The initial effect of salt

[ssorllih]

An Assumption:

When I start a new slab of bacon the interior is probably nearly sterile but the surface is surely contaminated. When I apply salt, cure#1 and sugar the concentration on the surface is certainly very high. As the salt and sugar and sodium nitrite diffuse into the bulk of the slab the surface concentration is diminished. Continued refrigeration is presumed to be continous during this process. However the growth of the pathogens and spoilage bacteria has been at least delayed enough that when I start the smoking operation and precooking I have a small population (in relative terms) to annihilate.

Is this approximately correct?

[arda]

Without going into full detail, allow me to point out that the addition of wine in any meat mixture all at once, may be compared to the addition of oil to eggs while crafting mayonnaise? If the oil is added too quickly, it will of course, "break" the emulsion and the texture will suffer. The same concept applies when adding wine to meat in which the actomyocin has been partially or fully developed. If added all at once, it will denature the proteins like crazy! If the wine is placed into an atomizer and sprayed into the mixture as you begin to develop the myocin proteins mechanically, it won't "break" the mixture