Man has been applying salt, sweeteners, and other flavorings to food for eons. Our ancestors discovered that some of these seasonings, applied in sufficient quantity, help to preserve food. The application of salt, sweeteners, and other flavorings to meat, fowl, and fish came to be known as curing when it was done to help preserve food.
If salt was used for preservation, it was essential for a considerable amount to be infused into the product. Much dry salt was applied directly, and it was left on the food for a long time. Another method was to soak the flesh in a strong brine solution—and soak it long enough to ensure deep penetration of the salt.
The infusion of salt caused moisture to be extracted. Reduced moisture content and a high salt content created an environment very unfavorable to the proliferation of microorganisms that cause decay. Thus, preservation was accomplished. Cured meat was often smoked and dried, which made it even less perishable. The food could be kept at room temperature without spoiling for as long as a year, or even longer. In the days before the technology of canning and refrigeration were developed, this salt curing (often combined with smoking and drying) saved many people from starvation.
Most of these cured foods were very salty, so some of the salt had to be extracted before eating. Often it was extracted as part of the cooking process. Extracting salt from hard-cured foods is called freshening or, occasionally, desalting. Corned beef is a good example of a heavily salted, cured meat that is freshened by cooking in water.
Curing, smoking, drying, and freshening is a lot of work compared with the ease of using canned, frozen, or refrigerated foods. Consequently, as the new preservation techniques became widely available, the production and consumption of hard-cured meats and fish declined proportionately.
However, in various countries around the world, some of these cured and smoked products continue to be well appreciated, so they are still produced. In effect, each of them has become a cultural treasure of its country. Two examples are the hard-cured hams of our southern states, and the salted, dried, and smoked bonito fish of Japan. Jerky, made of many kinds of meat from wild and domesticated animals—and even made from fish—is perpetually popular in many countries of the world. These products will still be around when your grandchildren become grandparents.
The private production of hard-cured foods by individuals was largely replaced by the production of mildly cured meats and fishes by commercial processors. These foods require refrigeration, but they need not be freshened (desalted) because the relatively low salt content is pleasing to the average palate. Good examples of these mildly cured products are the common types of cured ham, sausage, and bacon found in our grocery stores.
Most people appreciated the lowering of the salt content. Unfortunately, while the salt content was being lowered, other changes were taking place to reduce the production cost. These changes—or shortcuts—made the products cheaper and more competitive, but the flavor suffered. For example, the use of liquid smoke often replaced actual smoking. Nowadays, not even liquid smoke is used on much of the ham and bacon produced by the large processors.
People like you and I know that products tastier than those available at the supermarkets can be made. Custom smokers do it—at a very high price. You can do it, too—at a very low price. Making delicious smoked foods, however, involves more than just exposing meats and fish to smoke. We must learn how to season the food. For some products, this means learning the “secrets” of curing.
It would be wonderful if we could dust off our grandparents’ or great-grandparents’ curing recipes and use them. Unfortunately, if you are looking for a mild cure, you are unlikely to find it among the recipes of our ancestors. The amateur food smoker of today normally wants old-time flavor with a modern mild-salt cure. If that is your goal, read on! Three curing techniques will be discussed on the following pages. The latter two will help you to obtain that old-time flavor you are looking for, and will provide you with the mild-salt cure to which we have become accustomed.
Note: I am using the phrase classical dry cure in this book to distinguish this curing method from the modern dry cure method, which will be described later in this chapter.
The classical dry cure method is the least popular curing method used by hobbyists. It results in products that must be freshened (desalted) before eating.
A large quantity of dry salt (usually combined with a sweetener, spices, and a nitrate color developer) is applied to the meat. If it will not be aged, about 1½ tablespoons (22.5 ml) of salt per pound (454 g) of meat will be applied. If it is to be aged (a southern-style ham, for example), about 2½ tablespoons (37.5 ml) of salt per pound is used. If the meat is thick, or if it has a bone in it, it is usually injected (pumped) with a brine solution, too. A tool that resembles a large hypodermic needle (called a meat pump) is used for this purpose.
For a 16- to 18-pound ham, the cure (the mixture of salt and other curing ingredients) is piled on the fresh, chilled meat, and it is cured in a cold environment for up to 35 days. A 4-pound fish fillet is cured for about eight hours. Trying to limit the salt absorption by reducing the recommended curing time will yield unpredictable results.
The classical dry curing of boneless meat that is not over about 6 inches (15 cm) thick is not difficult to do. Pumping is not required. Moreover, because it is boneless, spoilage due a problem known as bone marrow sour will not occur. Nevertheless, the classical dry cure method will result in a very salty product.
One of the primary goals of this book is to show how to make smoked products with just the right amount of salt. Consequently, the details of how to hard cure specific meat or fish products will not be explained.
Nevertheless, trying to make a distinguished product such as an authentic southern-style smoked ham is, in my opinion, an admirable goal. If that is where your interests lead you, I encourage you to look at appendix 5 for a source of information on this subject. The information available will provide you with the detailed directions you need.
When you gather information on how to cure and smoke the ham, be sure to look for information on how to store, desalt, and cook it. Such information is every bit as important as instructions about how to cure and smoke it.
Brine curing (also known as wet curing or sweet pickle curing) is widely used by professionals and hobbyists alike. This method is adaptable to cure the flesh of any creature that walks, flies, swims, hops, or crawls. Mild cures with a low salt content, or hard cures with a high salt content, are possible. Brines can be custom-seasoned to meet your expectations and taste.
The strength of the brine (the ratio of water to salt) and the time that the meat is left in the brine are the two most important factors controlling the amount of salt that will be present in the finished product. The seasonings that you add to the brine will give the product a special flavor. You are the boss, and you can control the process.
As mentioned above, an important factor in brining foods is the concentration of salt in the brine. Nevertheless, there is no broad agreement on what the concentration should be. Some argue that strong brine is the only kind that should be used. Others favor a medium-strength or weak brine.
Also, there is lack of agreement on the best way to indicate the strength of the brine. The weight of the salt as a percentage of the weight of the water is one method that is used to indicate brine strength. Using this system, 13.5 ounces (384 g) of salt added to a gallon (3,840 g) of water would make a 10 percent brine solution. (This is because the weight of the salt is 1⁄10 the weight of the water; the metric weight measurements— 384 g of salt and 3,840 g of water—make this readily apparent.)
However, indicating the brine strength by indicating the percentage of salt saturation is the most commonly used method, so this method will be employed in this book. At 68º F (20º C), 100 parts by weight of water will dissolve 35.8 parts by weight of salt. No more salt than this can be dissolved in the water—it will be 100 percent saturated with salt. This is called 100 percent brine. Water at the same temperature containing half that amount of salt would be called 50 percent (saturated) brine, and so on. Using this system, the 10 percent brine mentioned in the previous paragraph would be called 40 percent (saturated) brine. From this point on, whenever the strength of brine is mentioned, please understand the percent number to mean percent of salt saturation.
There are two ways to make a brine solution of any desired strength. One way is to consult a table, and then add the specified amount of salt to the specified amount of water (see appendix 3). The other way is to use an instrument to measure brine strength (a salinometer), and slowly add salt until the salinometer indicates that the desired strength has been reached. (The upper stem of a salinometer has a scale that indicates percent of saturation.) Unfortunately, a commercially manufactured salinometer is awkward to use and fragile because it is made from a long glass tube. (See page 82.)
Instead of using a manufactured salinometer to measure brine strength, an egg or a potato will do very nicely as a makeshift salinometer. The egg should be fresh, and it is preferable that it be a large egg. Any size of potato will do, but it should be fresh. A dried and wrinkled potato contains less moisture than a fresh one, so it will be more buoyant and, therefore, will produce weaker brine. The same thing can be said for an egg that is less than fresh—it will contain less moisture. If all of your potatoes happen to be a little dried and wrinkled, peel one of them deeply and use it.
Slowly add salt to the water, and stir the mixture constantly to dissolve it. Stop adding salt when the egg or potato floats, and it just barely breaks the surface of the brine. This method of measuring the brine strength will produce brine with about 50 percent saturation—the strength used by many smokers. A concentration of 50 percent lies about midway between the extremes of 90 percent and 15 percent used by some people, so it is a good place to start. Our ancestors used this egg or potato method, and it continues to be widely used by food smokers all over the world.
However, rather than using an egg or potato, you can easily make salinometers to blend any strength of brine. (See How to Make a Salinometer in chapter 4, page 82.) In this book, either homemade salinometers or the brine charts will be used to make brines.
Although a 50 percent brine solution is a good place to start, it might be a good idea to keep in mind some of the pros and cons of using a stronger or weaker solution.
Some people use the strong solution of 80 to 90 percent because it gives a faster cure, and because it extracts more moisture from the flesh. Those who use a 15 to 25 percent brine solution claim that the raw material is more uniformly cured, and that salt content is easier to control. There does seem to be a general agreement that weak brines are not good for brining fish because the flesh can become waterlogged, soft, difficult to handle, and easy to tear.
It is not necessary to use the same strength of brine for every product you make. For example, you may find that you like strong brine for your fish, but weaker brine for chicken.
It is important, however, to use the same strength of brine each time you make a specific product. When you use brine to wet cure trout, for example, the strength of the brine should be the same every time. If this strength is always different, it will be difficult to determine the best curing time. After several trout-curing sessions, there might be a good reason to change the brine strength, but this will change the curing time. The new curing time will be somewhat of an educated guess until you get some experience with the new brine strength.
If the brine strength is kept constant for each product, once you learn the required curing time to get the perfect flavor, you will be able to produce the same delicious product repeatedly. This is assuming that you recorded all of the conditions in your notebook, and all conditions remain the same.
To transform the “art” of brining into a skilled craft, all you need to do is:
Three approaches to making brine are outlined below. All of them should produce the same result. One of these approaches might be more suitable for your situation or for the raw material you are using.
For the fresh-blend method, the basic idea is that enough brine of the desired strength is made up (and other ingredients are added) to cure all of the meat or fish at one time, and then the brine is discarded after a single use.
This method is best for experimentation because each batch of brine is made from scratch. The basic sweet pickle cure is described below. However, this is for illustration only. For your first attempt at brine curing, it would be best to try one of the brine-cured products described in other chapters; they will be more flavorful because additional seasonings will be suggested.
1 gallon (4 liters) quality water, preferably boiled and chilled
2 cups (480 ml) noniodized fine-grain salt
½ cup (120 ml) granulated white sugar
1 tsp. (5 ml) sodium nitrite (optional)
(normally, other seasonings of your choice would be added)
Sugar may be increased or decreased, but it is best not to eliminate it. Sugar counteracts the toughening effect of salt, and it mellows the harsh salt flavor. It also acts as a preservative.
Sodium nitrite is optional, but you should never use more than 1½ teaspoons per gallon (7.5 ml per 4 liters) of water (this is the maximum amount recommended by the USDA for amateur curing). Sodium nitrite can be used with pork or with chicken legs, for example, if you want the finished product to have the pink color and taste typical of cured ham. Used on beef, it will give the meat a reddish color similar to corned beef. There will be no color fixing during the curing; this takes place during the smoking or cooking of the product. If the meat contains sodium nitrite, the pink or reddish color will be fixed when the flesh reaches about 135º F (57º C).
Other seasonings can be added to the brine, as you desire. Fresh onions, fresh garlic, and bay leaves, for example, are commonly used. Personalize the brine by adding any of your favorite spices. Go easy on seasonings that have a strong flavor. Try to avoid combinations that might clash with each other. Many people boil the spices in a small amount of water for a few seconds, then chill this paste and add it to the brine. The boiling seems to release the flavor. Powdered spices are preferred.
The time that the raw material is left in the brine is determined by several factors: the thickness of the meat, the fat content, the extent and type of skin covering, and the degree of saltiness you desire. When the curing is finished, the sweet pickle cure should be discarded because the water that the salt extracted from the raw material has diluted it. The brine has also been weakened due to absorption of salt and flavorings by the raw materials.
Considering the ratio of the salt to the water, the sweet pickle cure described above will be about a 50 percent saturated cure. However, if the strength of the cure is measured with a salinometer, it will read higher than 50 percent because the dissolved sugar and other ingredients are influencing the reading. If you want a stronger or weaker brine, you can consult appendix 3 to determine how much salt is required to get a certain brine strength, or just change the amount of salt as you see fit, and make a record of that change.
Of course, the salt can be weighed instead of being measured by volume. Alternatively, salt can be added to the water until the salinometer, egg, or potato indicates that the proper strength has been reached. Volume measurement of rock salt is not accurate.
In summary, this fresh-blend method is useful for experimentation, and it is a very good method for those who have had little experience with wet curing. It is the favorite wet cure method for most amateurs because it is very simple, and it will produce an adequate amount of product for family and friends.
However, if you perfect a product and decide to make the same product repeatedly, the following method may be better for you.
The basic idea behind the bulk-blend method is that a large amount of the dry ingredients is prepared and blended in advance. That is, the salt and all other powdered or granular ingredients for a certain kind of brine are prepared in bulk. If this is done, each ingredient need not be measured individually for each batch of brine. To make a batch of brine, the prescribed amount of bulk-blend is added to the prescribed amount of water.
The formula for the same sweet pickle cure (the formula that was used for the fresh-blend method) will be used again to demonstrate how to make it in bulk. Each ingredient in that formula was multiplied by 12 in order to obtain the result indicated below. If 12 is used as a multiplier: ¼ tsp. becomes 1 Tbsp., ½ tsp. becomes 2 Tbsp., 1 tsp. becomes ¼ cup, and 1 Tbsp. becomes ¾ cup. How easy!
Multiplication by 12 is best when the American system of measurement is being used. The reason for this is due to the number 12 being factorable by 2, 3, or 4. These are the same numbers that are used to divide the gallon into quarts, cups, tablespoons, et cetera—all the way down to ⅛ teaspoon. Multiplication by 10 is best if you are using the metric system.
24 cups noniodized fine-grain salt
6 cups white sugar
6 Tbsp. sodium nitrite (optional)
(normally, other seasonings of your choice would be added when the brine is blended)
Measure and blend the dry ingredients. To determine the amount of blend to add to each gallon of water, calculate the sum of the volume of all dry ingredients in the basic nonbulk formula. In this case, it would be 2 cups + ½ cup + ½ teaspoon (see the previously described Sweet Pickle Cure).
Consequently, to make a gallon of brine using the bulk mix, 2½ cups + ½ teaspoon of bulk-blend would be added to a gallon of water. Actually, the “+ ½ teaspoon” is not significant and can be ignored. Store the bulk-blend in a plastic bag or in a glass or plastic container that has a rustproof lid.
A batch of brine can be used several times. First, make one batch of brine by adding the required amount of bulk-blend to the required amount of water. Add nonpowdered or nongranulated ingredients (chopped onions or grated ginger, for example). Cure the first batch of material. Remove that material from the brine, and then add more of the bulk-blend to bring it up to the original strength. Cure the second batch of meat or fish. In this way, the same brine can be used several times if is brought back up to the original strength after each use. (Caution: The brine can’t be stored for extended periods between each use because it will contain particles of meat or fish.)
As mentioned previously, the brine needs to be brought back up to the original strength because each batch of meat or fish will absorb some of its salt and flavorings. Furthermore, the brine will extract moisture from the raw material, and the moisture will cause dilution of the brine.
The best way to determine how much bulk-blend is required to bring the brine up to original strength is to make and use a homemade salinometer described in chapter 4, page 82. First, make a batch of brine by adding the prescribed amount of bulk-blend to the prescribed amount of water. Next, make a homemade salinometer which will float just enough to break the surface of this brine. After you use the brine to cure a batch of product, bring it back to its original strength by adding enough bulk-blend to make the salinometer break the surface of the brine again, as it did initially.
Obviously, this homemade salinometer is usable only for the specific kind of brine that you are making, so write the name of the brine directly on the salinometer with a permanent marker. Mark it with a unique brine name so that you will be certain of its application. This same salinometer may also be used to make the first batch of brine. If it is used to make the first batch, bulk-blend is added to any amount of water until the salinometer floats.
Using the homemade salinometer to maintain consistent brine strength will enable you to make a good product every time. Consistency is very important for any kind of curing. The exact strength of the brine in terms of dissolved salt is not very important. Knowing the exact strength of the brine will not make you an expert in brine curing. Being consistent will make you an expert.
Even if you have read other books on the subject of smoking foods, the term modern dry curing will be unfamiliar. Modern dry curing is a name for an excellent curing process that has never, to my knowledge, been defined or described. I will explain how the term came about.
Many years ago, when I first started smoking food, one of my first goals was to make some truly good bacon. This goal seemed to be within the grasp of a know-nothing beginner. After all, bacon had been made on innumerable farmsteads in America and Europe, so it couldn’t be difficult to make—I thought.
The first disappointment was that books on food smoking available to me didn’t even discuss the subject of curing and smoking bacon. In two of the books, the only thing that was said about bacon was that store-bought bacon could be made more flavorful by cold smoking it for an hour or two. Eventually, I got some detailed descriptions of the old-fashioned bacon curing and smoking processes, and I tried them—all of them. I followed the instructions carefully. The result was always the same: awful. Without freshening (desalting) the cured-and-smoked bacon in water for a long time, it was so salty that it was inedible. Moreover, if the bacon was freshened, much of the smoky flavor was washed out with the salt. The desalting time was considerable (often a matter of several hours), and the result was unpredictable.
These repeated failures at making bacon that met my expectations caused me to admit defeat for the time being. I turned my attention to making smoked sausage. To my delight, the sausage I made was usually quite good, irrespective of the source of the recipe. However, what impressed me most of all was that the salt content was usually just about right. When it was not just right, I could adjust it by changing the quantity of the salt in the recipe. Gradually, I realized that between 2 and 3 teaspoons (10 and 15 ml) of salt (depending on the kind of sausage being made) was the perfect amount to season 2½ pounds (1.135 kg) of ground meat.
The success with sausage gave me an idea: Control the salt content in the bacon in about the same way as it is controlled in the sausage. Therefore, I decided that I would not cure bacon with the old-fashioned dry cure method that uses lots of salt; nor would I cure it for a long time in strong brine. Instead, I decided to rub on 3 teaspoons (15 ml) of salt per 2½ pounds (1.135 kg) of pork belly (about the same ratio used for sausage), and then give adequate time for the salt to be absorbed by the pork belly.
I tried it. I weighed the trimmed pork belly and rubbed on exactly 3 teaspoons (15 ml) of salt per 2½ pounds (1.135 kg) of belly. Of course, this was mixed with sugar, some other seasonings, and ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) of Prague Powder #1 per 2½ pounds of belly. The thickest part of the pork belly was about 1½ inches (4 cm), and I estimated that 10 days would be required for the cure to migrate to the center of the slab. (This estimate was based on my research of data regarding the rate of salt absorption for the classical dry cure.) The curing process was carried out in a cold refrigerator (about 38º F, or 3.3º C), and the meat was overhauled (rubbed again and restacked) daily to ensure uniform distribution of the cure. After the curing was finished, the surface was rinsed and dried, and then I gave the belly a few hours of cold smoking followed by two or three hours of smoking at 145º F (69º C) to impart a reddish brown color to the surface.
After all the previous disappointments, I was very pleased with the result. It tasted better than commercially produced bacon, and it had a delightfully smoky flavor. Most importantly, the salt content was just right!
Over the years, I have used this special dry cure method to cure all varieties of fresh meats and fowl, many kinds of fish, and some wild meat as well. Without doubt, it is my favorite curing method, and I have no hesitation about recommending it for most curing projects.
When recording the results of my many smoking sessions, I soon found that I needed to have a name for this new dry curing process in which the salt was reduced and carefully measured according to the weight of the raw material. In some ways, it is similar to the technique called dry rub that is used by culinary buffs, but dry rub did not convey the concept well. After much thought, I decided to call it modern dry curing and call the conventional method classical dry curing.
The modern dry curing method does not replace the classical dry curing method, and it does not replace the brine (wet) cure method. It is simply a third option that may give the result you want, may be easier to do, or may offer better control of salt content. The modern dry cure will produce results quite different from the classical dry cure. The brine cure, however, can be used in various ways that will give essentially the same results as either the modern dry cure or the classical dry cure. Below are some points worth considering when you are trying to decide whether to use the brine cure or the modern dry cure:
The basic idea of the modern dry cure process is that the amount of salt, sweetener, curing powder (if used), and seasonings applied is determined by the weight of the raw material. The raw material is then refrigerated until the cure migrates to the center of the product.
The simplest cure is a mixture of salt and sugar. If you want a mild salt taste, mix 3 teaspoons (15 ml) of salt together with 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of sugar. Blend very well. This will provide you with 4 teaspoons (20 ml) of curing mixture that will cure 2¼ pounds (1 kg) of meat, fowl, or fish. (The reason for the 2¼-pound unit rather than a 2½-pound unit will be explained shortly.)
If you just happen to have 3⅓ pounds (1.5 kg) of raw material, for example, you will have to do a little arithmetic to figure out that you would need 6 teaspoons of curing mixture. (Don’t be concerned about the arithmetic at this time; it will be greatly simplified.) You could blend exactly the amount you need, or you could double, triple, or quadruple the basic cure mixture recipe, use 6 teaspoons (30 ml) of that, and store the remainder for future use.
In reality, you will most likely want other seasonings (and, possibly, a nitrite curing powder) in your curing mixture. If you know that you will use the same curing mixture repeatedly, it is most convenient to make the mixture in bulk so that it will be ready when you need it. (This approach is similar to preparing bulk-blend for brining.) On the other hand, if you are making a certain product for the first time, it is wise to blend just the amount you will need for the job at hand. In most cases, you will want to make one or two changes in the mixture when you make the product the next time.
As an example of how to blend and apply the modern dry cure mixture, we will go through the process required for bacon, step by step. If you actually want to make smoked bacon, be sure to read the specific directions for curing and smoking bacon in chapter 9. The following instructions are only for illustrating the modern dry cure process.
Note: Prague Powder #1 is used for fixing the color of cured sausage and for preventing toxic botulin development in cured sausage. The manufacturers of this curing powder specify 1 level teaspoon of Prague Powder #1 per 5 pounds of ground meat. Of course, ½ teaspoon would be used for 2½ pounds of ground meat. However, the modern dry cure process is for curing solid meat, not ground meat. Furthermore, the meat is rinsed at the end of the modern dry cure process; this rinsing will remove the small amount of Prague Powder that has remained on the surface of the meat. To compensate for this inevitable loss of Prague Powder caused by rinsing, the modern dry cure process specifies ½ teaspoon of Prague Powder #1 per 2¼ pounds of meat, rather than ½ teaspoon per 2½ pounds of meat. If you feel that 2¼ pounds is an awkward unit to use, change it to 2½ pounds—or double everything, and use 5 pounds as your standard. The difference will be insignificant.
3 tsp. (15 ml) noniodized salt
½ tsp. (2.5 ml) Prague Powder #1
½ tsp. (2.5 ml) onion powder
½ tsp. (2.5 ml) garlic powder
½ tsp. (2.5 ml) white pepper
2 Tbsp. (30 ml) maple syrup (blend the syrup with the dry ingredients at time of application)Total dry ingredients: 3 + ½ + ½ + ½ + ½ = 5 tsp.
Total dry ingredients, metric: 15 + 2.5 + 2.5 + 2.5 + 2.5 = 25 ml.CURE MIX MEASURING CHART
5 tsp. (25 ml) per 2¼ lbs. (1 kg) of belly + 2 Tbsp. (30 ml) of syrup
2½ tsp. (12.5 ml) per 1 lb.* (500 g) of belly + 1 Tbsp. (15 ml) of syrup
1¼ tsp. (6.25 ml) per ½ lb. (250 g) of belly + 1½ tsp. (7.5 ml) of syrup
½ tsp. (2.5 ml) per ¼ lb. (125 g) of belly + ¾ tsp. (4 ml) of syrup*This should read “per 1⅛ lbs.,” but the difference is not significant.
If, for example, the total weight of the pork belly is 4 pounds, you would use 5 + 2½ + 1¼ + ½ = 9¼ teaspoons (refer to the chart above). Metric for the same amount of pork belly would be 25 + 12.5 + 6.25 + 2.5 = 46.25 ml of modern dry cure mixture.
To this amount of modern dry cure mixture, add 6 + 3 + 1½ + ¾ = 11¼ teaspoons (30 + 15 + 7.5 + 4 = 56.5 ml) of maple syrup. The maple syrup and the modern dry cure mixture are blended to form a thick liquid, and this liquid is then rubbed on the meat. (Most modern dry cures are actually dry, but this cure is a thick liquid because of the liquid sweetener.)
It is a good idea to measure the dry cure mixture carefully, but you need not be so careful when measuring the maple syrup. In this example, 11¼ teaspoons is just a little less than ¼ cup, so measure out ¼ cup of the syrup. There will be some syrup adhering to the measuring cup after you empty it. Give that measuring cup and a small rubber spatula to the nearest kid, and he or she will finish off the remaining ¾ teaspoon of syrup. (For people using metric measure, 60 ml is close enough.)
All of this calculation may give you a headache, but the first bite of your homemade bacon will cure that instantaneously.
Let’s say, for example, that you made the maple-syrup-cured bacon described in chapter 9, page 153 (which uses the same curing formula described here), and you are completely satisfied. That is, you fully intend to make the same product repeatedly. In this case, it would be convenient to mix up a large quantity of the cure and store it for future use. To make the modern dry cure in bulk, multiply all the ingredients (except for the maple syrup) by some multiplier—12, for example. (For the American measuring system, using 12 as a multiplier is easier than using 10. Please refer to the explanation earlier in this chapter: Bulk-Blend Method for Brine Curing, page 122.) Using the Cure Mix Measuring Chart, measure out the amount of bulk-blend you need whenever you want to make bacon. Below, for example, is the formula to make the bacon-curing mixture in bulk.
¾ cup (180 ml) salt
2 Tbsp. (30 ml) Prague Powder #1
2 Tbsp. (30 ml) white pepper
2 Tbsp. (30 ml) onion powder
2 Tbsp. (30 ml) garlic powder
At the time of application, blend the maple syrup with the proper amount of dry ingredients. Use 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of maple syrup per 2¼ pounds (1 kg) of pork belly.
Creating your own modern dry cure is very easy. If you follow a few guidelines, the chances of turning out a superb product on your first try are extremely high.
Before you formulate your customized modern dry cure, it is best to get experience using some of the suggested cures in this book. Such experience will enable you to design your customized cure so that the amount of salt and other seasonings will probably match your preferences perfectly.
In this book, the basic formulation of the modern dry cure is always based on 2¼ pounds (1 kg) of raw material—meat, fowl, or fish. As previously mentioned, you need not base your formulations on 2¼ pounds of raw material, but you should base all of them on a certain unit of weight; use 2½ pounds or 5 pounds, if you wish. If you always use the same weight of raw material as a standard, you will soon be able to predict the degree of flavor that will be imparted by, say, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of oregano.
The amount of salt to be used is easy to determine. If you have tried any of the modern dry cures suggested in this book, then you know the degree of salinity that will be imparted by 3 teaspoons (15 ml) of salt per 2¼ pounds (1 kg) of raw material. For your customized formulation, you should increase or decrease the salt according to your taste. Keep in mind, however, that a great reduction of the salt could result in spoilage during the curing and smoking operations. Food poisoning is another possibility if there is a great reduction of salt and sugar.
Prague Powder #1 is optional unless there is a danger of botulism poisoning (when smoked sausages are being prepared, for example). Otherwise, the most significant effects of a curing powder are the color fixing (pink or red) and the special flavor imparted. If you don’t need these special effects, eliminate the Prague Powder #1. If it is used, never use more than ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) per 2¼ pounds (1 kg) of raw material. Since Prague Powder #1 contains over 93 percent common table salt, its use affects the salinity of the finished product.
The use of spices and herbs is a very personal thing. Use the varieties and amounts that you judge to be appropriate. Information in cookbooks, together with your accumulated experience, is the best guide for the kinds and amounts of spices to use. Good cookbooks (such as Joy of Cooking) will indicate which spices are commonly used with the various raw materials. Descriptions of the commonly used seasonings, along with their most common applications, are also given in appendix 1.
Selecting from a variety of sweeteners can do much to customize your cure. Commonly used sweeteners are discussed in chapter 5. Because sweeteners tenderize in addition to adding flavor, I recommend their use. Start with somewhere between 1 and 6 teaspoons (5 and 30 ml) per 2¼ pounds (1 kg) of raw material.
You may wish to use some seasonings that are fresh, or some seasonings that are not in powdered or granulated form. Examples include fresh onions, fresh garlic, fresh herbs, soy sauce, and maple syrup. Such seasonings must be prepared separately, after the weight of the raw material is known.
After the formulation has been decided, calculate the sum of the volume measurements of all of the various powdered and granulated ingredients. This total will be the amount of blended curing mixture that should be applied to your standard unit of raw material (2¼ pounds, 2½ pounds, or 5 pounds, for example). (The standard unit for metric people will most likely be 1 kg.)
To make your modern dry cure in bulk, multiply each ingredient in your basic formula by 12. (To make bulk-blend in the metric system, multiply each ingredient by 10.)
The sodium nitrite in Prague Powder #1 can degrade and become ineffective when it is mixed with certain seasonings and stored for a long period. Consequently, if the bulk formula contains Prague Powder #1, it should be kept in an airtight container and used within a few months.
Seasoning meats with marinades, before smoking them, opens a new world of flavor. Every general cookbook and barbecue book will have a few recipes for marinades. Many of them can be used to season foods in preparation for smoking. Besides greatly increasing the range of flavors that come out of your smoker, there are two more points worthy of consideration. First, marinades normally contain less salt than salt cures— many contain no salt. Second, they usually contain no nitrates or nitrites.
About 20 percent of humans are sensitive to the sodium contained in salt, and this sensitivity can contribute to high blood pressure. Such people may be able to eat normal amounts of marinated (and then smoked) foods if the salt is reduced, eliminated, or replaced with a salt substitute. However, sodium-sensitive individuals would be able to eat only small amounts of the common salt-cured products.
The second point—the fact that marinades usually do not contain nitrates or nitrites—is important for those who don’t want to put additives in their smoked products.
If you want to try marinades—and you really should—there are some basic guidelines presented below.
A marinade is a liquid that always contains some kind of a liquid acid and one or more seasoning ingredients. It will often contain oil, as well. Wine, citrus juice, beer, vinegar, and sherry are some examples of acids used. Because of the acid content, marinades must be mixed and applied in an acid-resistant container such as those made of glass, glazed ceramic, stainless steel, or food-grade plastic. Never use aluminum, copper, common steel, or cast iron. For the same reason, acid-resistant implements made of materials such as stainless steel or plastic should be used for stirring or turning over the meat.
The size and shape of the marinating container is not important. Furthermore, it is not necessary for the raw material to be completely covered with marinade. It is important, however, to mix or turn over the material from time to time. About 1 cup (240 ml) of marinade liquid is usually sufficient for 2 pounds (about 1 kg) of meat.
Meat absorbs the flavors of the marinade in which it is immersed. The acid in the marinade tenderizes the meat. Oils, if used, help to prevent the meat from drying when it is cooked or smoked. Immersion time normally varies from less than an hour to many hours. In this book, however, an immersion time of several days is suggested for some of the products. If the meat is to be marinated more than one hour, it should be refrigerated to retard proliferation of bacteria.
Some marinades are cooked. Cooked marinades are made sterile by the cooking process, so it is a little safer to use them for an immersion time that exceeds 12 hours. Of course, cooked marinades should be well chilled before using.
The warmer the marinade and the warmer the raw material, the faster the penetration of the flavor. Any marinade at room temperature, for example, will penetrate the meat faster than one at refrigerator temperature. However, as mentioned previously, marinating for over an hour at room temperature might cause a dangerous proliferation of bacteria.
There are no strict rules for the length of the immersion time. Obviously, a strong flavor requires more time than a mild flavor. Thick pieces of meat require more time than thin pieces. If tenderization and deep penetration are the goals, longer times are more effective. As a general guideline, you will need to marinate 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes of meat for two or three hours, at a minimum. However, a hunk of meat 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) thick would probably be marinated overnight, minimum. If you use a marinade recipe from a cookbook, the instructions will usually offer guidelines.
I believe that long marinating times are best for preparing raw material for smoking. Consequently, if a cookbook recipe suggests overnight, I might marinate for two or three days. When marinating material that will be smoked, I tend to consider the marinade to be a type of cure; hence, I extend the marinating time to ensure thorough penetration of the flavor. Obviously, the refrigerator should be in the proper temperature range if marinating times are extended significantly. Spoilage might result if the refrigerator is too warm.
The taste of the finished product will be a reflection of the taste of the ingredients that you use. If you don’t like the taste of any ingredient, don’t use it. If wine is called for in the recipe, use a wine that tastes good to you. If you can’t stand burgundy, use another variety of wine that agrees with your palate. It does not have to be expensive; a table wine that you would enjoy drinking is fine. The so-called cooking wines are a poor choice.
Many recipes for marinades call for soy sauce. If you do use soy sauce, use a good brand. Kikkoman is good. Yamasa soy sauce, made in Oregon, is excellent. If you want to try imported brands, you should be able to find some good ones at Chinese, Japanese, or Korean grocery stores. In East Asian countries where soy sauce is used daily, there are many special-purpose varieties. So if you buy imported soy sauce at an ethnic grocery store, ask the shopkeeper to help you select a general-purpose type. If you do go to an ethnic grocery store, consider purchasing some imported Japanese Worcestershire sauce for seasoning your smoked products; in my opinion, it is much better than our domestic brands. The Japanese sauce will probably have WORCESTER SAUCE written in English on the label.
Complete directions for processing several marinated-and-smoked products will be found in this book. Each product will appear in the chapter dealing with the kind of meat being processed in that chapter— red meat, poultry, fish, what have you. However, you should not limit yourself to the marinade recipes found herein; explore the numerous marinade recipes that appear in cookbooks and barbecue books.
It is best to hot smoke marinated foods at temperatures greater than 140º F (60º C). Spoilage, or proliferation of microorganisms, might result if the product is smoked at lower temperatures. This is because marinades typically impart less salt and sugar than does a salt curing process, and this reduced salt and sugar makes the proliferation of microorganisms more likely.