Cure before or after grinding
Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2015 6:18 am
Many old time recipies call for the cure to be added to cubed meat and left at 4C (refrigerator temperature) for 24-48 hours. Thereafter it is ground, mixed with spices and stuffed.
I have also noticed that some people employ this method today. Including Brican, although I think he only does it sometimes.
What are the reasons for this?
I can see that for older times nitrate was generally the only cure used. Therefore this curing time would give the bacteria some chance to produce nitrite before the botulism was mixed into an anaerobic environment (no air in the middle of the sausage). Now we use a mixture of nitrite and nitrate so this would no longer be a valid reason.
Another possibility that I can see is that the salt is applied only on the surface of the meat (where the bacteria is) and therefore is at a higher concentration and can better defeat the baddies.
I'm interested to see if people here cure their meat prior to casing and/or have any opinions on this?
I have also noticed that some people employ this method today. Including Brican, although I think he only does it sometimes.
What are the reasons for this?
I can see that for older times nitrate was generally the only cure used. Therefore this curing time would give the bacteria some chance to produce nitrite before the botulism was mixed into an anaerobic environment (no air in the middle of the sausage). Now we use a mixture of nitrite and nitrate so this would no longer be a valid reason.
Another possibility that I can see is that the salt is applied only on the surface of the meat (where the bacteria is) and therefore is at a higher concentration and can better defeat the baddies.
I'm interested to see if people here cure their meat prior to casing and/or have any opinions on this?