Curing Flashcards
What was the first method of curing used?
Salting.
What is pemmican?
A mixture of ground meat, dried fruit, and dried vegetables.
What are the 4 functions of curing meat?
- Increased food safety.
- Extended shelf-life when refrigerated.
- Increased flavor development.
- Increased color development.
What are the 3 reasons why salt is used as a curing ingredient?
- Dehydrating agent.
- Desirable flavor.
- Good preservative.
What are the 3 reasons why sugar is used as a curing ingredient?
- Acid formation substrate for lowering the pH.
- Counteracts the astringent taste of salt.
- Flavor enhancer.
What 3 places is sodium nitrate naturally found?
- Soil
- Vegetables.
- Water.
What is sodium nitrate easily converted into?
Sodium nitrite through the loss of an oxygen.
What are the 4 reasons why sodium nitrite is used as a curing ingredient?
- Active meat-curing agent.
- Bacteriostatic properties, even against Clostridium botulinum.
- Cured flavor.
- Retards lipid oxidation.
Why is sodium nitrite especially important in ham production?
It gives cured ham its characteristic pink color.
Why does ham look pink when cured?
The sodium nitrite is broken down to nitric oxide during the curing process, and nitric oxide can bind to myoglobin.
Why are nitrate and nitrite levels in meat highly regulated?
Due to both compounds being toxic to humans.
What are the 2 reasons why sodium ascorbate and sodium erythorbate are used as curing ingredients?
- Inhibit nitrosamine formation.
- Speed up color change.
*Levels are regulated.
What is the reason why alkaline phosphate is used as a curing ingredient?
It decreases meat shrinkage by boosting water-binding.
*Level in regulated.
Is alkaline phosphate recognizable in meat?
No, it has a variety of alternate names that could be on the package.
What 5 spices are commonly used to flavor meat?
- Allspice.
- Cinnamon.
- Clove.
- Nutmeg.
- Pepper.
What are the 3 reasons why water is used as a curing ingredient?
- Dispersing medium for the other ingredients.
- Maintenance of juiciness.
- Moisture-loss compensation.
- Reducing cost by selling the water added as part of the meat. Must be on the label.
What is the scientific name for the pink color of cured meat?
Nitrosylhemochrome.
What 2 things cause the color of nitrosylhemochrome to fade?
- Light.
- Oxygen.
What was the original method of curing meat?
Dry salt curing.
What does dry salt curing require?
Rubbing and packing the meat in salt for 2+ weeks.
What compound can be added to meat being dry salt cured to improved color and flavor?
K+ or Na+ nitrite.
What does dry sugar curing require?
Rubbing a salt, cane sugar, nitrate (saltpeter) and K+ or Na+ nitrite mixture on the meat in 3-5 day intervals for 35 days.
What is the other name for a dry sugar cure?
Dry country cure.
What does box/pressure curing require?
Packing a box with the exact amount of the desired cure for each pound of product, then placing another box on top to press the cure into the meat.
What type of meat has box/pressure curing typically been used in?
Bacon.
What does hot salt curing require?
Rubbing the meat with a mixture of saltpeter and sugar, followed by hot salt. The meat cures for 5-7 days, then smoke before eating.
What does sweet pickle curing require?
The meat is placed in a container and completely covered by a pickle.
What does a pickle refer to when curing meat?
A mixture of salt, sugar, sodium nitrite, and cold water.
What does pump pickling curing require?
Forcing the pickle in to the center of the meat with a needle.
What does stitch pump pickling curing require?
Penetrating the cut of meat repeatedly and injecting small pockets of pickle throughout the cut for a more even pickle.
What does spray pumping pickling curing require?
Spraying the meat with the pickle to cure it.
What type of curing is pump, stitch, and spray pickling curing combined with? Why?
- Dry curing.
- To shorten the cure time.
What is the most common form of curing used commercially?
Some form of pickling combined with dry curing.
What does artery curing require?
The pickle is injected into the femoral artery and a dry rub is placed on the outside of the carcass.
*Provides a more uniform flavor.
What does pre-smoke soaking require?
Rinsing and soaking the meat in cold water to rinse off excess salt prior to smoking.
What are the two places meat can be smoked?
- A heat processing unit.
- A smokehouse.
What is used to generate the smoke used to smoke the meat?
- Sawdust.
- Wood chips.
- Actual logs.
*All are usually dampened to maximize smoke production.
What type of wood is preferred for smoking meat? Please provide examples.
Hardwoods such as hickory, apple, mesquite, maple.
What type of wood is avoided when smoking meat? Why?
- Pine and evergreens in general.
- The high tar content and bitter flavor.
What happens to meat that is too wet when it is smoked?
Streaking occurs.
What happens to meat that is too dry when it is smoked?
It will be pale in color and have poor smoke adherence.
What are the 2 ways of smoking meat?
- Natural smoke.
- Liquid smoke.
What are the 4 ways to apply liquid smoke?
- Atomizing
- Dipping.
- Drenching.
- Regenerating.
*Highly concentrated, so a little goes a long way.
How should cured meat be cooked to maximize tenderness?
Slowly.
What are the 2 purposes of showering and chilling cured meat?
- Removing salt and fat streaks.
- Speeding up the cooling process.
What cut of pig is bacon?
Pork belly trimmed into a rectangle.
At what level of preparedness is bacon packaged?
Cured, partially cooked, and smoked.
How is bacon presented in the package?
Sliced and shingled.
How is round bacon made?
By tightly rolling and netting the bacon before smoking and cooking to yield round bacon.
What are the 5 kinds of cured beef products?
- Beef bacon.
- Beef jerky.
- Corned beef.
- Cured beef.
- Dried beef
What are the 9 kinds of cured ham products?
- Bone-in ham.
- Boneless ham.
- Canned ham.
- Chunked ham.
- Country ham.
- Formed ham.
- Imported European Canned Ham.
- Prociutto.
- Westphalian Ham.
What is canned ham?
Vacuum sealed, cooked, stich-pumped, boneless ham in a can.
What is a country ham?
A dry sugar cured ham.
What are the 4 other pork cuts?
- Windsor chops.
- Cappicola.
- Hocks or Ham Hocks.
- Jowls.
What is cappicola?
Cured boneless Boston butts, lightly rubbed with pepper and other seasonings.
How have scientific principles been applied to sausage making?
- Minimization of batch-to-batch variation.
- Achievement of color, flavor, safety, shelf-life, texture, and water-binding.
What are the 2 requirements for fresh sausage?
- Made with fresh meat.
- Refrigerated or frozen.
What are the 3 requirements for uncooked smoked sausage?
- Smoked but not cooked.
- May be cured or fresh meat.
- Must be refrigerated.
What are the 2 requirements for cooked sausage?
- Made with fresh meat that is cured during processing, fully cooked, and smoked.
- Must be refrigerated.
What are the requirements for dry and semi-dry sausage?
- Made from fresh meat that is cured during processing and may or may not be smoked.
- Lower pH (4.7-5.3) from bacterial fermentation.
How should dry sausages be stored?
Cool storage, due to generally not being cooked.
How should dry sausages be stored?
Usually fermented and cooked in a smokehouse. Refrigeration is recommended.
How is luncheon meat/loaves prepared?
From fresh meat cured during processing and fully cooked.
What are the 14 ingredients of a sausage?
- Antioxidants
- Ascorbates and erythorbates.
- Extenders.
- Glucono Delta Lactone.
- Mold inhibitors.
- Monosodium glutamate.
- Nitrate and nitrite.
- Phosphates.
- Raw meat.
- Salt.
11.Sodium lactate. - Spices, seasonings, flavorings.
- Sugar.
- Water.
What 3 antioxidants are used in sausage?
- Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA).
- Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT).
- Propyl gallate.
What is the purpose of ascorbates and erythorbates in sausage?
Cure accelerators.
What is the purpose of extenders in sausage?
- Bind the ingredients.
- Texture.
- Flavor.
What are the 4 types of extenders used in sausage?
- Cereal flour.
- Non-fat dry milk.
- Sodium caseinate.
- Soy protein.
What is the purpose of glucono delta lactone in sausage?
Cure accelerator and produces an acid tang.
What 2 types of mold inhibitors are used in sausage?
- Potassium sorbate.
- Propylparaben.
What is the purpose of monosodium glutamate in sausage?
Improves flavor (savory).
What is the purpose of nitrate and nitrite in sausage?
- Bacteriostatic.
- Antioxidant.
- Flavor.
- Pink color.
What is the raw meat in sausage?
Carcass meat unless stated otherwise.
What is the purpose of salt in sausage?
- Preservation.
- Flavor enhancement.
- Protein extraction to produce bind.
What is the purpose of sodium lactate in sausage?
Bacteriostatic.
What is the purpose of sugar in sausage?
- Flavor.
- Facilitates fermentation.
How is the meat emulsion used for sausage described?
A finely comminuted sausage batter where the proteins have unfolded.
*Must be kept cold.
What are the 2 casing types used in sausage production?
- Natural/animal casings.
- Manufactured.
What are natural casings derived from hogs made from specifically?
- Hog bungs.
- Hog stomachs.
- Hog middles.
- Small hog casings (small intestine).
- Hog bladder.
What are natural casings derived from sheep made from specifically?
Sheep small intestine.
What are natural casings derived from beef cattle made from specifically?
- Beef weasand.
- Beef rounds.
- Beef middles.
- Beef bungs.
- Beef bladders.
What are the 3 materials a manufactured casing could be made of?
- Cellulose.
- Collagen.
- Formed from meat.
