Salting is an age-old and proven method of preserving meat longer without refrigeration and giving it a special taste.
This is how it works at home.
Cured meat used to be taken on ships so that seafarers did not have to do without strengthening meat meals even on long sea voyages.
But this method was also important on land in times when there was no refrigerator to preserve meat.
We are of course long past those times and yet you can still buy cured meat today.
The reason: the meat not only has a longer shelf life, it also has a very special taste.
Kasseler, sausages, ham, bacon and Co. - there are many different meat specialties that are cured and thus get their
unmistakable, spicy taste
.
What many do not know, you can also pickle meat at home.
What happens when curing?
If meat or sausage is cured, it is
treated
with
salt and curing agents
such as sodium or potassium nitrate.
The salt prevents various bacteria from growing that would spoil the meat.
However, this function is no longer a priority nowadays.
Which meat can be salted?
Pork
is most commonly
cured
.
But beef, especially veal, can also be treated this way.
Poultry meat would become too dry during curing and is therefore not likely to be used.
Fish, on the other hand, can also be salted.
Read more: This type of meat has no place on the grill - unless you stick to a rule
Dry curing and wet curing
Curing can be done in different ways.
With
dry
curing, the meat is rubbed with the curing salt and then layered.
The salt draws liquid from the meat, which then collects.
This so-called own milk can be drained off or the meat can be placed in it.
Dry curing takes up to six weeks, depending on the size of the piece of meat.
With
wet curing
, the meat is soaked in brine until the salt concentration in the meat is just as high as in the brine.
This variant takes up to four weeks; the thickness of the meat is also decisive here.
Dry curing - this is how you cure yourself at home
You need
per kilo of meat
40 g curing salt
4 g of sugar
Spices as desired
Mix the ingredients and rub them well into the meat. Then, in a large container, layer the meat and refrigerate. Now you have to turn the meat every day until a film of its own forms that covers the meat. If not enough fluid is formed, brine must be added on the third day. Now the meat can pull through, the rule of thumb is at least one day per centimeter of meat thickness.
As soon as the meat is cured, it is soaked in cold water for about two hours.
After that, dry it off and let it rest in the refrigerator.
During this time, the salt is distributed more evenly in the meat.
You can easily work out how long the meat has to rest.
Simply divide the number of curing days by five.
Then you can process it, smoke it or freeze it and use it later.
Can you grill frozen meat?
Expert gives a surprising answer
Wet curing - this is how you cure yourself at home
You need
per kilo of meat
100 g curing salt
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 liter of water
Spices as desired
Boil the salt, spices and sugar in the water once and let the brine cool down.
Put the meat in a freezer bag, pour in the brine (the meat must be completely covered) and seal the bag.
Now let the meat soak in the refrigerator.
Depending on the size of the piece, this can take four to 14 days.
Once the meat has been cured, proceed as with dry curing, so water the meat and let it rest.
Can you also use normal salt for curing?
Conventional table salt without nitrite can also be used for curing, although this is usually referred to as
"salting"
instead of "curing".
Here, too, fluid is withdrawn from the meat and bacterial growth is inhibited.
However, the red color of the meat is not retained, it turns gray.
Do not grill cured meat
Some people swear by grilled Kassler, Leberkäse or sausages.
What is good in taste is
not recommended in terms of health
.
In high heat, pickling salts turn into nitrosamines, which are said to increase the risk of stomach cancer.
Also read:
With this simple trick, meat will never stick to the grillage again.
ante
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