Speaking Of Salt...

[Chuckwagon]

Speaking Of Salt...
Salt is just salt, right? So why do so many people get excited over the simple seasoning? Although most of us are concerned with its application inside the kitchen, in today`s world salt has more than 40,000 applications from manufacturing to medicine! The ancient Greeks traded salt for slaves, originating the phrase "not worth his salt". Roman soldiers were partially paid with garlic and salt, explaining the origin of the word salarium (Latin for salt) meaning salary. Salting fish made long-range explorations possible in the age of sailing ships.

Salt plays a most important role in the preservation of meat, but most people have the wrong idea of what it actually does. First, it does not "cure" meat. Second, it does not force water to evaporate. Rather, it "binds" and restrains what is known as "free water", inhibiting reaction with anything... including bacteria. Salt simply reduces the amount of water available to bacteria. Bacteria thrive in moisture! When moisture is "bound" by salt, bacteria begin to die. It`s that simple.

What about salt destroying living microorganisms such as trichinella spiralis? In 2003, Dr. M. Ellin Doyle at the University of Wisconsin in Madison wrote: Trichinella spiralis is so resistant to salt that it takes 8 to 9 percent to kill the larva. Note that levels above about 4 per cent are not palatable to humans.

Safeguarding preserved foods, salt creates a hostile environment for certain microorganisms by altering osmotic pressure and dehydrating bacterial cells. Historically, meat has required upwards of 8% salt for its preservation. With the widespread use of Prague Powders (sodium nitrates and nitrites), salt levels are now reduced to a much less, more palatable volume of under three percent. However, as complete elimination of salt is not possible, it is most important to never reduce or increase the prescribed amount of salt in a sausage, ham, or bacon-making recipe, as salt serves as a binder and fine-tunes certain proteins in meat enabling them to hold water.

Most of us amateurs are familiar with common table salt (sodium chloride) in granulated form. Mined much the same as coal, rock salt is further processed using water to form small, uniformly shaped cubes. The problem with this type of salt is its inability to dissolve readily, leaving crystals lingering on the tongue. Perhaps you remember when iodine was added to common table salt to prevent medical problems as thyroid disease. Iodized salt is never used in sausage making or meat preservation as it alters the taste of the products.

Today`s "Trendy" Salts
Today`s "trendy" salts are expensive in comparison to kosher salt and their flavors dissipate during cooking. Nevertheless, some folks purchase exotic salts for "finishing" (sprinkling on food) and it is not uncommon to see price tags in excess of thirty dollars per pound. Maldon Sea Salt is an English finishing salt receiving a delicate flavor from boiling sea water to produce hollow, pyramid-shaped crystals. At about eleven dollars a pound, it is light on the tongue and may actually be crushed between the fingers. France`s Sel Gris is called "gray salt" and is made along the country`s Atlantic coast when shallow basins are flooded with seawater before the month of May when the evaporation process begins and continues through September. Harvested by raking, it picks up it characteristic flavor from minerals in the clay of the basins. A refined by-product of Sel Gris is called Fleur de Sel (flower of salt). On calm, warm, days without wind, the gray Sel Gris "blooms", creating white, lacy, crystals of carefully hand-harvested finishing salt with a high price tag. Hawaiian Sea Salts are either black or red. The red salt contains the distinct flavor iron, introduced by the soil used to color the substance. The black salt is flavored with purified lava and contains a flavor and aroma of sulfur.

Does kosher salt taste better than table salt? Interestingly, yes, it does. As kosher salt is pressed together by huge rollers, the grains become pyramid-shaped, allowing them to dissolve more easily so it does not linger on the tongue. It`s made without additives, by compacting granular salt into larger flakes that tend to draw blood easily from freshly butchered meats. Kosher salt, at about seventy cents a pound, is ideal to cook with as it blends well, is clean-tasting, and contains no additives to influence flavors of cooked foods.

How many times have you been tempted to leave out the "pinch" of salt called for in your favorite recipes just because we eat more than 25 times as much salt as is necessary to maintain good health? The fact remains, salt is a flavor enhancer that is just as important in sweet recipes as it is in savory dishes. In sausage making, it is an essential ingredient. Again, never tamper with the amount of salt given in a sausage-making recipe. It is critical in controlling bacteria and helping to destroy possible trichinella spiralis. It assists with binding, and lowers the AW (water activity) in fermented type sausages. Sweet recipes without salt, taste flat and boring. That little pinch of salt reinforces flavors such as butter and vanilla, and that`s not all... it actually masks and suppresses bitter flavors like those of yeast, leavening agents, coffee, eggplant, bittersweet chocolate, vanilla, flour proteins, and many other foodstuffs we consume.

Great chefs have always known the amount of salt in a recipe is important, but the type of salt is crucial.
Adding a pinch of salt to cream or egg whites will enable them to whip better, faster and higher. Improve the flavor of any fresh fowl by salt brining or simply rubbing the bird inside and out (beneath the skin) with salt before roasting.

Salt is amazing! It`s an excellent cleaning agent by itself or used in combination with other substances. A paste of salt and vinegar cleans tarnished brass or copper and strong salt brine poured down the kitchen sink prevents grease from collecting and helps eliminate odors. Salt and soda water will clean and sweeten the inside of your refrigerator without scratching the enamel. A thin paste of salt and salad oil removes white marks from wooden tables caused by hot dishes or water. In mild solutions, it makes an excellent mouthwash, throat gargle, or eyewash. It is an effective dentifrice, antiseptic, and it can be extremely helpful as a massage element to improve complexion. Rub your hands with salt and lemon juice to remove fish odors. Peeled apples, pears, and potatoes dropped in cold, lightly salted water, will retain their color. The stuff even helps destroy moths and drives away ants. Salt tossed on a grease fire on the stove or in the oven will smother flames. Remove bitterness from percolators and other coffee pots by filling them with water, adding four tablespoons of salt and percolating or boiling as usual.

Mining And Measuring
For brining purposes both table salt and kosher salt will work equally well in terms of providing the desired effects, though kosher salt (in particular Diamond Crystal kosher salt), dissolves more readily. What is important to remember is that kosher salts are less dense than ordinary table salts and measure quite differently from a volume standpoint. Kosher salt has larger crystals and is bulkier. A given weight of DiamondŸ Crystal takes up nearly twice the volume as the same weight of table salt. One teaspoon of table salt weighs 6 g but 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt weighs 4.8 g. Five tablespoons of DiamondŸ Kosher Salt (72 g) or five tablespoons of MortonŸ Table Salt (90 g) will add a different percentage of salt to your product as the former salt is much lighter. Yet when you weigh 90 g of salt on a scale it makes no difference what kind of salt you choose. Ninety grams of table salt equals to 90 g of flaked salt regardless of the volume they might occupy. The table below shows approximate equivalent amounts of different salts:

Note that 1 cup of regular table salt weighs more than twice as much as 1 cup of Diamond Crystal (Kosher) salt.

Table Salt.......................................1 cup...............292 gr. ...10.3 ounces
Morton (Kosher)........................1-1/2 cups..........218 gr. .....7.7 ounces
Diamond-Crystal (Kosher) ...........1 cup...............142 gr. ....5.0 ounces

As you can see it is always advisable to weigh out your salt. The above table proves how misleading a recipe can be if listed ingredients are measured in volume units only (cups, spoons, etc). Here are a few more measurements:

There are 6 grams in ONE flat teaspoon of TABLE SALT.
1 oz. (28.3 gr.) = 1-1/2 Tblspns. (4-1/2 tspns.)
2 oz. (56.7 gr.) = 3 Tblspns. (9 tspns.)
1/2 cup = 146 gr. (.322 lb.) or (5.15 oz.)
1 cup = 292 gr. (.644 lb.) or (10.3 oz.)
Prague Powder (Instacure) - 1 ounce (28.3 gr.) = 2 tblspns.
1 ounce salt = 1-1/2 tblspns.
The ideal salt content for (fresh) sausage is about 2 g. per 100 g. meat.
1 lb. salt = 1-1/2 cups

People often speculate which type of salt is the best. Probably the cheapest salt (known as rock or canning salt) might be the best as it is very pure. Salt was originally mined and transported in huge slabs to different areas. It was a valuable commodity and was named after the mine which had produced it. Different mines historically produced salt with different impurities content. If a particular salt naturally contained more nitrates, it would impart pink color to the meat and improve its keeping qualities. Such salt would then become popular for meat preservation. Table salt that we use for general cooking may contain added ingredients such as iodine (to prevent thyroid disease), and anti-caking agents such as sodium silicoaluminate or magnesium carbonate that prevent salt from acquiring moisture. It is interesting to note that pure rock salt will lump together and will not shift from a salt shaker. Salt lumping is a minor inconvenience as the hardened salt can be reversed to its original powdery form by shaking the container. Cleaner salt will produce cleaner gelatin in a head cheese. Some salts are finely ground while others are flaked. A finely ground salt will be more suitable for curing fish in brine. Due to the short time involved, finely pulverized salt will penetrate fish flesh more quickly. On the other hand dry cured products such as ham or bacon which cure for weeks at the time, might benefit from a coarsely ground salt.

Sea salt.
Sea salt is made by evaporating sea water and what is left is the salt plus impurities which were in sea water. Those impurities include different minerals and chemicals such as magnesium, calcium or nitrate. If a substantial amount of Nitrate is present, such salt will somewhat cure meats and make them pink. Due to impurities, sea salt may taste a bit bitter. Sea salt is occasionally added to dry cured and air dried products which are made without Nitrates. Nevertheless such a manufacturing process is not recommended for an amateur. Each gallon of sea water (8.33 lb) produces more than 1/4 pound of salt. Allow me to insert Stan Marianski's advice on the subject. It is on pages 187-188 of his book, "Home Production Of Quality Meats And Sausages". He has also graciously included it in the "homepage" of this site. Here's a link: http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/sausage-making/curing When the page comes up, click on the fourth topic from the left called "sausage recipes". Select the third topic down the list called "Recipe Secrets". There's a lot of good information here and it includes the following:

2. Salt. The sausage needs salt. Salt contributes to flavor, curing and firmness, water holding and juiciness, binding and texture (protein extraction), safety and it prevents water cooking loss. In general sausages contain 1.5-2% salt. About 3.5-5% will be the upper limit of acceptability, anything more and the product will be too salty. Get the calculator and punch in some numbers. Or if you use the metric system you don`t even need the calculator: You need 2 grams of salt per 100 grams of meat. If you buy ten times more meat (1 kg) you will also need ten times more salt (20 grams). Now for the rest of your life you don`t have to worry about salt in your recipes. If you want a consistent product, weigh out your salt. Estimating salt per cups or spoons can be deceiving as not all salts weigh the same per unit volume.

Salt perception can be an acquired taste. If you decide to go on a low sodium diet and start decreasing the amount of salt you consume, in about three weeks time you may reach a point when your food tastes enjoyable, though you use less salt than before. This is fine as long as you prepare those meals for yourself. When making sausages for your friends, try to adhere to the amount of salt the original recipe calls for, as other people might like a different amount of salt. When smoking large amounts of meat that will be kept for a week or longer, remember that it will keep on drying out (losing moisture). Salt will, however, remain inside and your sausage will now taste saltier and will be of a smaller diameter. The meat flavor will also be stronger now. In such a case you may use less salt than originally planned for, let`s say 15 g/kg. That will not apply when making a fresh sausage which will be consumed in a matter of days, and (1.8-2%) salt will be fine.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

[el Ducko]

CW,

Please consider collecting these "pearls of wisdom" into a book(let), hopefully published by Stan's publisher. It would make an excellent companion to the Marianskis' series of publications. Even if not published, its availability as an on-line collection of articles would be of immense value to amateur sausagemakers and cooks everywhere.

[Butterbean]

The ancient Greeks traded salt for slaves, originating the phrase "not worth his salt".

This sentence reminded me of something I read the other day while doing some homework. The medicine they give people who contract botulism costs $18,000 per vial and it shortens your hospital stay by roughly 17 days at a cost of $45,000 per patient.

Also, the highest incidence of botulism in the USA is in Alaska and California. I won't speculate on why this is.

Give you a new meaning to the value of the proper use of salt does it not?

[Chuckwagon]

El DuckO, you wrote:

CW,
Please consider collecting these "pearls of wisdom" into a book(let), hopefully published by Stan's publisher. It would make an excellent companion to the Marianskis' series of publications. Even if not published, its availability as an on-line collection of articles would be of immense value to amateur sausagemakers and cooks everywhere.

I'm very appreciative of your remarks pal! Thank you.
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon