Author: Eduardo Artisanal Charcuterie

Curing or preserving foods with salt

sal de cozinha

To understand the process of preserving food with table salt (sodium chloride) it is necessary to understand how the process occurs. It is not just the food itself that rots (degradative enzymes), but mainly microorganisms, such as bacteria, that consume the food and generate secretions, which can be toxic for human ingestion or can be beneficial and tasty, but it all depends on the type of bacteria and, in most cases, we have no control over which microorganisms are proliferating. Continue reading Curar ou preservar alimentos com sal

Brine and soaking times

salmoura de frango

Brine is a mixture of table salt and water and is a frequently used tool in cooking as it is very practical and effective, transforming dry, tasteless meat into delicious and juicy meat. Its effect is very fast, efficient and for this reason it is very easy to soak your food for a long time or in excessive amounts of salt. Continue reading Salmoura e tempos de imersão

How does brine work?

Brine is a solution of salt in water, which in charcuterie is intended to preserve, intensify flavor and change the moisture of food, especially meat. It is much faster than dry curing and loads the product with great moisture and flavors from seasonings added to the base brine. Continue reading Como funciona a salmoura?

Long smoking with moderate heat

Continuous smoking at 23-40°C for 4-48 hours, depending on the diameter of the meat, maintaining humidity at 80% and medium smoke quantity. In this process, weight loss varies between 2% and 10%, with this difference directly linked to the time spent smoking. Continue reading Defumação longa com calor moderado

Smoking and moisture loss of meat

pernil defumado em casa na air fryer

Smoked meats lose, on average, around 10% of moisture during the smoking process. This depends on the temperature, smoking time and humidity inside the smoker. Eliminating moisture was important when products were smoked for preservation purposes. Continue reading Defumação e perda de umidade da carne