Posted by Mark S on January 17, 1999 at 04:06:05:
In Reply to: What exactly happens??? posted by bill on January 14, 1999 at 21:27:03:
: To a filet of salmon when you dry cure it in preparation to be smoked?
Salt used for curing tends to dry out the meat as well as the
microbes by drawing fluids from the tissues and freeing bound
water by creating such a concentration of dissolved ions outside
of the bacteria and mold cells that water inside the cells is
drawn out across there membranes. the bacteria dry up and either
die or slow down drastically.Thus the product contains less
water and proportionally more fat.
It is not cooking .Cooking is the coagulation of protiens by
the application of HEAT.
Cold smoking is another preservation technique which is kind of a
chemical treatment. Smoke is a very complex material with over
100 components that include alcohols,acids,phenolic compounds,
and various toxic and carcinogenic substances.The toxic substanances
inhibit the growth of microbes and the phenolics retard fat oxidation.
The use of nitrates and nitrites also retards fat oxidation
and is used commercialy but is not nessasary in our kitchens
(for salmon anyway).The origional reason for curing and smoking
was for preservation but now we do it to preserve the flavors
and the traditions of the past.
Now I'm going to smoke some tomatoes that I grew in my garden.
It makes a great sauce! Mark S