Hams, curing brines

A U.S. patent was issued in 1917 for the use of nitrite as a replacement for nitrate in curing brines (Doran, 1917, as cited in Binkerd and Kolari, 1975). Kerr et al., (1926) found that hams cured in a brine containing about 2000 ppm sodium nitrite were equivalent in flavor and color to hams cured with nitrate. The maximum nitrite level found in any part of the hams was 200 ppm. Based on these experiments, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1925 authorized use of sodium or potassium nitrite in curing brines in federally inspected establishments, at 0.25 to 1 ounce per 100 pounds of meat, such that the finished product would contain no more than 200 ppm sodium... 

A high proportion of pork is pickled in brine and smoked, to make ham or bacon. The original process was to immerse the meat in a tank of cold brine for a period. A quicker method is to inject the cold pickle with hypodermic needles into the cuts. Smoking is carried out at around 52°C, so the cured bacon must be cooled again for slicing, packing and storage. 

Salt was also widely used throughout the world as a natural foods preservative, in the form of a dry rub or, when mixed with water, as a brine. When dry, the salt was rubbed into the meat several times before the meat was then hung up to dry or buried in a container with additional salt. Hogs were salted and cured, and pieces of pig were pickled in order to produce hams. Fish has been preserved using salt for thousands of years, possibly before meat was preserved in this fashion. 

Salt is used to cure meat and fish by soaking them in brine, rubbing salt onto them, or injecting them with a salt solution. Bacon and cured ham are examples of meats preserved by the use of salt. Salt is also used to make pickles by soaking cucumbers in brine. 

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