Monosodium glutamate, or MSG , is a useful addition to brines and cures that imbues the meat with an umami flavor. It generally can be added in an amount that is about 10% of the amount of salt, so a brine with 5% salt would get 0.5%MSG. Two other flavoring salts that are helpful are disodium 5' inosinate and disodium 5' guanylate. Add these in an amount that is aboutl% of the amount of salt.
original goal was preservation (especially when
typically 18%-22%. Dry-curing packs the food in
primarily for the changes in flavor and texture.
crystalline salt, but once moisture is wicked out of
Accomplishing this transformation requires
and thus becomes a wet cure with a salinity of
keeping it there for a while. Above this threshold,
23%-26%. In either case, the high salinity creates
charged ions from the salt destabilize proteins in
a steep concentration gradient. If a cut of meat or
the muscle fibers and cause them to denature and
seafood were left in a wet cure or a dry cure for
coagulate, which yields the characteristic texture
long enough, there would be no difference between
of cured flesh. Over time, curing causes some of
the two approaches.
tides and amino acids, which contribute to the
Traditional curing, like traditional brining, relies on careful timing to determine when to remove the food from the cure and then let it rest
cured flavor. and rubs, including recipes, see page 168.
the food, the salt immediately starts to dissolve
raising the salinity of the meat above 2% and
the proteins to break up into small, savory pep-
For more on making and using brines, cures,
Traditional wet-curing uses a very salty brine,
combined with drying), but today we cure meat
This transformation takes time. Brief exposure
to equilibrate. This is where the difference between
to moderately high salt concentration, 10% or so,
wet-curing and dry-curing arises: water initially
will not instantly cure meat or seafood. This is why
flows into wet-curing flesh as the salinity rises to 6%,
the conventional approach to brining works.
and then flows back out as the salinity continues to
THE CHEMISTRY OF
Nitrates, Nitrites, and Nitrosamines Today, most curing is done using curing salts that contain sodium nitrite (NaN02 ), a highly reactive compound. But that high chemical reactivity means that nitrite tends to become depleted quickly. So for longer cures, like those used to make country hams and slowly dried, fermented forcemeats such as salami, nitrite's more oxygenated cousin, sodium nitrate (NaN0 3 ), is used along with it. Certain kinds of salt-tolerant bacteria, often added as a commercial culture, provide a long-term source of nitrite within the meat by steadily transforming nitrate to nitrite. Nitrite partakes in many chemical reactions that prevent the growth of some toxic spoilage bacteria, preserve the appealing red color of myoglobin, prevent rancidity and warmed-over flavor, and even enhance flavor. Unfortunately, under certain circumstances nitrites can transform to nitrosamines, which are known to cause cancer in test animals. For this reason, some health experts call for an outright ban on the use of nitrates and nitrites in curing meat. And many consumers are wary of buying products containing nitrate and nitrite preservatives. We think this is an overreaction, however. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has set limits for the maximum concentration of nitrate and nitrite that can be added to most cured foods. For bacon, which is routinely cooked to a temperature at which nitrosamines form, the
160
USDA has banned nitrates altogether and prescribed a nitrite level of120 parts per million-a bout 0.12 g perl kg I 0.002 oz perllb of meat. This is not a limit. Rather, it's set at a level that will inhibit the growth of spoilage bacteria without risking the formation of excessive amounts of nitrosamines in foods that are cooked to a high enough temperature to cause the reaction-essentially, a temperature high enough to brown meats and seafood . In our view, the health benefits that nitrates and nitrites bring to cured meats far outweigh their dangers. As the 16th-century physician Paracelsus noted, "All things are poison and nothing is without poison ." Or you might say that the poison is in the dose, and lots of things-including oxygen and pure water-are dangerous at high doses, yet innocuous at low doses. One fact that should help put concerns about nitrates and nitrites in perspective is that many vegetables, as diverse as paprika, garlic, beet, celery, and lettuce, naturally contain significant amounts of sodium nitrate. That's why only a small percentage of the nitrate we eat comes from cured meat. It's also why some cured meats contain various vegetable powders; these function as preservatives that preserve a "clean label." But just as with conventional meats, it's the nitrate, and the nitrite that it is reduced to, that are the active substances here, although the labeling touts only "natural " ingredients.
VOLUME 3 路ANIMALS AND PLANTS