Homemade processed meat is exceptionally tasty and usually disappears from the table in a blink of an eye. When creating new recipes and flavour compositions it is necessary to remember to choose the right method of preserving the processed meat products, since it is what allows us to enjoy them for longer and to eat them in a way that is safe for our health. One of such effective preservation methods is using curing salt. What are the greatest advantages of using it?
What is curing salt? It is nothing else than a mixture of non-iodised evaporated kitchen salt and sodium nitrite, which in the case of our product is enriched with sodium ascorbate (vitamin C). Curing salt protects the meat against loss of its natural red-pink colour, but above all else it protects food products against growth of undesirable microbes, mainly the bacteria that produce the botulinum toxin. The addition of antioxidant reduces the amount of residual nitrite, limiting the formation of nitrosamines effectively. It accelerates the transformation of nitrites into nitrogen oxide, thus improving the colour of meat products. It is also an excellent stabilising agent. Using curing salt will also allow you to process the meat further, e.g. smoke, dry or mature it.
How to use when preparing 1 kg of meat
Wet curing: pour 58-65 g of curing salt into 1 L of cold water. Add 4 g of sugar and, optionally, your favourite seasonings. Cure the meat in the brine created for 7-14 days in a refrigerator.
Dry curing of meat pieces: rub 18-25 g of curing salt and - optionally - your favourite seasonings into the meat. Cure it in a refrigerator for 3-7 days (1 day of curing per 1 cm of meat thickness).
Dry curing of meat for sausages: add 13-17 g of curing salt and your favourite seasonings to 1 kg of ground meat. Leave the mix so prepared in a refrigerator for 1 day.
Ingredients: non-iodised salt, sodium nitrite, antioxidant: sodium ascorbate (0.3%), anti-caking agent: potassium ferrocyanide.