Posted by hans on May 12, 1998 at 15:28:36:
In Reply to: Dry salt brine??? posted by bill on May 08, 1998 at 01:07:18:
: there seems to be a debate at work between cooks concerning the salting of duck for confit de canard. Normally we put juniper berries, bay leaf black pepper and some other herbs in the mixture of gros sel. The debate is if we should add sugar also. As far as I'm concerned, I was taught to use 3 parts gros sel to 1 part sugar. This I was taught can also be used to cure salmon filet for the preparation of smoked salmon. What is your opinion on this topic?
The reason sugar is added to a cure, it mellows while at the same time achieving some of the objectives of salt, namely dehydration and preservation. That is why the amount of salt used can be reduced.
As you have stated, the ratio is aproximately 3-1.
In a confit, the preservation does not come exclusively from curing the product, but from slowly cooking the product in its own and additional fat with the addition of spices, herbs and aromatiques, then keeping it under this fat cover to exclude bacteria, thereby preserving it. Onion will provide the neccessary sweetness and adding sugar to the seasoning of the duck might make the dish cloyingly sweet. the amount of salt used should not excede by much what you would normally use as seasoning.
HWK, CMC