Examples of cured meats

Cured meat is meat that has been preserved through ageing, drying, canning, salting, brining or smoking. The goal of curing is to slow spoilage and prevent the growth of microorganisms. One of the most common cured meats we eat today is bacon, which is cured pork!

Dry curing is a common technique used in the preparation of sausages, ham and other charcuterie. It is a combination of salt curing, air drying, and sometimes smoking, depending on the meat and the desired product.

Hams can be fresh, cured or cured-and-smoked. The term ham refers to the cured leg of pork. A fresh ham would be an uncured leg of pork. The term “turkey ham” refers to a ready-to-eat product that is made from the cured thigh meat of the turkey.

“In-store” roasted meat.

Ask at the deli counter – some grocery stores will actually cook pork tenderloin, beef, bison or turkey in the store, so fresh meat becomes as convenient as processed meat. Or, better yet, roast it yourself and slice up the leftovers for sandwiches.

Hams are cut from the rear leg of a pig. The exception to this is picnic ham, which is really not ham at all. These “hams” are cut from the front leg. If a rear leg cut of meat were immediately cooked, it would simply taste like any other pork roast.

The most tender cuts of pork are from the rib and loin. It’s where the expression “high on the hog” comes from. The most desirable cuts of meat come from higher up on the animal. By contrast, the shank and shoulder muscles produce the toughest cuts.

What is a Pit Ham? Pit is actually an abbreviation for Partially Internally Trimmed. This means the bone and some of the internal fat has been sliced and removed from the ham. Then the ham is tied back together before it is smoked.

For many, Pit hams are a good option – especially if you’re not planning on making soup afterwards. The bone has been removed and the excess fat has been removed, making carving easier for the uninitiated.

Serve ham now or glaze as follows: Remove foil from ham. Brush or spoon desired glaze over ham. Bake, uncovered, at 325ºF for 10 minutes. If your ham is not a Fully Cooked Pit Ham, then heat your ham to an internal temperature of 160ºF, which typically requires cooking it for 30 minutes per pound at 350ºF.

Processed Lunch Meat

Lunch meats, including deli cold cuts, bologna, and ham, make the unhealthy list because they contain lots of sodium and sometimes fat as well as some preservatives like nitrites.

Worst protein: Red meat

The case against red meat (which includes beef, pork, and lamb) seems to grow stronger by the day. It can be high in cholesterol and saturated fat, and eating a lot of it has been linked to several chronic health conditions, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Healthy tips

Eat ham in moderation. Choose lean, uncured (nitrate-free), low-sodium ham whenever possible. Uncured cooked ham is preserved with a celery juice-sea salt mixture that has naturally occurring nitrites, making it less harmful. Many groceries now carry healthier ham versions.

If you’re stuck on the idea of having a sandwich for lunch but want to avoid deli and other types of processed meats, consider these healthier choices: Chicken, tuna or hard-boiled egg salad using plain Greek yogurt or avocado instead of mayo.

Ham is the most common sandwich meat, followed by chicken or turkey loaf and then beef.

So, here’s a consumer tip: When you see a “no nitrates added” label, look for an asterisk pointing to fine print that may say something like “no nitrates except those naturally occurring in celery powder.” That asterisk basically contradicts the nitrate–free claim.

Added nitrates and nitrites

Manufacturers using celery products can claim their meat has “no nitrates or nitrites added,” except for those naturally occurring. But celery is naturally high in nitrates, so adding celery powder to meat is simply another way of providing nitrates.

Higher levels of nitrate were found in the yolk than in the albumen. The nitrate content of eggs from birds receiving 1,000 p.p.m. NaNO3 (728 p.p.m. NO3-) exceeded the 45 p.p.m. permissible level of nitrate in drinking water for human beings.

Celery has a very high concentration of natural nitrate, and treating celery juice with a bacterial culture produces nitrite.

For years, I have recommended to my cookery students to use celery and celery salt in cooking as it has a natural salty flavour without the negative side effects of consuming too much salt. It also contains potassium – which is key in managing high blood pressure.