Chapter 3

1. Chapter 3 Seasonings, Binders, and Curing Salts

2. Topics Covered • Spices through the ages • The salt of the earth • Basic curing agents • Cold smoking or vacuum packing • Important ingredients

3. Spices Through the Ages • Spices were once rare, and expensive • Pepper was worth its weight in gold • Spices became a status symbol • Christopher Columbus (and others) explored regions looking for gold and spices • Spices were more in demand than gold • Marco Polo and others traveled the “Silk Road”

4. Spices Through the Ages (cont’d.) • To keep prices high: • Dutch restricted nutmeg tree planting in Spice Islands • Other superpowers did the same • As spice prices escalated, European cooks created seasoning mixtures • Combined affordable, available herbs with expensive spices to cut costs

5. Spices Through the Ages (cont’d.) • Store large batches of seasoning mixtures in freezer: • Herbs and spices lose their oil and aroma at room temperature, especially when combined • Without “seasoning”: no aroma or taste • Water (ice) is added to sausage forcemeat • Dissolves seasoning • Adds moisture • Can substitute meat broth or wine

6. The Salt of the Earth • Ancient people discovered salts could preserve food • Found salt to be a dehydrator • Salt became essential, prized, and guarded • Without salt, there could be no sausage production • Helps control bacteria and bind proteins • Base amount: 12 grams per 2 pounds forcemeat

7. The Salt of the Earth (cont’d.) • Salt: used to preserve pigs • Reddening effect on meat was noticed • Caused by sodium and potassium nitrates in pure salt • Nitrates prevent botulism in uncooked cured and smoked products From left to right: Different salts (kosher, sea salt, TCM)

8. Basic Curing Agents • Tinted cure mix (TCM), or Instacure #1: • Basic curing agent • 94 percent sodium chloride and 6 percent sodium nitrate per 100 pounds of TCM • Four ounces of TCM needed to cure 100 pounds of sausage meat • Prevents botulism growth • Stabilizes color

9. Basic Curing Agents (cont’d.) • TCM or Instacure #2: • Dissipating curing agent • Used for dry cured sausages (e.g. salami) • Salt, sodium nitrite, and sodium nitrate: • Curing agents • Used in dry and dry fermented products (e.g. pepperoni)

10. Cold Smoking or Vacuum Packing • Contributes to flavor of cured meats • Retards lipid oxidation • Prevents a stale taste • Salt should be stored in airtight containers in a dry area: • Prevents from becoming moist and watery

11. Important Ingredients • Cane, root sugar, and grape sugar (dextrose): • Sugar: used in processing semidry cured sausages • Preserves; prolongs freshness • Dextrose: absorbed faster • Helps speed up fermentation • Sweeter • Tangy Left to right: Ground sugar, cane sugar, dextrose

12. Important Ingredients (cont’d.) • Binders: • Soy protein concentrate • Corn syrup solids • Plum powder • Fermento Corn syrup solids, soy protein concentrate, milk powder, plum powder, baking powder, Fermento

13. Important Ingredients (cont’d.) • Spices and herbs: • White pepper: ripe peeled seed from pepper bush • Used in white or pink forcemeats • Black pepper: unripe dried berry • Used in dark colored or robust sausage • Juniper berries: from juniper bush • Freeze-dried • Used in marinades, brines, dry cures, and regional sausages

14. Important Ingredients (cont’d.) • Spices and herbs: (cont’d.) • Marjoram: powdered • Brings out strong flavor • Thyme: pungent aroma • Used regionally • Vinegar: plain distilled white 5 percent vinegar or any wine vinegar • Used in jellied sausages

15. Important Ingredients (cont’d.) • Spices and herbs: (cont’d.) • Coriander: powerful spice from Europe • Berries similar to peppercorns • Used ground • Paprika: from Hungary and South America • Sweet, hot or smoked • Ginger: from Southeast Asia • Fresh, dried or ground

16. Important Ingredients (cont’d.) • Spices and herbs: (cont’d.) • Cardamom: from Southeast Asia • Brings out traditional sausage flavors • Onions: many types (e.g. red, white, etc.) • Blanched or sautéed before use • Garlic: good flavor enhancer • Optional; mostly used in ethnic sausages • Used fresh: roast, then purée • Lemon and lime: grated zest or juice

17. Important Ingredients (cont’d.) • Spices and herbs: (cont’d.) • Mace: bright red, lacy covering of nutmeg seed • From Moluccas Islands • Discovered by Vasco da Gama • Claimed the islands as Portuguese territory • Today comes mostly from Granada (“Nutmeg Island”)

18. Important Ingredients (cont’d.) Top to bottom, left to right: Lemon peel, roasted onion, paprika, ginger, saffron, white pepper, parsley, nutmeg, granulated garlic, mace, mélange of peppercorns, black peppercorns, juniper berries, caraway seeds, chili powder, ground cardamom

19. Important Ingredients (cont’d.) • Many more possibilities to use other spices and herbs • Especially in regional and cultural sausage making • Think combinations through until they make sense • Test and taste them

20. Summary • This chapter reviewed: • Insights into creating flavors and aromas with herbs and spices • History of spice trade and how spices have affected today’s eating public • Importance of sodium • Function of sugar in fermentation of cured sausages • Basic information about most used spices