Curesmithnet
Merging tradition with innovation in meat curing. Dive into educational resources, community insights, and expert reviews.
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A Painful Lesson
Many moons ago, I built a walk-in maturing chamber and thought it would be cool to have viewing windows to let people see what we were doing. Unfortunately, when the first batch of dry-cured sausages came out two months after I had built the new chamber, they tasted sour and almost metallic.
The Risks of Using Glass Door Refrigerators for Maturing Chambers Discover why using glass door refrigerators as maturing chambers for curing meat might not be ideal due to UV exposure. Learn about glass door refrigerator risks and solutions.
Recently, a query surfaced in our Curesmith - Aged and Cured Meat Facebook group, accompanied by photographs (below) depicting a coppa/ copicola cure gone slightly wrong. A member shared the journey of their two pieces of cured meat, highlighting decent weight loss and balanced flavours.
Troubleshooting Humidity: Wrinkling and Case Hardening Recently, a query surfaced in our Curesmith - Aged and Cured Meat Facebook group, accompanied by photographs (below) depicting a coppa/ copicola cure gone sligh
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Sitting in my car waiting for my wife, I watch meat-curing videos. One particular video caught my attention: a man using his great-grandfather's recipe to cure meat. He staunchly believes there's no need to update this method passed down through five or six generations. According to him, it's perfectly safe.
Modern Meat Curing Techniques for Better Safety and Quality Explore why modern meat curing methods offer enhanced safety and quality over traditional techniques. Learn the benefits of updated curing processes.
https://youtu.be/CfdK3UNedhg
In the world of meat preservation, the discussion around nitrites' use is crucial and controversial. As part of our ongoing exploration of Curesmith - Preserving Tradition, we delve into the implications of using nitrite versus avoiding it in meat curing processes.
Q&A # 6: Nitrite vs. No Nitrite in Meat Curing Explore the role of nitrite in meat curing, its safety, and flavour benefits. Understand why nitrites are essential in modern and traditional meat preservation.
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Microclimate Management in Meat Curing
Controlling the environment is crucial when curing meat. Moisture loss plays a pivotal role in preventing the growth of harmful bacteria and ensuring the safety of cured meats.
Q&A #5: Guide to Microclimate Management in Meat Curing Discover the importance of microclimate management in meat curing, including moisture control and temperature regulation, to ensure safety and enhance flavors.
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The term "curing" is often used to explain the entire process, including the maturing/ ageing stage, which is fundamentally wrong.
Curing and maturing are fundamental to preparing and preserving high-quality meats.
Q&A #4: Curing vs Maturing - What is the Difference? Learn the crucial differences between curing and maturing meat to enhance flavor, extend shelf life, and improve texture with our expert guide.
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I have participated in the following conversation at least 50 times:
Me: "Nice recipe, but no nitrite is listed in the ingredients!"Enzo:
Q&A #3: The Essential Role of Nitrite in Dry-Cured Sausages Discover why nitrite is crucial for the safety of dry-cured sausages. Learn the science behind its use to prevent harmful pathogens in our comprehensive guide.
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Many rely on the age-old "smell test" to determine the safety of cured meats. This test assumes that if the meat smells fine, it's safe to eat. However, this method is dangerously misleading.
Q&A #2: Debunking the Myth: Why the Smell Test Fails Explore why the "smell test" fails in ensuring the safety of cured meats and learn safer methods for determining meat quality. Essential reading for all home curers!
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The Question
We received the following question on our Facebook Group: CURESMITH - Aged & Cured Meats from one of the members:
What is the ideal temp/humidity for storing/aging salt cured pork? I have some hams, bellies and fat hanging in these cotton sacks in my root cellar.
Q&A #1: The Risk of Using Fabrics When Curing Meat Discover why fabrics compromise meat curing, learn about better alternatives for optimal conditions, and ensure high-quality results.