What
is the difference between fresh and
cured pork?
People have been curing meat as far back as the
Roman times. Before refrigeration, the only way to preserve meat was to
cure it.
Curing is the addition
of salt, sodium or potassium nitrate (or saltpeter), nitrites, and
sometimes sugar, seasonings, phosphates and cure accelerators, e.g.,
sodium ascorbate, to pork for preservation, color development and flavor
enhancement.
Nitrate and nitrite
contribute to the characteristic cured flavor and reddish-pink color of
cured pork. Nitrite and salt inhibit the growth of Clostridium
botulinum, a deadly microorganism which can occur in foods under certain
situations.
Curing and flavoring solutions are added to pork
by injection and by massaging and tumbling the solution into the muscle,
both of which produce a more tender product.
