Dry Curing
Equilibrium Curing Ratios
Equilibrium curing applies exactly the amount of salt and sugar required to season the meat — no more — calculated as a percentage of the meat's weight. Standard ratio: 2.5% salt by weight, 1% sugar. Weigh the protein on a digital scale, calculate the exact gram amounts, and apply them precisely. The meat is then sealed in a bag or wrap and held in the fridge for a number of days proportional to its thickness (roughly 1 day per 10mm of thickness). The result: perfectly seasoned, never over-salted, consistently reproducible.
Nitrates & Nitrites — Prague Powder
Sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite (Prague Powder #1 for short cures, Prague Powder #2 for long cures) serve two critical functions: they inhibit the growth of Clostridium botulinum (botulism) in anaerobic (vacuum-sealed or stuffed) environments, and they react with myoglobin in meat to produce the characteristic pink colour of cured products. Without curing salts, any anaerobically cured meat — pancetta, sausages, pâtés — carries a botulism risk.
Gravlax, Pancetta & Guanciale
Gravlax: salmon dry-cured with salt, sugar, dill, and white pepper for 48–72 hours. No cooking — the salt and acid from the cure firm the flesh and preserve it. Pancetta: pork belly cured with salt, pink salt, black pepper, and aromatics for 7–10 days, then rolled and air-dried. Guanciale: cured pig's jowl — fattier than pancetta and with a more intense, sweet flavour; the traditional fat for carbonara and amatriciana.
Wet Curing — Brining
Osmosis at Work
A wet brine is a saltwater solution (typically 5–8% salt by weight of water) in which the protein is fully submerged. Osmosis drives salt ions into the muscle fibres, increasing their water-holding capacity: the muscle fibres swell and become juicier than untreated meat. For lean proteins that easily dry out during cooking (chicken breast, pork loin, turkey), wet brining before roasting or smoking produces dramatically juicier results.
Pastrami & Corned Beef
Pastrami begins as a wet-brined brisket (with pink salt, pickling spices, garlic) for 5–7 days. The brined brisket is then coated in a black pepper and coriander crust and smoked low and slow to an internal temperature of 93°C. Corned beef follows the same brine but is then simmered rather than smoked, producing the softer texture of the deli classic. Both demonstrate how a single technique (wet curing) produces completely different final products depending on the subsequent cooking method.
Gravlax & Pancetta Practical
Cure a 500g piece of salmon fillet as gravlax (48-hour cure) and a 1kg piece of pork belly as pancetta (7-day cure).
Success criteria: Gravlax: firm, translucent, evenly cured with no mushy spots. Slices cleanly with a very thin sharp knife. Seasoning is balanced, not over-salty. Pancetta: evenly coloured throughout cross-section, aromatic with cure spices, no grey oxidised patches.
Phase 2 Practice Exercises
12 exercises to build skill through direct application.
Equilibrium Cure Calculation
Calculate cure amounts for a 1.2kg piece of salmon. Execute the full dry cure.
- Technique precision
- Food safety discipline
- Flavour assessment
Gravlax Cure Comparison
Cure salmon for 24, 48, and 72 hours. Compare texture, colour, and saltiness at each stage.
- Technique precision
- Food safety discipline
- Flavour assessment
Pancetta Cure Application
Apply the equilibrium cure to pork belly with pink salt. Seal and refrigerate. Track daily changes.
- Technique precision
- Food safety discipline
- Flavour assessment
Prague Powder Safety
Research and document the maximum safe concentration of Prague Powder #1 for different meat applications.
- Technique precision
- Food safety discipline
- Flavour assessment
Wet Brine Chicken
Brine two chicken breasts at 5% for 6 hours, two without brine. Roast together. Compare juiciness.
- Technique precision
- Food safety discipline
- Flavour assessment
Wet Brine Comparison
Wet brine pork loin at 5%, 7%, and 10% salt concentrations. Cook all three and assess seasoning and texture.
- Technique precision
- Food safety discipline
- Flavour assessment
Pastrami Brine Build
Mix a complete pastrami brine. Submerge a brisket point and refrigerate for 5 days.
- Technique precision
- Food safety discipline
- Flavour assessment
Brine Aromatics Test
Make three identical chicken brines varying only the aromatics: bay/peppercorn, herbs de Provence, Asian (ginger/star anise).
- Technique precision
- Food safety discipline
- Flavour assessment
Quick Pickle vs Ferment
Make a quick vinegar pickle and a lacto-ferment from the same vegetable. Compare after 5 days.
- Technique precision
- Food safety discipline
- Flavour assessment
Guanciale Cure
Cure a pig's cheek with equilibrium salt, pink salt, black pepper, and chili.
- Technique precision
- Food safety discipline
- Flavour assessment
Salt Migration Visualisation
Cut cross-sections of curing salmon at 12h, 24h, 36h, 48h. Observe how the white salt line migrates inward.
- Technique precision
- Food safety discipline
- Flavour assessment
Full Curing Milestone
Complete the gravlax and pancetta milestone. Photograph cross-sections. Document cure notes.
- Technique precision
- Food safety discipline
- Flavour assessment