Lesson Ten In this lesson we are going to take a slightly different turn and concentrate on methods to preserve meats. Here the word fermenting will be replaced with curing. Yes, we are going to be dealing mostly with our old allies of salt and bacteria. Meat, or for the most part the muscle of the animals is made up of a large amount of water. The curing process with salt is meant to significantly reduce this water content to reduce spoilage. This also has the benefit of producing an antibacterial action to the negative organism, while still leaving room for the positive organism to do their thing. This brining process is very similar to the pickling process we used on many of the vegetables (like dill pickles), but the salt level here is often higher. Besides salt, acids light lemon or lime juice can be employed for short- term use. Spices, often the same ones as pickling, can be employed, as well as smoking are also used in the curing process. The various combinations of these things have been employed by cultures All Rights Reserved. 1
around the world to both help preserve meat for later use and to change, or enhance the flavors of the meat. We don t know where the origin of curing started, but you can find it in most cultures both primitive and advanced. Local indigenous people, all the way up to the finest delicatessens in Italy employed several of these techniques. Even though we will investigate several techniques, the basics are to dry the meat out. This can be done in the sun, or simple air in arid areas of the world. Often smoke has to be added to assist in the drying process. By salting the meat, the process is speeded up and is almost always necessary in humid parts of the world. Salt, as we have seen in other areas, should not be household iodized salt. Sea salt, Celtic salt, canning or kosher salts are the best to use. In fact the basic use of salt for curing and brining is one of the reasons that salt was at one time one of the most valuable commodities, similar to the price of gold. A person with lots of salt was considered quite wealthy. When using salt alone, the meat can be quite dried out, pretty hard and very salty. There is usually quite a bit of loss of color also. To counteract all of these, sugar or some other sweetener (such as maple syrup or honey) is usually added to the salt. This will soften the meat, reduce the salty flavor, and help with the color. By mandate of the government, commercial curing has to add saltpeter (sodium or potassium nitrate or sodium nitrite). It also helps preserve the meat, while also fixing the red color. Some people, including us, decide not to add the saltpeter due to health risks related to cancers and some cardiovascular (reduce hemoglobin and blood s ability to carry oxygen) issues. I personally would like to keep the red in my own blood rather than to make my food look pretty. Saltpeter has also been shown to reduce sexual function in men. Without the saltpeter we have to rely more on hygiene, refrigeration and freezing. As we will see, curing can be done as a dry cure, where the salt and spice mixture is rubbed into and on the meat; or a brine cure (sometime called a wet cure) when the meat is held in a liquid brining solution. Brining can be a very good way to preserve meat for future All Rights Reserved. 2
Ceviche use. A properly salt- brined ham can be left to hang at room temperature up to 100 o F (38 o C) for 10 years without going bad. Yes it would be quite salty and the meat will lose the color and grey over time, but it is still edible. This is why you see them hanging in the loft of old movies. Of course smoking can add a lot of flavor to the curing process. It brings out the finer flavors, helping preserve the meat better and especially keeping insects away. The type of wood chips used has a great deal to do with the flavor. You can hot smoke (virtually cooking the meat while you smoke it), or cold smoke it where the source of the smoke produces very little heat on the actual meat. We are going to start with some of the simplest fish curing and move into more refined pastrami. ( she- BEE- chay; ca- VEE- chay) is very popular in Mexico, Central America and South America. It is lightly fermented raw fish, cut into bite- size pieces and marinated in the juice of an acidic fruit (usually lime), salt, and seasonings (usually hot peppers). The citric acid in the juice changes the texture of the fish, without changing its raw taste. Ceviche is an old tradition in South America, dating back to the earliest inhabitants. The Incas preserved their fish with fruit juice, salt and chili peppers, and later the Spanish conquerors introduced the now essentiallimes. As much as it is raw, locals tell you no, it is cooked by the lime juice. There is no doubt the structure of the proteins in the fish changes, becoming more opaque and firm (similar to what happens when it is cooked). It is important to know that this process does not kill bacteria or parasites that might be in the fish. Thus you want to start with the freshest, cleanest fish possible. All Rights Reserved. 3
Fermentation For Life By Terry Willard ClH, PhD; Malcolm Saunders Lesson 10 Natural Cured Meats Ceviche is usually made with mild, firm fish like sea bass, halibut or flounder. Often shellfish like scallops. The basic idea is to marinate the fish in a citric fruit (almost always limes, sometimes lemons) for at least 1 hour and no more than 12 hours. Most feel the optimal time is 3 4 hours. You can add all kinds of spices and vegetables to the ceviche to enhance the enjoyment. Here are a few common ceviche salad mixtures: Traditional Scallops Ceviche 4 to 6 servings 1 pound scallops 8 limes, juiced 2 tomatoes, diced 5 green onions, minced 2 stalks celery, sliced 1/2 green bell pepper, minced 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley freshly ground black pepper 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 1/8 cup chopped fresh cilantro Directions 1 Rinse scallops and place in a medium sized bowl. Pour lime juice over the scallops. The scallops should be completely immersed in the lime juice. Chill the lime juice and scallops all day or overnight until scallops are opaque (you cannot see through them). 2 Empty 1/2 of the lime juice from the bowl. Add tomatoes, green onions, celery, green bell pepper, parsley, black pepper, olive oil, and cilantro to the scallop mixture. Stir gently. Serve with a slice of lime hanging over the rim for effect. All Rights Reserved. 4
Ceviche Yield: Serves 4-8. Preparation time: 15 minutes to prepare, 3-4 hours to let sit. Always use the freshest fish possible. Make the same day you purchase fresh fish. INGREDIENTS 2 lbs of firm, fresh red snapper fillets (or other firm- fleshed fish), cut into 1/2 inch pieces, completely deboned 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lime juice 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice 1/2 red onion, finely diced 1 cup of chopped fresh seeded tomatoes 1 serrano chili, seeded and finely diced 2 teaspoons of salt Dash of ground oregano Dash of Tabasco or a light pinch of cayenne pepper Cilantro Avocado Tortillas or tortilla chips METHOD In a non- reactive casserole dish, either Pyrex or ceramic, place the fish, onion, tomatoes, chili, salt, Tabasco, and oregano. Cover with lime and lemon juice. Let sit covered in the refrigerator for an hour, then stir, making sure more of the fish gets exposed to the acidic lime and lemon juices. Let sit for several hours, giving time for the flavors to blend. Serve with chopped cilantro and slices of avocado with heated tortillas for ceviche tacos or with tortilla chips. All Rights Reserved. 5
Smoked Salmon There are two basic techniques to smoke salmon: cold and hot. The cold technique gives you a lox or gravlax type salmon. It has a relatively short shelf life and is often stored frozen. This raw salmon is the type you might expect to have on a bagel with cream cheese. You can also make a saltier salmon jerky, or one of my favorites is canned smoked salmon. First you might want to choose the type of salmon you want to smoke. The large oil content lends well to smoking. I will list a few types: Chinook or King: These huge salmons are soft in texture, very rich in oil, and separates into large flakes, making it excellent for salads and recipes calling for large pieces. They are excellent for smoking and one or two could do. "Small" kings are 20 lbs (9 Kg), 30 lb (14Kg) kings are common. One sub- species of King, that return to the Kenai River, can be gigantic: the record stands at 97 lbs (44kg)! Coho or Silver: Is my favorite, both for color and texture. They are excellent for smoking and straight canning. They have large- flakes, and are a lighter red than sockeye, and are good in all dishes. Excellent for Lox, as its fat content is second only to Kings. Sockeye or Red: This is the deep red meat, of firm texture, and breaks into smaller flakes, making it attractive for hot dishes and salads. There are often large runs every four years of this one. So locals will bulk up on these in those years. These salmon are excellent for smoking and especially for jerky, and are excellent for canning also. Pink or Humpy: Smallest and least interesting of the species; light pink flesh, extensively used for canning. These can be locally abundant so is often the default and most economical salmon. All Rights Reserved. 6
Chum or Dog: Is large- flaked, pearly- pink in color, low in oil, less strongly- flavored than the other four species and is especially suitable for cooked dishes where color is not important. Its large, pale eggs are considered by some to be the best for making salmon caviar ("Keta Caviar"). COLD SMOKED SALMON (LOX) The trick with the cold smoke method is to generate the smoke either on a small element that does not heat up the smoking chamber or pipe it in from another location. If it goes above 80 o C (175 o F) it will cook and will not be a true lox. In this process we are going to employ a two- step curing method (both dry and wet brine). It can be done in one step, but this one comes out so much better. Here I will start with 15 pounds (6.8Kg) of Coho Salmon. I often do several at a time, being known to do up to 27 large Chums in one go. You can vary the amount of ingredient depending on how much fish you start with. Ingredients 15 lb (6.8Kg) Coho Salmon Step One - Dry Brine Ingredients 5 lbs. Kosher or canning salt 6 lbs. Dark Brown Sugar Directions 1 Fillet the fish, being careful to remove as many pin bones as possible. This often means employing some needle nose pliers 2 Mix salt and sugar thoroughly. 3 Using a small container that is just wide and long enough to lay your whole fillets flat; spread an even 1/2 layer of the dry brine mix on the bottom. 4 Lay the first layer of fillets skin side down on the dry mix. Now cover fillets with more dry mix (1/2 ). Place next layer of fillets on top with skin side up (meat to meat). Cover with 1/2 dry mix. Make sure fish is completely covered in the mix (that s why the size of your container is important so you don t waste excess mix). Continue to layer the fish. All Rights Reserved. 7
5 You can place them anyway you like as long as they are relatively straight and flat. This process will remove excess moisture from the fish and really firm it up. 6 Place fish in the refrigerator for 7-8 hours. 7 IMPORTANT: If you forget this part of the process and dry brine for too long, you will ruin your fish. Set a timer so you don t forget. 8 After the 7-8 hours have passed you will see a considerable amount of syrupy liquid in the bottom of the container (the moisture from the fish) now take it out of the refrigerator, and remove 1 fillet at a time and cut into sizes suitable for your smoker. 9 Rinse the mixture off the fish completely. Fish will seem hard, firm and considerably smaller than when you started. Discard the syrupy liquid from the dry brine process (DO NOT RE- USE). This next step will change the texture again. Step2: Wet Brine Ingredients 3.5 gal. Water (14 liters) 6 cups Kosher or Coarse (non- iodine) Salt 6 cups Brown Sugar 1-2 cups Real Maple Syrup ½ cup Worcestershire sauce 1/4 cup Whole black peppercorns Cloves garlic to flavor Chopped fresh dill, to taste Directions Prepare Wet Brine Solution 1 In a 5 gallon food bucket (or non- metal container large enough to hold your fish and brine), mix all ingredients well, making sure that all the salt and sugar is completely dissolved. 2 IMPORTANT: check salinity (salt concentration) a fresh raw egg (in the shell) will float in the mixture. If it doesn t add another 1/2 cup salt and mix well, then recheck to see if the egg will float. If it still doesn t float add another 1/2 cup salt repeat as needed until the egg floats. Let the brine set for at least 5 hours before using it. 3 Place fillets that have been dry brined and rinsed into the wet brine. Cover with a plate so all fish are completely submerged. All Rights Reserved. 8
Brine for 7-9 hours. 4 Refrigeration at this point is optional as the dry brine has pretty much cooked the fish already. It is recommended at some point near the middle of the wet process, you move the fillets around in the bucket in case some fillets are a little close. When they are done, they need to be freshened (this removes excess salt) 5 Freshening Your Fillets: Remove the fillets from the brine and rinse in fresh water. Discard brine and rinse out your bucket (or container that you wet brined the fish in), making sure all spices, peppercorns, etc. are removed. 6 Now put the fillets back in the bucket and fill with clean water. Let the water run into the bucket (do not use too much pressure or you will damage the fish) for 30 MINUTES stirring the fish gently with your hand every 7-10 minutes. 7 TASTE a small piece of the fish. If still too salty rinse for another 10 minutes but no more or the fish will begin to waterlog (swell). I do mine for 30 minutes and consistently have excellent results. 8 Drying Before Smoking: Remove fish from wet brine. Pat dry with paper towel. 9 Allow fish to dry for approximately 1 hour. 10 WHEN THE FISH BECOMES A LITTLE STICKY on the meat side they are done and ready for smoke. 11 COLD SMOKE ONLY! You may smoke from 1-3 hours depending on your tastes with ALDER or OAK smoke (I always like Alder the best). 12 WATCH THE TEMPERATURE CAREFULLY; IF IT GOES ABOVE 80 DEGREE F. YOUR FISH IS RUINED. All Rights Reserved. 9
Smoked Jerky style Salmon Here the salmon is cooked by the heat of the smoker and quite dried out. This gives it quite a long shelf life, but it can be a bit salty and hard. I find it good as a snack, or often put it in soup, stews and the like. You can use the above brining process and just heat up the smoker. I have included another process here though. Brine Ingredients: 1 gallon (4.4 liter) cold water 500 ml (1/2 quart) teriyaki 500 ml (1/2 quart) soy sauce 1-2 cups (250 500 ml) Real Maple Syrup 250 ml (1 cup) Worcestershire sauce Tbsp. Whole black peppercorns 1 cup pickling salt 450 mg (1 lbs.) brown sugar 2 Tbsp. garlic powder Tbsp. cayenne pepper Directions I often substitute some of the water for dark beer. 1 Mix all ingredients in a non- metal container. Make sure that the salt and sugar is completely dissolved. 2 PREPARE FISH: Filet salmon with skin on. Carefully check each filet and REMOVE ALL BONES (Very important for excellence!). A small pair of clean needle nose pliers works well in removing any remaining bones that are stuck in the flesh. 3 Cut meat into suitable size for your smoker 4 BRINING: After preparing the brine, add salmon. I often place them in large Ziploc plastic bags, but you can place a weighted stainless steel, wooden grate, or large plate over the top of the fish to hold it under the brine in any kind of container. Always keep the brine and fish cool. If you do not have enough All Rights Reserved. 10
refrigerator space, use an ice chest with about a gallon of ice thrown in, and monitor the temperature to ensure that it stays below 40 F. 5 Soak salmon in brine recipe for 12 hours, stirring the fish a few times during the brining process. 6 GLAZING: Place fish in a single layer on jerky racks (coated with a non- stick cooking spray), or drying racks and ensure that the pieces DON T touch each other. 7 Air dry in the refrigerator until a hard pellicle forms. Fish will have a tough shiny coat and will be slightly tacky to the touch. 8 Turn the fish over 2-3 times during the Glazing process to ensure more complete glazing. It is during the glazing process that you can sprinkle on certain spices (e.g. cayenne pepper) and/or visual enhancers (e.g. parsley flakes). (Winter time tip! Dry 12-36 hours in a cold place such as an unheated garage, but DON T allow to freeze). 9 SMOKING: Smoke using the following guidelines: (alder, cherry, or apple chips). 100 F 120 F for 1-2 hours Increase to 140 F for 2-4 hours Increase to 175 F for 1-2 hours to finish I often just smoke them for about 4 hours and finish drying them in the food drier, so they are not too smoky. Canned Smoked Salmon This has become my favorite way. I use the same above brining process. Cut the fish cross ways (leaving bones and skin on) for the right size of the jar you want to can them in. I use 250 ml wide- mouth (squat) canning jars. Smoke then in alder for about 4 hours at 120 140 F. Place them in the jars, filling the jars as much as you can, leaving about ½ inch (13mm) headroom. They will create All Rights Reserved. 11
their own juice, so you do not need to put any liquid in. Pressure- cook them for about 100 minutes @ 10 psi. Of course this thoroughly cooks the fish, making the bones soft enough to eat also, making them an excellent source of minerals like calcium. Duck Prosciutto This is a delicious alternative to pork (ham) prosciutto. It is easier to make, takes less time and, I feel, tastes way better. Ingredients: (8 ounces) fresh duck breasts 1 cup sea salt (can substitute kosher salt) 1 cup brown sugar 2 tablespoons fennel seeds 2 tablespoons ground mace 2 tablespoons pickling spice Directions 1 Score the Duck Breast: Using a sharp knife, score the duck breasts by lightly drawing the knife across the skin and through the fat cap in diagonal lines equally spaced ½- inch to 1- inch apart. The cuts should be 1/8- inch to1/4- inch deep depending on the thickness of the skin and fat cap. Next make diagonal cuts in the opposite direction with equal width and depth. You will end up with a diamond pattern. 2 Mixing the Dry Ingredients: In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the salt, sugar, fennel, mace and pickling spice. 3 Coating the Duck Breasts: Massage the spice mixture into the duck breasts. Cover the duck breasts with the salt mixture and place in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator and gently brush off any excess salt mixture. 4 Preparing to Wrap the Spiced Duck Breasts: Cut two pieces of double thickness cheesecloth that are large enough to All Rights Reserved. 12
completely cover each spiced duck breast. Working with one duck breast at a time, lay out one of the pieces of cheesecloth on a flat surface. Wrap the cheesecloth around the breast like a package, being careful to completely cover the breast. Repeat step with the second breast. 5 Hanging the Duck Breast Bundles: Hang the duck breast bundles in a dry place for 2 weeks (a basement, garage or pantry work well). The temperature should be around 50 o F (10 o C). Test for doneness by pressing your finger against the breast. When cured, there will not be any give in the meat when pressed with your finger. If the breasts are still soft, allow to hang for another week and test again. Corned Beef No, don t expect to be using any corn in this recipe. There is no corn used here, unless the cow might have eaten some while growing up. The word corned is an old English term that can be simple translated to cured. It really means any small particle (which probably relates to the rough salt used). Some people just call it salt cured beef. This is probably the most popular form of cured beef. Corned beef was a World War II staple among civilians in Great Britain and among the troops in Europe because fresh meats were hard to come by as it came in a can. Sliced corned beef is especially popular in Jewish delicatessens where it is a sandwich staple. Ingredients 1-1/2 cups kosher salt ½ cup sugar 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 tablespoons pickling spice 5- pound (2.25 Kg) beef brisket Direction 1 In pot large enough to hold brisket, combine 1 gallon (4.4 L) of water with kosher salt, sugar, garlic and pickling spice. Bring to a simmer, stirring until salt and sugar are dissolved. All Rights Reserved. 13
Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled. 2 Place brisket in brine, weighted with a plate to keep it submerged; cover. I usually transfer the liquid and brisket into a 2 gallon (8.8 L) Ziploc bag, turning it daily. Refrigerate for 5 21 days. 3 Remove brisket from brine and rinse thoroughly. It can be kept for a few days to a week before cooking. 4 When cooking, place in a pot just large enough to hold it. Cover with water and add 2 Tbsp. pickling spice, carrot, onion and celery. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer gently until brisket is fork- tender, about 3 hours, adding water if needed to cover brisket. Some delis like to steam it. 5 Keep warm until ready to serve. Meat can be refrigerated for several days in cooking liquid or steamed. Reheat in the liquid or serve chilled. Slice thinly and serve on a sandwich or with additional vegetables simmered until tender in the cooking liquid. Easy Homemade Pastrami To make deli- level pastrami you need to start with the corned beef like above. This will have started as a 5 lb (2.26 Kg), but with the brining will be down between 3-4 lbs (1.36 1.8 Kg). To this you add a dry rub, cure it some more and then smoke it. Ingredients 3 TBS. coriander seeds (4 TBS. if you don't have white peppercorns). 2 TBS. black peppercorns 2 TBS. yellow mustard seeds 1 TBS. white peppercorns 2 TBS. of granulated garlic All Rights Reserved. 14
Directions 1 Combine the first four ingredients, and coarsely grind in a spice grinder. Pour ground mixture into a bowl, add the granulated garlic and remix. Apply the dry rub to the brisket generously, working the rub into the meat by pressing it in with the palms of your hands. 2 Air dry in the refrigerator for 4 to 8 hours before placing it in the smoker. 3 Remove brisket from the refrigerator and place it on a tray, fat side down, and place in a pre- heated smoker, at 220 degrees F. Apply 3 hours of smoke. I used 2 hours of pecan, and finished with 1 hour of apple. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 160-165 degrees F. You can also use a smoking temperature of 250 degrees F. 4 When the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 160-165 degrees F, take it out of the smoker. Wrap the brisket in one layer of heavy- duty aluminum foil. Wrap it in a towel, and place it fat- side up in a cooler or microwave oven for two hours (if just going into the microwave you don't need the towel). Remove brisket from the cooler (or microwave) and remove the foil and save. Wrap brisket in plastic wrap, and then wrap it in the foil you just saved. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 day, two is better. When ready to eat the pastrami, slice thinly across the grain for a tenderer slice. You can either eat it cold or warm it up. Most delis serve it freshly steamed. All Rights Reserved. 15
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