Curing and smoking meat involves adding salt, nitrites, and other ingredients to preserve and flavor meat. Curing ingredients like salt, sugar, and nitrites inhibit bacterial growth and develop color and flavor. Meats are cured through dry curing, liquid curing, or injection before being cold or hot smoked using hardwoods to further flavor and preserve the meat. Proper smoking techniques and temperatures are required to safely cook meats while imparting smoke flavors.

1. Curing & Smoking of Meat
Y.Bavaneethan.
Lecturer
Department of Food Technology
SLGTI.5/21/2019 Y.BAVANEETHAN. 1

2. What is Curing?
 Curing is addition of salt, sugar, and nitrite
or nitrate to meats for purpose of
preservation, flavor enhancement, or color
development.
 Today curing is performed more for flavor
development than for preservation

3. Other functions of curing
 Shelf life extension
 Development of unique properties
 Resistance to rapid deterioration
 Controlling microbial growth.

4. Curing Ingredients
 Salt (NaCl)
– Contributes flavor
– Preservative effect
– Controls microbial growth Osmosis (enhances transport of
nitrate, nitrite, and sugar)
– Can be in granular or rock forms.
– Only difference is quantity of NaCl in the salt.

5. Curing Ingredients
 Sugar (C12H22O11)
– Contributes flavor
– Provides source of energy for nitrate converting bacteria
– Lowers the acidity of the cure
– Can be added in the form of:
• Sucrose (table sugar/brown sugar)
• Dextrose (refined corn sugar)
• Corn syrup solids
– Usage of powdered sugar
• Finer particle size easier to dissolve in water
– Commercial cures use corn syrup solids
• Cheaper
• May require more to get same flavor

6. Curing Ingredients
 Nitrite (NaNO2) or Nitrate (NaNO3)
– Contributes flavor
– Prevents warmed-over flavor (WOF) in reheated
products
– Retards development of rancidity during storage
– Prevents growth of C. boltulinum in canned
products
– Bacteriostatic- Capable of inhibiting the growth or
reproduction of bacteria.
– Contributes cured-pink color to the product.

7. Nitrites & Nitrates
 Usually come in the form of potassium or sodium nitrites or
nitrates.
 FSIS(Food Safety and Inspection Service) allows use of
nitrate (NaNO3 or KNO3) ONLY in dry cured meats or dry
sausage.
 FSIS permits use of Nitrites (NaNO2 or KNO2) in bacon
– Ingoing nitrite level cannot exceed 120 ppm
• Must be accompanied by 550ppm sodium ascorbate or
sodium erythorbate
– Residual nitrite must not exceed 40 ppm
 Nitrites and Nitrates can be carcinogenic.
 Currently seeing increase of “No Nitrite” or “Uncured”
products

8. Curing Reaction
 Basic Cure Reaction (1st Step)
Deoxymyoglobin + Nitric Oxide = Nitric Oxide Myoglobin
(purplish red) (red)
 Nitric Oxide is generated during curing sequence
NaNO3NaNO2 HONO  NO
Nitrate Nitrite Nitrous Acid Nitric Oxide
 Nitric Oxide myoglobin in unstable
– Color must be “fixed” by heating to 140 degrees.

9. Curing Reaction
 Fixation Reaction
Nitric oxide myoglobin +Heat = Nitrosylhemochromagen
(red) (cured pink)
– Nitrosylhemochromagen is responsible for stable cured-pink color.
– Very Heat Stable- pink color doesn’t change with further cooking
– Only occurs with the addition of heat
 Overall Reaction
Myoglobin + NO Nitric Oxide Myoglobin Nitrosylhemochromagen
(purplish red) (red) HEAT (cured pink)

10. Curing Adjuncts
 Proper color development is a function of time
 Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Ascorbate and Sodium Erythorbate speed
color development
 Ascorbates reduce Metmyoglobin to Myoglobin
– Metmyoglobin is unable to combine with NO, while Myoglobin
can
 Ascorbates speed reduction of HONO to NO
– Greater quantities of NO available for production
 Treatment of cured cuts with 5-10% Ascorbic Acid
– Effective in reducing fading of cured color in displays

11. Alkaline Phosphates
Usually Sodium Tripolyphosphate
Added to decrease shrink during curing &
smoking
Cannot exceed 0.5%
Increase water holding capacity (WHC) of
muscle proteins

12. Water
 Water is “curing ingredient” when doing Cover Pickle
Curing (Brine) or Injection Curing
 Disperses cure throughout meat
 Use of water reduces cost of products
– Products with more water are cheaper
 Water remaining in retail product is “Added Water”

13. Application of Curing
• Dry Curing
– Use of salt or salt plus nitrite or nitrate
– Dry Sugar Curing
• Uses Sugar to overcome harshness of salt flavor
– Both methods involve rubbing cure mixture over surface
– Penetration of NaCl occurs through osmosis
– Bone Sour (souring around bones) occurs in hams
• Lack of rapid-enough salt penetration to interior
– High levels of shrinking

14. Application of Curing
 Curing With Liquid
– Can either be Cover Pickle (placing meat in brine)
or Sweet Pickle (sugar added to brine)
– Penetration of cure occurs via osmosis
– More uniform distribution of cure
– Can Result in Bone Sour
– Can result in yeast growth

15. Injection Curing
– Three forms of injection curing
1. Stitch or spray pumping
– Cure directly injected into meat
with needles
2. Artery Pumping
– Accomplishes best possible
distribution of cure
– Cure dispersed via capillaries

16. 3. Multi-needle Machine Injection
– Most commercial facilities use
– Rapid penetration of cure into meat
(reduce spoilage)
– Less spoilage and shrinkage
– Not conducive to development of
typical flavor, aroma, and texture

18. Smoking of Meat Products
 Materials used for smoke come from hardwood sawdust or
chips
– Softwood products result in sooty deposit.
 Over 200 components comprise smoke
– At least 80 have been identified
– Almost all exhibit bacteriostatic or bacteriocidal
properties
 Smoke consists of two parts
– Dispersed phase- consists of parts that are 2-3
micrometers in size
• Tars, soot, charcoal, and resins
– Gaseous phase- Not visible
• Phenols, acids, and carbonyl compounds

19. Smoking of Meat Products
• Benefits of Smoking
– Flavor and Odor Enhancement
– Color Development on Outside of Product
– Preservation of the product
• Liquid smoke- widely used in industry
– Wood combustion products dissolved in water
– Cheaper and quicker than the smokehouse process

20. Smoke
• Woods for smoking:
 Hickory
 Oak
 Cherry
 Walnut
 Chestnut
 Apple
 Alder
 Mesquite
 Wood from citrus trees
• Other sources:
 Teas
 Herb stems
 Whole spices
 Grapevine clippings
 Corn husks
 Fruit peels
 Peanut shells

21. Smoke: The Pellicle
 Before cured foods are smoked,
– should be allowed to air-dry long enough to form a
tacky skin, known as a pellicle
 It acts as a kind of protective barrier for the food,
– And also plays an important role in capturing the
smoke’s flavor and color
 Most foods can be properly dried,
– by placing them on racks or
– by hanging them on hooks or sticks where air is
flowing around all sides

22. Elements of Smoking
 Smoking Chamber:
– Chamber should be of the appropriate size for
quantity of product
– Should be able to hang smoke sticks as well as
receive large sheet pans or screen for supporting
resting products
– Should have easy access for loading, with a well-
sealed door
– Should have effective dampers for releasing
moisture and smoke

23. Elements of Smoking
• The Dampers:
– Control the flow of smoke and can affect the color
of the finished product
– Draft control at base of chamber creates air flow
• Heat Source:
– Wood, peat, pellet, gas, electric
– Should be accurate and reliable in order to monitor
cooking process

24. Elements of Smoking
Smoke Source:
– Exterior is more versatile and controllable
– Used for both cold and hot smoking
– Should be fitted with a fan to allow for controlled
flow
Humidity Control:
– Allows for a greater range of products including
dried and semi-dried sausages and meats
– Ideal conditions for drying should be between 45ºF
and 55ºF (7.2ºC and 12.8ºC) with a humidity of
70% to 72%.

25. Cold and Hot Smoking
• Cold Smoking
– Heat source is off
– Controlled smoke flow blown over food
– Time and amount of smoke differ by recipe and should be
carefully monitored
– Alternately, the food can be trapped between two layers of
ice on pans, and the smoke and heat source can be directly
below the ice, thus preventing the heat from negatively
affecting the product

26. Cold Smoking
• Criteria for cold-smoked items:
Type of cure
Duration of cure
Whether or not the food will be air-dried after
smoking
Foods that will be cooked by another means after
smoking

27. Cold Smoking
 Temperature for cold smoking: Below 100°F
 In this temperature range, foods take on a rich smoky
flavor, develop preferred color, and tend to retain a
relatively moist texture.
 They are not cooked as a result of the smoking
process and proteins do not denature.

28. Hot Smoking
Hot Smoking
– Controlled heat and smoke application over a long
period of time
– Food cooks and smokes evenly, rendering a fully
smoked and cooked end product
 Temperature for hot smoking: 165 – 185°F
 Food exposed to smoke and heat in a controlled
environment
 Foods are fully cooked, moist, and flavorful
 Safe to eat without further cooking

29. Smoking
• Basic Rules:
– Use tested recipes
– Follow the recipe’s recommended times,
temperatures, and humidity readings accurately
– Ensure that the products to be smoked are allowed
sufficient time to air dry,
• usually 3 to 5 hours depending on their size, before
adding them to the smoker
– When the product goes into the smoker,
• continue the drying process by initially opening the
dampers fully,
• to allow the excess moisture to escape and not settle on
the product

30. • Basic Rules:
– Excess heat at the beginning of the smoking process,
• will create sweating and moisture will build up on the
surface of the sausage
• fat particles dried and coagulated
– Cook the sausage to an internal temperature of 152ºF
(66.8ºC) in order to avoid spoilage.

31. Barbecue
• Fuel
– Charcoal briquettes
• Burn easily and evenly
• Combustion-enhancing chemical will affect the flavor
of the food
– Lump hardwood charcoal
• All natural, no additives
• Add wonderful flavor and aroma to food
• Burns very easily and is hotter than briquettes
– Hardwoods
• Ideal for imparting characteristic flavor and aroma
• Very unpredictable, uneven burning, lose heat quickly

32. Barbecue
• Cooking
– Direct Heat
• Food is placed on the grill over direct heat
• For smaller pieces of tender meats, firm-fleshed
fish, shellfish, poultry, game, and vegetables
• Fuel can be briquettes, lump hardwood charcoal,
wood, or gas
• Meat can be marinated or rubbed
• Temperature should be between 350ºF (177ºC) and
550ºF (288ºC)

33. Barbecue
• Cooking
– Indirect Heat
• Used for large pieces of meat, racks of ribs, fish
containing bone, poultry containing bone, and
larger pieces of food that would burn before
being fully cooked over direct heat
• Temperatures are normally at the 350ºF (177ºC)
range, and fuel is added periodically to continue
the cooking process
• Food can be marinated, rubbed, or have sauce
added during cooking

34. Barbecue
• Cooking
– Slow Smoking
• Food is covered in the smoker or any enclosed
container, and smoke is applied, maintaining a
temperature between 200ºF (93ºC) and 220ºF
(104ºC) for a long, slow cooking period.
• Used for tougher, larger pieces of meats such as
briskets, racks of ribs, pork butts, whole pigs,
shanks, and poultry with or without bone
• Larger, firm-fleshed fish as well as shellfish
may be cooked this way

35. Smoke-Roasting
• Any process that has the attributes of both
smoking and roasting
• Sometimes referred to as barbecuing or spit-
roasting
• Equipment that can be used:
Smoke-roaster
Closed wood-fire oven
Barbecue pit
Any smoker that can reach above 250°F
Conventional oven