The Old & New Methods of Curing Meat with Salt

Gravlax Beetroot Cured & Citrus — Gravlax – Citrus Cured & Beetroot Cured

The different methods for curing meat with salt goes back thousands of years. Although the methods have been refined over the years the basics are still the same.

Dry curing and smoking meat has taught me a lot about the powers of salt. So I did a bit more research about the history and summarized the information below.

Methods of Curing Meat With Salt

Salt Pork / Salt Fish – long preservation
Dry salting curing for dry-cured meats & salumi
Salt brining curing for hot & cold smoking (or dry salt curing)
Salt brine injection

Method for Curing Meat with Salt — Braesola style homemade dry cured meat

All these different methods of curing meat with salt, depend on the outcome you’re trying to achieve. I personally have focussed on flavor, but sometimes I need something to last 2 or 3 weeks if I am heading in to the bush for a while.

Before making just about any salami or salumi you are primarily using dry salt curing. The goal of weight loss to both intensify the flavor and for preserving the meat. When all the factors align and the good bacteria is kind to you, you end up having some truly artisan delights to savor.

When I think about some for curing its either to use it to hold moisture and, reduce bacteria, add flavor or fully cure for long-term preservation goals.

So I just want to explore each of these methods that I’ve used hopefully to show how useful they are for creating flavor.

Methods of Curing Meat

Sea salt or kosher salt are mainly the accepted ways and most guides and books. Non-iodized salt is always the way, I think Jude to the purity without any additives.

Salt Beef, Pork & Fish any Meat

Salt pork has quite a lot of history, going back to the 17th century. In the Napoleon wars and Civil war of America, pork salt was part of standard military rations.

Heavily salted pork is left to cure for at least a week. The cuts of meat used was primarily pork belly. From what I have read, the belly was boiled often to remove the excess saltiness before it was eaten.

What is Salt Pork & Fish used for?

Back in the day there wasn’t really any refrigeration. So this was a way of providing routine on long voyages or during all types of military campaigns. It seems also the homesteader was able to use this quite easily.

Dry Salt Curing – Modern Techniques

There are quite a few ways that dry salt curing is used.

Fully Surrounding Meat with Salt

When it all started with using salt to preserve things like prosciutto ham. The whole pork leg would be packed in salt for many days. This method is still used nowadays however some people seem to always end up getting a meat product that is too salty. I guess back in the day, as long as the prize pool was preserved you weren’t too worried about this.

It’s one of the ways I use salt for curing quite often, making a Scandinavian dish called gravlax. It’s traditionally used to cure a salmon fillet. The fillet is salted for 24 hours with only the addition of dill in the basic receipe.

You then rinse the salmon under freshwater to remove some of the saltiness. If it is still too salty, I soak it for 30 mins and then try it again. Finely slice and eat, an amazing simple cure which produces a mighty fine produce.

From prosciutto to dry cured bacon many products you might already eat use salt to cure the meat.

Dry Rubs

For low & slow barbecue smoking dry rubs are often used. Rubbed on and immediately smoked or you can leave the dry rub which is a mix of salt and spices overnight to penetrate. For the salt to penetrate into the meat, depending on the size and density of the meat the curing may only happen near the surface.

Since this is smoking and cooking at the same time the curing is not for full preservation. It’s about getting it soft, cooked with good smoke flavor attached. When it takes 4 to 12 hours, the smoke will end up flavoring the food nicely.

Equilibrium Curing

This is a method I am very familiar with, it is used widely and dry cured products. Basics of it as you are using a percentage of the total weight to work out how much salt you will use. By doing this you might under or over insult the meat. So you can cure the meat and a bag that in the fridge for a longer period of time.

Minimal Dry Salt Sprinkling

When I use a portable smoker, for fresh salmon or trout fillets. It’ll be primarily for hot smoking. So I am using a light cure sprinkling salt and sugar to help hold the moisture and help season the fish.

I just leave it overnight in the fridge and give uncovered it in the morning. A bit of drying to form the pellicle and then it’s ready to smoke.

Cold Smoking & Salt Curing

Apple Wood Cold Smoking wild duck, eggplant & salt.

It is an essential step in cold smoking. Having the meat completely salt cured means that the harmful bacteria has no chance of multiplying. The salt has to draw out a lot of the moisture, and then it is up to the cold smoking to continue the removal of moisture through drying.

The humidity level has a significant impact on dring and cold smoking. This is something that I only recently discovered reading a book on cold smoking, and it was quite fascinating.

Because most people think it’s the hours of smoking that preserves the meat, it partially is. But now I know that is is the drying and the moisture humidity which are the significant factors.

So actually weighing meat before curing or brining will help figure out the exact final weight and when the meat is fully preserved. If you want to do it the commercially accurate way.

Hot Smoking & Salt Curing

Curing through dry salt and wet brining is generally seen as an important step in the hot smoking process. Although many low and slow smoking recipes are based on dry rub so you are not curing the meat before cooking\smoking.

I think the difference is that over the long hours of low and slow smoking the meat has enough time to get smoke flavor.

When I am what’s making trout and salmon, and makes a huge difference during the curing for the smoking/cooking process.

Long Term Meat Storage

So for long-term meat storage salt can be really a key ingredient. Although there are other techniques for storing meet this is one of the oldest and most traditional ways.

Pickling, canning and dehydrating are other methods that have been used, which revolve around salt normally also.

Easy & Quick Meat Curing

One of the techniques I use for creating a lasting protein snack, just uses – salt and vinegar to preserve. Jerky or Biltong are easy and last for some time in the wild.

I have even heard of the traditional South African Way many years ago. Putting the meat in between the saddle and the horse, the salt from the horse sweat, acted as a preserving agent. Don’t think I will try that one.