Did you know that over half of the pork consumed in the U.S. is further processed? We’re talking delicious meats like breakfast sausage, ham, bacon and brats. Many of these products are processed with a technique called curing, which has been used to preserve meat for centuries.
The conventional curing process involves adding ingredients to meat like salt, sugar, seasonings and most importantly, a source of nitrite, typically in the form of sodium nitrite. Products are then cooked or smoked and stored cold until they are ready to eat. The curing process adds flavor and juiciness to the meat and changes the color and appearance of the product. Think about the red-pink color of a ham or hot dog—that comes from the curing process.
That characteristic cured color is a result of nitrogen from nitrite-containing ingredients binding to a pigment in meat called myoglobin. This process is helped along by cure accelerators like are acidic like ascorbic acid. Then, during the process of cooking or smoking, this color is fixed when the pigment undergoes another chemical change. That’s why, even when you heat up a ham or hot dog, the color doesn’t change. In addition to nitrite helping to impart this red-pinkish color in cured products, it also aids in the aroma and flavor development of these meats. But most importantly, especially for our ancestors who used curing for generations before us, nitrite helps to prevent the growth of bacteria in cured meats. It is especially effect against Clostridium botulinum.
In the grocery store today, you might encounter labels on pork products like ham, bacon and hot dogs that indicate they are ‘uncured.’ You would be forgiven if you were puzzled why these products appeared the same color as traditional cured meats. How do these ‘uncured’ products achieve the benefits and effects of curing without the use of nitrite? The short answer is…they don’t. These products have also been cured using nitrite, but this nitrite is in a different form.
Time for a bit of chemistry. Nitrite contains one atom of nitrogen bound to two atoms of oxygen. Its close cousin, nitrate, contains one nitrogen bound to three atoms of oxygen. Nitrate is found in many foods including celery, beets, spinach and kale. This nitrate can be converted to nitrite by bacteria. Therefore, nitrate extracted from vegetables like celery can be cultured with bacteria and converted to nitrite. This cultured celery juice or powder is a common ingredient in ‘uncured’ pork products.
It might seem like that is a lot of trouble to go through to get nitrite instead of just pulling sodium nitrite off the shelves, but for some consumers, they are more comfortable seeing cultured celery juice in the ingredient list of their hot dogs than sodium nitrite. Both products are safe and delicious, but they may appeal to different consumers. So, whether it’s a hot dog made with sodium nitrite or one from cultured celery powder, there really is a cure for all.
More from Dr. Dilger:
The Humble Hot Dog: What Your Mom Didn’t Tell You
What Kind of Meat-Eater Are You?
Want Better Pork? Use a Meat Thermometer
Getting Back to Basics: The Role of pH in Pork Quality
