Dry curing and equilibrium questions

[Mattrix]

In this post I am just trying to understand how curing works. There is a lot of contradictory information out there.
I apologise there are so many questions
I have been looking at some older techniques to preserve meat. I have tried to be faithful to the recipes, but this is an amalgam of different recipes. The procedures run like this,
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daytime temp <50F, rub cure mix into meat and hang.
- salt diffuses into meat
- salt removes water from cells via osmosis
- water diffuses out of meat
- water evaporates

daytime temp >50F, when meat has lost ~10% of its weight
- rub off the cure and hang again
- salt equalizes
- meat continues to dry

daytime temp ~70F, when meat has lost ~20% of its weight, at this point,
- it can be eaten (cooked?*).
- it can be optionally smoked at ~80F,
- it can be aged in the air for months, <95F
------------------

*Some styles can be eaten without further cooking but seem to follow the same procedure to this point, What is the difference that makes it edible without cooking?

In most equilibrium descriptions,
After the cure has been applied the meat is bagged and put into the fridge, allowing 1-2" of thickness per week. Equalization is also carried out in the fridge, not at the higher temperature.

My questions are,
- Are these 'dry curing' procedures really equivalent?
- Does the meat still lose 10% of its weight during curing in the fridge? 20% after equalizing in the fridge?
- Can it be hung in air after curing or equalizing?
- During the cure, the meat will be sitting in its own brine; so is it really a wet brine?

Additional question, Since the 'Dry' cure is sitting in brine, does a 'wet brine' achieve the same result, weight loss and ability to hang etc?

The traditional method makes sense to me, the meat is progressively drying, and is progressively exposed to higher temperatures. Presumably the dryness/temperature combo maintains microbe safety through out the process. But it uses excess cure that must be removed at the correct time.

 

[Fueling Around]

Welcome to SMF

I have no experience with the processes you inquire about for preserving meats.
Perhaps bumping it so someone with experience such as @indaswamp can answer your questions.

 

[indaswamp]

I will give a detailed response to this later tonight. Can't right now.... but in the meantime, best book is the Green book by Stanley and Adam Marianski; Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages.

 

[indaswamp]

Rule of thumb is that the meat is not exposed to temps. above 60*F for long extended period of time until 25% is lost for bone in cuts, and 30% loss for boneless cuts. This allows the water activity to be low enough so that microbes can not spoil the product. There are some exceptions allowed, like for prosciutto where they 'heat set the color' at 72-75*F for 4-5 days, but this is after heavy salting for an extended period.

 

[indaswamp]

curious what products you are looking to make? Country style ham? Or are you just curious on the process?

 

[indaswamp]

For the old methods, they used 3.25% salt per kilogram of meat weight. The salt is applied 90% to the exposed meat areas and the remaining salt is applied to the fat area (or on the skin as in prosciutto). The meat will lose roughly 0.5% of the salt with the fluid that is extracted from the piece. The meat is massaged firmly daily. This helps the salt drive deeper into the meat faster. After a period of time, being dictated by the shape and size of the piece, the cut is hung or cased and trussed tightly as in the case of Capicolla or Culatello. After the salting phase, where the meat is dripping from all the fluid leaving the meat, it will lose about 5% weight. After casing and trussing, the piece will lose another 4-5% in 7-10 days. This is done strictly during the cold winter months or under refrigeration 38-40*F. after 35-45 days, the salt has equalized, and the piece will have lost around 15% weight. The temperature is increased to 50-54*F where the enzymes become more active inside the meat making flavor molecules. I a natural setting, it is only after 8-9 months during the hottest part of the summer, when the piece will react temps up to 72*F in the underground cellar. This only last around 2 months. This increases the enzymes even further and even more flavor is being created.

 

[indaswamp]

 

[indaswamp]

 

[indaswamp]

If I interpret your question correctly, you are asking the difference between dry curing and an equilibrium cure?

Dry curing uses extra salt to pull moisture out of the meat. Some of the salt is lost with the fluid. This fluid loss helps preserve the meat by lowering the water activity. The meat can be stabilized faster because water is lost faster.

The equilibrium cure uses the exact amount of salt you want to equalize within the meat. You apply this amount, seal it in a bag, allow 1/4" per day plus a little extra for the salt to equalize within the piece. Now here is the difference-the fluid has nowhere to go, so it stays in the bag with the piece. As the salt concentration on the surface begins to drive deeper, the fluid that was drawn out with the high concentration of salt on the surface now reverses and travels back into the piece. After the required equalizing time, no fluid has been lost from the piece, but the salt has equalized throughout the meat.

So this is why in the old days, the first method is preferred using a natural setting....to get the water out faster to stabilize the piece. Once 10% water is lost from the meat, botulism bacteria can not make the toxin.

 

[Mattrix]

Thank you so much @indaswamp, for all the background information.

Or are you just curious on the process?

Yes I'm curious, and trying to understand what the process is and to evaluate what I could do with a nondescript piece of pork and no equipment.

If I interpret your question correctly, you are asking the difference between dry curing and an equilibrium cure?

correctamundo

The equilibrium cure uses the exact amount of salt you want to equalize within the meat. ... After the required equalizing time, no fluid has been lost from the piece

Whereas in the older method they wanted to lose fluid to stabilise the meat.
So, if I interpret correctly, the 2 methods are not inter-changeable. One is for preserving, the other is more for seasoning.

curious what products you are looking to make? Country style ham?

Country ham style recipes are the most numerous old recipes, but often they just refer to a large piece of pork. I thought a ham was too ambitious for a beginner.

What is available at the moment is strips of pork, 3" by 12 to 24" on the skin side and about 4" thick. Sometimes they look like back/loin but mostly are a slice of boned leg, which has a less uniform thickness.
I'm going to get a piece and try corning it.

 

[Mattrix]

What is the difference in processing that makes a product edible without cooking?