.
The curing, seasoning, and marinating formulas in this book will suggest certain spices. If you have experience with the suggested spices, and if you can imagine the resulting taste, you should make changes to match your preferences. If you can’t imagine the taste of the finished product, but you want to try the suggested seasonings, you should make a small batch of the product. In fact, it is wise to make a small batch anytime you make a product for the first time.
Some people believe that the only spice they need is nothing more than good ol’ black pepper. Other people believe that nothing less than a treasure chest of spices will do. For most of us, the variety of spices we need lies somewhere between these two extremes. In any case, the dried spices should be of good quality.
As far as quality is concerned, we have little choice but to trust the reputation of the brand. Very few of us are qualified to judge the quality of a spice by peering through the glass or plastic container.
The freshness of dried spices is, to some extent, under our control. Often, there is an expiration date on the spice container. If you have some spices sitting around the house and the dates have passed, or if you have no idea how old they are, the best thing to do is to throw them out.
The company that processes and packs the spice decides the expiration date. The expertise of specialists in the company is used to determine the shelf life of the particular spice. They assume that the spice will be tightly sealed, struck by an average amount of light, and exposed to room temperature. If the actual storage conditions are worse than expected, the spice will go bad faster. If the actual storage conditions are better than they expected, the particular spice may be usable well past the expiration date.
In summary, the freshness and shelf life of the spices you use can be greatly extended by following these suggestions:
The use of paper towels is mentioned in countless places in this book. They are very useful and convenient. They are labor saving because they are disposable. Nevertheless, paper towels are not essential. If there are instructions to blot or wrap meat with paper towels, the same thing can be accomplished with a clean cloth.
If cloth is used, use 100 percent cotton cloth—either white or unbleached. Avoid using dyed cloth. Lightweight dishtowel material or lightweight muslin works well. New material may have been treated with fabric conditioners, so it should be laundered before using.
These blotting cloths or wrapping cloths can be washed and used repeatedly. Drying them well in sunlight or in a hot dryer will sterilize them, but you may want to boil them for a few minutes before drying them.
There are many uses for newspaper, so it is wise to keep a good supply on hand. When processing meat, fowl, and fish, the raw material is often wrapped with paper towels and newspaper to absorb the excess moisture. You will also find newspaper useful when you want to put a greasy smoker rack or a greasy smoker basket on a table. Several layers of newspaper under a cutting board will absorb any blood or juices that dribble off the board.
Cotton twine of the type used to tie rolled roasts is known as butcher’s twine. You will find it useful for the following purposes:
The diameter of the twine need not be large; I use 1 mm (0.04 inch— between 1⁄32 and 1⁄16 inch) twine for everything. You can get this at a culinary supply shop, but you might discover that a large spool of twine is cheaper at a hardware store.
If you intend to use the curing method known as brine curing (also called wet curing or sweet pickle curing), you may wish to use sodium nitrite (NaNO2), as specified in some of the brine cure formulations. The two main functions of this additive are to fix the red or pink color of the meat and to protect against botulism. Food-grade (or USP grade— United States Pure grade) sodium nitrite should be used. You may be able to order it at a pharmacy, but you will likely find it easier to obtain from a chemical supply firm such as Nurnberg Scientific. Check the yellow pages or go to www.nurnberg.com on the Internet to find the closest location. Important: Make sure that you don’t order sodium nitrate (NaNO3) by mistake.
Making homemade curing powder (homemade Prague Powder #1) is another use for sodium nitrite. To do this, see the following two sections. Also, for additional information on nitrites and nitrates, turn to chapter 6.
The following is a bit technical, but a basic understanding of curing powders is necessary for those who use them.
Curing powders, also known as cures, normally contain either sodium nitrite (NaNO2) or a combination of sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate (NaNO3). These preparations are widely used by commercial meat processors, amateur smokers, and sausage makers. Some curing formulations in this book will specify a curing powder for products cured by a method known as modern dry cure. Also, some sausage formulas presented in this book require a curing powder.
The nitrites or nitrates in the curing powders are largely responsible for the pink color of ham, bacon, luncheon meats, and some types of sausages. The red color of corned beef, and the reddish color of most commercially produced jerky, is also caused by sodium nitrite. Without these chemicals, all of the fully cooked meats mentioned above would be brownish or grayish like ordinary cooked meat. The lean part of bacon, for example, would turn brown while cooking; luncheon meats would not be pink—they would be brownish. (Correctly speaking, chemicals that occur naturally in smoke and certain seasonings will provide some color fixing. Consequently, smoked products may be slightly pink or red, especially near the surface, even if nitrites and nitrates are not used.)
Meats cured with nitrites or nitrates also have a distinctive flavor that many people like. (The flavor difference can be readily understood by comparing the taste of cured ham with that of roast pork.) Furthermore, rancidity is inhibited, shelf life is extended, and positive protection against botulism is provided with the proper use of these additives.
Despite all the benefits provided by these curing chemicals, they are harmful if used in large quantities. Fortunately, it takes only a very small amount to obtain the desired result, and the amount of these chemicals specified in this book is considered safe. Nevertheless, if you never eat commercially processed meats because of the additives they contain, then you may not want to use a curing powder in your products. If you make that decision, however, you should forgo making smoked sausage, because smoked sausage without the addition of nitrites or nitrates presents a considerable risk of botulism poisoning. It could prove fatal.
I mentioned above that nitrites and nitrates are used in very small amounts. In fact, the amount required to cure 2½ pounds (1.135 kg) of ground meat is so small (approximately 1⁄32 teaspoon) that it can only be weighed accurately with scales found in a scientific laboratory or in a pharmacy. This is obviously impractical for either the amateur smoker or a small commercial processor, and it is not possible to accurately measure such a small amount with a measuring spoon.
To overcome this obstacle, several companies have mixed 16 parts (by weight) of salt with 1 part (by weight) of sodium nitrite (NaNO2) to make a product containing 6.25 percent sodium nitrite. Such a blend that uses salt as a carrier can be measured with reasonable accuracy by using measuring spoons commonly found in the household kitchen. Only ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) of this curing powder blend will cure 2½ pounds (1.135 kg) of ground meat. Prague Powder #1, Modern Cure, and Insta Cure #1 are three brands of curing powder that contain 6.25 percent sodium nitrite. These curing powders often have pink food color added so that they will not be confused with salt. Consequently, curing powder is sometimes called pink powder.
Whenever Prague Powder #1 is specified in this book, you may use any brand of curing powder that contains 6.25 percent sodium nitrite. These commercial curing powders are available by mail order from establishments that offer sausage-making or smoking equipment (see appendix 5). Butcher supply firms often sell curing powder; check out butcher supplies in the yellow pages. You may also be able to obtain it from sausage-making establishments. You will not find these products in a common grocery store.
Some curing products that contain a very low percentage of sodium nitrite (about 0.5 percent) in the salt carrier are available in grocery stores. However, such products are not recommended because (if used as directed by the manufacturer) they allow very little control of the salt content in your products. Your products will probably be too salty.
Prague Powder #2 and Insta Cure #2 contain sodium nitrate in addition to sodium nitrite. These special curing powders are mainly used for fermented sausages. Fermented sausages are not covered in this book, so these curing powders will not be used.
I recommend that you buy a commercially prepared curing powder even if you live in a country where it is not available locally, and you have to obtain it by international mail. However, it is possible to make curing powder. The only ingredients you will need are pure, fine-grain, noniodized salt and food-grade sodium nitrite (NaNO2). You need to go to a pharmacy or chemical supply firm in your country and place an order for that chemical. When the sodium nitrite arrives, take the non-iodized salt with you, and ask a pharmacist to weigh 16 parts of salt per 1 part of sodium nitrite: 16 ounces of salt and 1 ounce of sodium nitrite, for example, or 480 g of salt and 30 g of sodium nitrite. The scales used in a pharmacy in all countries measure grams, so it is best to use the metric system when requesting help from a pharmacist.
Take these measured ingredients home, and blend them in a large mixing bowl. Make sure that the mixture is free of lumps. Stir it very well until you are sure it is perfectly uniform. Use a wire whisk or use an electric mixer at low speed.
In Japan, I used this homemade curing powder for several years until I finally found a Canadian supplier for Prague Powder #1 that was willing to ship overseas. Nowadays, the Internet makes it much easier to locate a supplier that is willing to ship to anywhere in the world.
When curing powders are commercially produced, a special process is used to bond the proper ratio of salt and sodium nitrite into each crystal so that the blend will always remain uniform. This is the main advantage of using the commercially prepared curing powders, and why I recommend them. A perfectly uniform curing powder helps to ensure that the correct amount of nitrite is added to the product. (For additional information, see chapter 6.)
Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and two chemicals related to this acid are permitted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for use in meat processing. All of these substances function to accelerate color development. They also stabilize the color during storage. These two effects can be very important for commercial processors. Rapid color development may lead to reduced processing time. Greater color stability can result in a product remaining attractive even after days of storage in refrigerated display cases that are struck with artificial light. Without the use of one of these chemicals, the color may fade rapidly, and the product will not be marketable.
The chemicals referred to above that are related to vitamin C are sodium erythorbate and sodium ascorbate. You will often see vitamin C or one of these two chemicals listed as an ingredient on packages of processed meat.
A person who processes meats as a hobby has little need for these chemicals, so they are not specified for use in this book. Nevertheless, their mention is deserved because some people have the mistaken impression that vitamin C (ascorbic acid) will function as a color developer (color fixer) in place of nitrites or nitrates. There is at least one book on sausage making and one book on food smoking that says ¼ teaspoon of vitamin C per 5 pounds of ground pork or ground beef will cause the pink or reddish color of the meat to be fixed. It won’t; I tried it.
Apparently, someone in the past thought that a color accelerator was the same thing as a color developer. It is not. None of these chemicals will function as a color developer (color fixer). Furthermore, it must be emphasized that neither vitamin C nor the two related chemicals will provide protection against botulism.
If you need accelerated color development or improved color stability, you may, of course, use one of these three chemicals along with Prague Powder #1 or sodium nitrite. Vitamin C is the least desirable because it can cause depletion of nitrite. Either sodium erythorbate or sodium ascorbate is most often used.
Your pharmacist, or a chemical supply company, may be able to order some for you; such chemicals are not available at amateur sausage supply shops. If you must use vitamin C, be sure to use pure crystalline powder. No matter which one of the three is used, you should add ⅛ teaspoon (0.625 ml) to 2½ pounds (1.135 kg) of meat. The ⅛ teaspoon of the chemical should not be added directly to the meat. Instead, it should be thoroughly mixed with the seasoning ingredients first; this will result in a more uniform distribution.
Liquid smoke is something you may want to add to your list of supplies. It can be used in marinades, added to brines, or applied directly. Jerky recipes often have liquid smoke as an ingredient because many people use their kitchen oven to dry the meat. If a kitchen oven is used, the application of liquid smoke is the only way for the meat to get a smoke flavor.
Water smokers do not impart as much smoke flavor as a regular smoker, so you may want to use a little of the liquid smoke to boost the smoky aroma of a water smoked product. This is especially true if the smoking time is short.
Most large grocery stores offer Wright’s Liquid Smoke, but liquid smoke other than this hickory aroma (mesquite, for example) can be obtained from some companies that offer sausage-making supplies.