Favored meat of the entire internet, and much of the western world, this magical pork product has attained near mythic status, but it has many neglected gastronomical brothers and sisters that share the realm of cured meats. In the past, curing meats was one of the only ways to ensure protein availability throughout the entire year.
Many hunters and outdoorsmen still practice the ages old practice of charcuterie, or the curing and preservation of meat. After the kill, after the best cuts of meat have been processed into tenderloin medallions, steaks, and roasts, there is quite a bit of scrap and various less desirable cuts left that can be cured and made into literally hundreds of different forms of tasty delights. It is this transformative culinary art-form that authors Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn write about in their book Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing
Piles of summer sausage processed, cased, and ready to be cooked according to my great grandmother’s recipe. |
In their book Ruhlman and Polcyn explore various recipes, some dating back thousands of years, and spare no expense in their explanations of the curing process. Most cured meats require one primary ingredient to preserve and change flesh and fat into a form that can be stored for months on end: Sodium Nitrite.
Sodium Nitrite is normally blended with salt (one of the first preservatives used by humans) and dyed pink to prevent its confusion with plain salt (consumed in large amounts, sodium nitrite is toxic). This concoction, referred to as Prague Powder or pink salt is responsible not only for the salty flavor enhancement of cured meats, but also prevents the growth of the bacteria that causes botulism.
Mixed with a tasty blend of spices and fresh pork, beef, venison, or various other types of meat, literally hundreds of different types of brat, ham, kielbasa, pastrami, bacon, and sausage can be created. The varieties are endless. Raw, cooked, dry, moist, smoked, aged, they all create tasty meat-confections that form the foundations of thousands and thousands of culinary delights.
But there is a practical side, as we’ve mentioned above. Cured meats are more than a savory treat. For the outdoorsman, or preparedness minded individual, knowledge of the ancient art of charcuterie will allow that person to preserve meat without the aid of modern refrigeration. Your average dried salami, properly prepared, has a shelf life in excess of 12 months. In fact, some dry aged salamis will keep indefinitely if stored in a cool dry place.
If you like bacon (and who doesn’t?) and you like various other preserved meats, and if you’ve got even the most basic kitchen skills, take some time and learn a bit about preserving your own meats. I’ve got a number of blog posts drafted and partially written where I’ll go more in depth into some of my favorite recipes, including spicy Italian breakfast sausage, various smoked meats, homemade bacon, and cooked cured meats like summer sausage.