14 | Why we love cured meats

why we love cured meats.

we love cured meats!  especially traditionally prepared cured meats.  we are NOT talking about deli chicken breast or turkey breast or roast beef.  we ARE talking about cured and fermented traditional meats such as pepperoni, salami, prosciutto and others.

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  not all meats are created equal.

• many lunch meats such as chicken breasts, turkey breast, and roast beef may come from leftover parts of the animal that have then been ground up, cooked, and pushed into casings.  these are NOT the quality cured meats we are talking about here.
• traditionally prepared, cured, and fermented meats go through a special curing process, which we find to be beneficial and healthful as part of a balanced overall way of eating.

 

most cured meats have some things in common.

• they usually contain parts of the animal that most people would consider "scraps" but that we find very beneficial.  remember we like to eat animals nose-to-tail.  that most p don't’ like but we love.
• then they are seasoned for preservation or curing or fermentation.
• the curing process takes the place of cooking, although many of them can be smoked or cooked after curing.

these are good things.

 

untreated meat goes bad fast.

a lot of it has to do with temperature, humidity, and water presence in the meat itself.  most meats cannot be kept at room temperature in excess of a few days without spoiling.

curing is meat preservation. it involves drying and slight fermentation. 

• drying happens using combinations of salt, nitrates, nitrites, and sugar, these ingredients draw moisture out of the meats (which makes it less likely to spoil and be overtaken by bad bacteria), inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria, and add a unique flavor.
• sugar is usually added, not for flavor, but to balance out the harshness of the salt and to provide glucose for beneficial bacteria.  this induces a slight fermentation process.  remember, controlled fermentation is beneficial in most situations because it preserves and enhances the bioavailability of nutrients.

curing can significantly extend the life of meat before it spoils, by making it inhospitable to the growth of spoilage microbes. curing is ancestral and it was a way to extend the shelf life of meat for long trips and periods of time when there wasn’t much game.  in today’s modern world, it’s used more for taste, and also has the fringe benefits of preserving and fermenting the meat.

 

takeaways.

• traditionally cured meats are ancestral and healthful, especially if they come from quality animals.
• the curing process extends shelf life by drying out the meat.  the sugar added contributes to a mild fermentation process.
• sugar as an ingredient in a cured meat is not a problem and is actually beneficial.  as long as the meat doesn't taste like candy, its’ good quality, and all the other ingredients check out, it's good to go!  you’ll notice with Wellshire’s black forest bacon and Christiansen's Family Farm bacon (which is amazing), both use sugar and salt, but neither taste sweet.

 

resources.

visit our post https://paulctijerina.com/cured-meats/