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Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Oklahoma State University

ANSI-3994

Frederick K. RayExtension Animal Foods Specialist

Meat curing is the application o salt, color xing ingre-dients, and seasoning in order to impart unique properties tothe end product.

Historical BackgroundThe salting and smoking o meat was an ancient practice

even beore the birth o Christ. These early processed meatproducts were prepared or one purpose, their preservationor use at some uture time. Salt was used at concentrations

high enough to preserve the meat. Preservation by smok-ing is believed to have been developed inadequately by theprimitive tribes. The American Indians preserved meat prior tosettlement by Europeans by hanging it in the top o a teepeeto maximize contact with campre smoke.

The origin o the use o nitrite is lost in history. Salt contain-ing nitrates was used in Homers time (850 B.C.) to preservemeat. Nitrate was present originally as a natural impurity inthe salts used in curing but, unknown to the users, was a keyingredient in the curing process. The Romans, who learnedthe art o curing meat with salt rom the Greeks, were the rstto note the reddening eect now attributed to nitrite. Althoughthe role o nitrites in cured meat was not really understood untilearly in the 20th century, it is clear that or thousands o yearsnitrite has played an important role in meat curing.

Selection and Handling of MeatMeat is a highly perishable product in which deteriorative

changes begin soon ater bleeding the animal. The primarycause o product deterioration is microorganisms which maybe bacteria, yeasts, or molds. The tissues o the living ani-mal are essentially ree o these. However, the rst sourceo contamination is with the sticking knie in the bleedingprocess. Other sources o contamination are associated withhandling conditions such as contact o the hide, puncture othe intestinal tract and improper cleaning o equipment usedor cutting and processing. The best way to keep deterioration

o product to a minimum is with low cooler temperatures anda good sanitation program. Proper handling o meat is the keyto successul meat curing.

Rapid chilling o the hog carcass or any other meat cutsis a must to prevent spoilage. With adequate rerigeration(32-35F.), it takes 12 to 15 hours to chill a 150-pound hogcarcass down to 40F internal temperature. This is extremelyimportant since warm meat may start spoiling beore the saltpenetrates to the center o the cut. Ham Sour rom anaerobic

Meat Curing

bacteria present in lymph nodes or bone joint may result ithe resh (uncured) ham is not chilled below 40F.

Cuts most commonly cured rom pork are the ham,shoulders, and belly, while jowl and loin are sometimes cured.Most commonly cured bee cuts are briskets, strips o round,or chuck and plates which can be cured as bee bacon.

Sanitary conditions can aect the favor o resh or curedmeats. Thus, its essential to have clean equipment and acili-ties to produce the highest quality cured product.

The work area should be cleaned daily with warm water(130F.) and detergent ollowed by a sanitizer or microbialcontrol. All complete sanitation programs should include thesesteps.

Cured Meat Products.

Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Fact Sheetsare also available on our website at:

http://osufacts.okstate.edu

Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service

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Curing IngredientsThe two main ingredients that must be used to cure meat

are salt and nitrite. However, other substances can be addedto accelerate curing, stabilize color, modiy favor, and reduceshrinkage during processing.

Salt is the primary ingredient used in meat curing. Origi-nally it served as a preservative by dehydration and osmoticpressure which inhibits bacterial growth. Salt still unctionsas a preservative in the country style cured meat product.

The main unction o salt in other cured products is to addfavor. However; even at low concentrations salt has somepreservative action. Salt levels are dependent on consumerstaste, but a two to three percent concentration in the productis about right.

Nitrates and nitrites, either potassium or a sodium salt, areused to develop cured meat color. They impart a bright reddish,pink color, which is desirable in a cured product. In addition tothe color role, nitrates and nitrites have a pronounced eecton favor. Without them a cured ham would be simply a saltypork roast. They urther aect favor by acting as powerulantioxidants. Antioxidants are compounds that prevent thedevelopment o oxidative rancidity, which would reduce thekeeping quality. Sodium nitrites also prevent the growth o aood poisoning microorganism known as Clostridium botuli-mum, the bacteria that causes botulism.

Nitrates and nitrites must be used with caution during cur-ing. They are toxic when used in large amounts. The Federaland State Meat Inspection regulations limit the amount thatcan be used in curing. It is important that exact amounts areused and the curing mixture is thoroughly mixed. The uselevel o sodium nitrate or potassium nitrate (saltpeter) is 31/

2oz. per 100 pounds meat or dry cure or 7 pounds nitrate

per 100 gallons pickle (liquid cure) at 10percent pump level.The use o sodium or potassium nitrite is limited to 1 oz. per100 pounds meat or dry cure, or 2 pounds per 100 gallonspickle (liquid cure) at 10percent pump level. Nitrites combinedwith nitrates should not be greater than 156 ppm ingoing intohams or 120 ppm ingoing into bellies.

Sugar (sucrose) serves several important purposes incured meat. First o all, it adds favor, and secondly, it coun-teracts the harshness o salt. Also sugar provides a suracecolor characteristic o aged ham i caramelized sugar is used.Both brown and white sugars can be used. The sugars mostrequently used are sucrose, cane sugar, dextrose, and invertsugar. The amount o sugar used is selfimiting due to itssweetening power.

Ascorbates (sodium ascorbate or sodium erythorbate)are used to speed the curing reaction by aster color develop-ment through more rapid reduction o nitrates and nitrites tonitric oxide. The nitric oxide combines with the meat pigment,

myoglobin, to orm nitrosomyglobin, dark red color. Whenthe product is heated to 130-140F the nitrosomyoglobin isconverted to a stable pigment, nitrosohemochrome light pinkin color. Also ascorbates are used to stabilize cure color omeats. The most requently used cure accelerator compoundsare sodium ascorbate or sodium erythorbate. Curing picklecontaining these compounds should be used within 24 hoursbecause their reaction with nitrite will lower the nitrite level othe pickle and its eectiveness.

The ingredient phosphate should be used only or thosemeats cured with a liquid cure. Phosphates are adjuncts usedto increase the water holding capacity o cured products. In-

creased water holding capacity will increase yields o productand improve retention o brine. Phosphates are not easilysoluble in a pickle. It is recommended to dissolve the phos-phates rst then add it to the pickle. Sodium tripolyphosphate,sodium hexametaphosphate, and sodium pyrophosphate areapproved by USDA or use in meat curing.

Water must not be taken or granted as an ingrediento curing pickle (liquid cure). It acts as a carrier o the otheringredients, infuences composition o the meat, and it may

contribute to palatability or juiciness o the product. Yield onish product is dependent on amount o water retained dur-ing the curing and cooking process. Such yields are criticalin determining the price o the nished cooked product.

Method of CuringCuring materials may be in either dry or liquid orm. They

will be applied either to the surace o meat or into it by someinjection method. The oldest method o cure application isdry cure in which the curing ingredients are rubbed on thesurace o the meat. The dry, sugar cure method can be usedunder wider temperature variations and will have less spoilageproblems under unavorable curing conditions. A simple and

time-tested dry-curing ormula is as ollows: 8 Ibs. salt 3 Ibs. sugar 2 oz. sodium nitrate 1/

2oz. sodium nitrite (or a total o 3 oz. nitrate available;

remember, excess nitrite is toxic)

Also, a prepackaged cure or modern cure mix can bepurchased rom a spice or seasoning company.

One ounce o cure mixture per one pound o pork shouldbe used. Hams will require three separate rubbings at three-to ve-day intervals. Picnics and butts will require two rub-bings at three- to ve-day intervals. The belly will require onethorough rubbing with a little sprinkling over the fesh side o

each belly. The cure mixture should be divided into two orthree portions or the number o rubbings. At the end o thethree- or ve-day interval another portion o the cure mixtureshould be rubbed in. When curing, meat should be held in anon-corrosive vat or containers that will drain so the cuts donot rest in their own brine.

The length o curing is seven days per inch o thickness.An example, i a ham weighs 12-14 pounds and is 5 inchesthick through the thickest part, this ham should be cured 5 x7 = 35 days. A belly two-inches thick should cure in 14 days.Another important consideration is to be sure the cure isrubbed into the aitch bone joint and hock end o the ham toavoid bone sour. During curing the product should be storedat temperatures between 32 to 40F.

I the dry cure mix is dissolved in water, it is called abrine or pickle. The meat can be covered with this pickle andthe system is known as immersion curing. Immersion curingis slower and the pickle solution has to be changed every 7days to prevent spoilage. A sweet pickle cure with a salimeterreading o 75 can be produced by adding 5 gallons o water tothe 8-3-3 mixture (above). A salimeter (salometer) should beused to measure the strength (salinity) in the curing brine.

For quality curing and maintaining the same salt level inthe nished product, a salimeter is a necessary instrument othe industry. When using the salimeter to determine the salt

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level o the brine or pickle, be sure salt is the only ingredientin the water. Sugar and phosphates will raise the salimeterreadings. Also the temperature o the water will infuence thereading, so be sure and check the temperature at which thesalimeter is to be used. However, most salimeters are usedat 60F. (Salimeters can be purchased at a meat equipment-supply or approximately $7.)

A useul calculation or determining percent salt in abrine is to multiply the salimeter reading by 26.4 percent.

The 26.4percent comes rom 100 brine (saturated) equals26.4percent salt.

The percent salt in 70 brine is:

70 x 26.4percent (0.264) = 18.48percent salt in brine.

The next application is to relate the saltiness o the brineto the saltiness o the pumped meat.

% salt in nished product =%salt in brine x percent pump x 100

yield

Example 1: 70 brine, pump 15% yield o nish product

102%

%salt in nished product =(2.72 % Salt)

.1848 (% Salt) x 15 (% Salt) x 1001.02 (%yield o nished product)

Example 2: 70 brine, pump 15%, yield o nish product85%.

% salt in nished product =(3.26 % Salt)

.1848 (% Salt) x 15 (%Salt) x 100.85

For pumping pickle its usually recommended to use asalimeter reading o 70 to 85. Then or the cover pickle thepump pickle can be diluted to 55-65 brine.

Curing time or hams and picnics in brine is 3 1/2

to 4 daysper pound per piece o meat. Another way to gure curing timesis to allow 11 days per inch o thickness measuring the great-est thickness through the center o the cut. A 15 pound hamwill take 60 days to cure by the immersion cure method.

To speed up curing, the brine or sweet pickle can bepumped or injected into the cut. Injection o the cure is ac-complished either by stitch or artery method. The stitch methodinvolves the use o a perorated needle or several needles thatdistribute the pickle when injected into the meat.

Another type o cure injection used especially or hams,picnics and bee tongues is by the arterial system. This pro-cedure utilizes the naturally occurring vascular network orquicker and complete distribution o the cure. The pickle ispumped by a small gauge needle through the emoral arteryo the ham.

Any type o injection curing will speed up the distribution,and the more complete the distribution, the shorter the curingtime. The curing time with the injection method may be asshort as 24 hours. The pickle solution can be prepared by theprocedure previously explained. The pickle can be pumped into

the ham at equivalent to 10 percent o its weight (a 15 poundham requires 1.5 pounds o pickle). When pumping, placethe meat on a scale to determine when the proper amounto pickle has been pumped into the meat. During the curingperiod, the product should be kept at 36 to 40F.

SmokingThree traditionally recognized reasons or smoking meat

are or preservation, appearance, and favor. Smoked meat isless likely to spoil than unsmoked meat. Smoking improves thefavor and appearance, aids in reducing mold growth,as well asretards rancid favors. It takes about 24 hours to smoke and cookhams. Smoking is usually accomplished in three stages. Duringthe rst phase, or drying stage, the smokehouse is heated to125F. All dampers are opened to allow all excess moistureto escape and there is no smoking during this 8-hour period.During the next eight-hour stage, the dampers are partiallyclosed and the temperature on the house increased to 135F.and smoke is generated. The smoke is continued throughoutthe third stage with all dampers closed, and the temperatureon the house raised to 180F. Hold this temperature until theproduct temperature reaches 142F. These hams will require

urther cooking in the home or ull tenderization. Hams soldas ully cooked have received extra heat processing to aninternal temperature o at least 148F.

The wood used to generate the smoke should be o thehardwood species. Do not use pine or any other resinouswood or sawdust because the smoke rom such wood will besooty and strong smelling. It is recommended to use wood orsawdust rom hickory, apple, plum, oak, maple, ash, or anynon-resinous wood to obtain satisactory results.

SummarySuccessul curing is dependent on proper handling o

meat and using good quality cure ingredients. Curing providespreservation o product, but such cured products still have ashort shel lie o 30 days at rerigerated temperatures. Re-member to handle with care.

For More InformationFood Products Formulary, Volume 1: Meats, Poultry, Fish,

Shellsh, S. L. Komarick, D. K. Tressler and Lucy Long.1974. Library o Congress, Card Catalog Number 73-94091. Available rom AVI Publishing Company, Inc.,P. O. Box 831, 250 East Street, Westport, CT 06880.This publication contains several ormulas on sausageproducts.

Processed Meats, by W. E. Kramlich, A. M. Pearson and S. W.Tauber. 1973. Library o Congress, Card Catalog Number

73-86053. Available rom AVI Publishing Company, Inc.,P. O. Box 831, 250 East Street, Westport, CT 06880. Anexcellent book on meat curing and has many sausageormulas.

The Meat We Eat, by J. R. Romans and P. T. Ziegler. 1974.776 pages. Library o Congress, Card Catalog Number74-79530. Available rom Interstate Printers and Publish-ers, Inc., 19-27 NorthJackson Street, Danville, IL 61832.This publication contains inormation on home slaughter,cutting, curing, and sausage manuacturing.

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Partial List of Regulated Substances for

Cured Pork and Beef Cuts

Ingredient Use

Added Water 10 percent in cured smokedhams

Ascorbic Acid or 75.0 oz. to 100 gallonErythorbic Acid pickle (10 percent pump level)

Sodium Ascorbate or 87.5 oz. to 100 gallonErythorbate pickle (10 percent pump level)

Phosphates 0.5 percent in nished product

Sodium Nitrate or 3.5 oz. to 100 lbs. meatsPotassium Nitrate (dry cure) 7.0 lbs. to

100 gallon pickle

Sodium Nitrite or 1.0 oz. to 100 Ibs. meatPotassium Nitrite (dry cure) 2.0 lbs. to

100 gallon pickle (10 percentpump level)

Oklahoma State University, in compliance with Title VI and VII o the Civil Rights Act o 1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, Title IX o the Education Amendments o 1972, Americanswith Disabilities Act o 1990, and other ederal laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis o race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, disability, or status as a veteran inany o its policies, practices, or procedures. This includes but is not limited to admissions, employment, nancial aid, and educational services.

Issued in urtherance o Cooperative Extension work, acts o May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department o Agriculture, Robert E. Whitson, Director o Cooperative Exten-sion Service, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma. This publication is printed and issued by Oklahoma State University as authorized by the Vice President, Dean, and Director othe Division o Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and has been prepared and distributed at a cost o 20 cents per copy. 0607