The Progress of the Distribution of Salt in Ham during the Curi|^g Process '

Practically all methods of curing pork involve the use of salt as a curing agent. Its main function is as a preservative to prevent or reduce the action of micro-organisms which might cause spoilage in the meat. Aside from this preserving action, the salt contributes greatly to the palatability of the meat. Oversalted pork is undesirable, although it is quite common. The amoimt of salt present should be sufficient to exert the required preserving action but should not be so excessive as to impair the palatability of the product. In addition the salt should be uniformly distributed throughout the meat to insure uniform quality and palatability. The process of curing ham involves the application of the curing agent, usually a combination of salt, sugar, and either saltpeter (KNO3) or potassium nitrite (KNO2), to the meat by one of two methods, either hj dry curing or brine curing. The meat is then allowed to remain in the curing medium for a period of time, which is dependent on the size of the cut and the kind of cure. Subsequently it is soaked in water to remove the excess salt from the outside, smoked, and finally aged or held as long as is desirable to improve its flavor or as is required for practical purposes. The curing process has as its first objective the penetration of the salt into all parts of the meat rapidly enough to overcome or prevent the deleterious effect of micro-organisms. If the meat is dry-cured an allotted amount of the curing agent is rubbed into it, usually in two or three portions at intervals of several days. Usually the last ffortion is applied no later than 10 days after the beginning of the cure, n brine curing, which is probably more commonly used, the meat is allowed to remain in a brine or pickle for a period, the length of which should depend on the strength of the pickle used and the temperature at which the cure is conducted. Commercially it is a common practice to pump a strong salt solution into the ham previous to placing it in the piclde proper. Other things being equal, the effectiveness of salt in preventing bacterial action should depend largely on the temperature at which the curing process is conducted. The optimum temperature is one which is high enough to permit the salt to penetrate as rapidly as possible, and yet low enough to inhibit excessive bacterial action. Temperatures from about 36° to 40"^ F. seem to fulfill this requirement and are commonly used. Lower temperatures are said to retard the cure,^ and at higher temperatures spoilage of the meat is liable