Cured Pork

Cured PORK Sweet Heavy

Also Cured Beef, Veal or Venison including Wursts, Sausages, Ham, Bacon, Jerkies (meats that are marinated and air dried) and Cold Cuts (even Spam!)

Given the issues with nitrites, while we may prefer fresh or frozen for health, there are times, especially when camping or to have on hand in case of winter power outages and snowed-ins, when cured meats can be lifesavers. Which is more healthy to endure a week long power outage? A constant succession of dried fruits, crackers, and junk food, or the ability to add a bit of protein for more staying power. Preserved meats, along with preserved lacto-fermented vegetables, allowed our ancestors to survive winters and long voyages. They are wonderful when used in proportion for seasoning the plate dominated by beans and grains. Oddly enough, Spam is without MSG and not as bad as many processed foods. See http://douglassreport.com/dailydose/dd200411/dd20041123.html

Nitrites themselves may be overly vilified: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071112172140.htm - Eating Your Greens Could Prove Life-saving If A Heart Attack Strikes

On the other hand, uncured versions of these exist. Turkey bacon, turkey hot dogs, uncured ham are all available from sources like http://www.applegatefarms.com/Products/ Applegate Farms, solving the issue of nitrates/nitrites, hormones and antibiotics in the meat. Check the freezer section.

1 pound sausage browned = 2 ½ cups

1 pound ground ham = 2 ½ cups

1 pound cubed ham = 3 cups

8 slices bacon = ½ cup crumbled (really?)

cold cuts

From Graig Farm Organics - http://www.graigfarm.co.uk/organic_bacon_ham_curing.html:

Curing of meat is a tradition method of preserving, dating back many hundreds of years in the UK alone. It originated from the need to preserve meat over the winter, when it was impossible to keep animals alive due to lack of winter feed.

By its very nature, meat curing is a chemical preservation method, which prevents harmful micro-organisms from developing.

From at least Medieval times, salt was mixed with saltpetre and other ingredients such as sugar, honey or juniper berries to carry out the process of preserve the pork.

Also See:

• Wikipedia page on Curing (food preservation): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curing_(food_preservation)
• Wikipedia page on Salt-Cured Meat: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salted_meat
• The Cook's Thesaurus: http://www.foodsubs.com/Meatcure.html
• Salt Curing Meat in Brine: http://waltonfeed.com/old/brine.html
• Frequently Asked Questions About Virginia Ham and Cured Pork: http://www.vapeanuts.com/virginia-ham-faq.html
• Wikipedia page on Pancetta: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancetta

Cheap Cuts: Ham Hock, Ham Shank, Ham Jowl

• Pork Industry page with hoverable pig-parts image. Learn what the different cuts are: http://www.theotherwhitemeat.com/aspx/all_about_pork/smoked_hocks_shanks.aspx
• Meals For You page with guide to meat cuts: http://www.mealsforyou.com/cgi-bin/customize?meatcutspork.html

From Cook's Thesaurus:

smoked ham hock Notes: These are sometimes thrown into Southern stews to lend a smoky flavor. Substitutes: cubed ham (substitute 1/4 pound ham per hock) OR smoked turkey drumsticks OR salt pork OR bacon

(Wikipedia page on ham hock: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ham_hock, Recipe Tips.Com: http://www.recipetips.com/glossary-term/t--33997/ham-hock.asp)

smoked hog jowl Notes: The jowl (which is pronounced "jole" in the South) is the hog's cheek. It's often cut into pieces and used to flavor stews, collard greens, and bean dishes. Substitutes: bacon OR smoked ham hock

half ham Notes: Whole hams are too large for many families to handle, so manufacturers often cut them in half. The butt half = butt end is higher up on the hog, and is meatier, fattier, easier to carve, and more expensive. The shank half = shank end = hock half = hock end is leaner and, some say, sweeter. (Wikipedia page on shank: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shank_%28meat%29)

Excellent book about the history of cured and preserved foods:

Pickled, Potted, and Canned: How the Art and Science of Food Preserving Changed the World by Sue Shephard http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0743255534/acollectofdec-20

(We often think that "canned" is ancient, when in fact it only goes back to the middle of the 1800s. Lacto-fermentation is far a more ancient method of preserving foods.)

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