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Processing Meat in the Home
    
FS-00972
Revised 1990
To Order
Processing Meat in the Home
Richard J. Epley and Paul B. Addis
The consumer who wishes to process meat products in the home should be familiar with both federal (Food Safety and Quality Service of the USDA) and state (Minnesota Department of Agriculture) meat processing rules and regulations. Consumers often process meat products and later wish to sell portions of their
production. This cannot be done. A person must know the rules and regulations on
home meat processing to know if he or she is in violation of federal, state, or
municipal laws. Other federal and state laws were established to ensure
production of clean and wholesome meat products from licensed plants for
consumers. Consumers of home-prepared products should be familiar with all rules
and regulations regarding sale of meat and meat products. For detailed
information, contact the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Food, Meat and
Poultry Inspection Division, 90 W. Plato Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55107, Phone 612
296-2627; or USDA, Food Safety and Inspection Service, P.O. Box 554, So. St.
Paul, MN 55075, Phone 612 290-3371.
Materials Needed
Persons who wish to process meat products in the home should have the following
materials:
clean, wholesome meat;
necessary spices and curing ingredients;
easily cleanable processing equipment that is housed or contained in clean
and sanitary surroundings;
scales to weigh meat to the nearest pound, spices to the nearest 10th of an
ounce and curing ingredients to the nearest 10th of a gram;
proper packaging materials including casings if required;
adequate refrigeration facilities for perishable products; and
knowledge of the factors affecting meat spoilage, including the nature and
control of pathogenic organisms (see 3 under "For More Information" at
the end of this fact sheet).
Persons who do not have the above items should not process meat in the
home. Instead, they should buy the desired finished product at a retail
store or USDA-inspected meat processing facility.
Check the yellow pages in your phone book for commercial sources of equipment,
curing ingredients and spices (key words include Butcher's Equipment and
Supplies).
Specific Formulations
It is impossible to describe all the meat product formulations consumed in the
home. The following procedures are for some of the most common home-processed
meat items.
Fresh pork sausage. The following is a common seasoning
formulation for 10 pounds of fresh pork sausage:
3 oz salt1/4 to 1/2 oz sage1/4 to 1/2 oz black pepper0.1 oz red pepper0.3 oz
white pepper0.1 oz ground cloves or 0.1 oz
nutmeg0.6 to 1.2 oz corn sugar (if the sausage
is to be used fresh).Corn sugar is a dextrose made from corn starch.
Grind the unseasoned pork trimmings through a 1/2-inch plate
(coarse grind). Thoroughly mix the seasoning, spread it over the coarsely ground
product, mix and regrind through a 1/8-inch plate. Add 1/2
cup of cold water to each 4 lbs of ground, seasoned sausage and knead until it
becomes sticky and dough-like enough to yield a product that will slice and fry
without crumbling. Package and refrigerate (or freeze) immediately.
Scrapple. Cook pork (head, meat, feet, heart and tongue, or
other pork trimmings, if desired, including liver) in water in a covered
container until the soft tissue separates readily from the bone. Separate tissue
from bone and grind with a fine grinder. Return the ground meat to the strained
soup container and boil. Cereal is then added. A common cereal mixture is seven
parts cornmeal and three parts of either buckwheat, white, or rye flour.
Approximately 4 lbs of ground meat combined with 3 lbs of soup (liquid) plus 1
lb of cereal is sometimes used. Gradually moisten the cereal with a cool liquid
(water or the cooled soup) to prevent lumping. Add this premoistened cereal to
the ground meat-soup mixture slowly then boil for 30 minutes. Prior to finishing
boiling, add seasoning. A suggested seasoning combination for 8 lbs of finished
scrapple would include 3 oz salt, 1/4 oz black pepper, 1/4
oz sweetened marjoram, 1/4 oz nutmeg, 1/4 oz
sage or thyme, and 2-1/2 oz onions. Some prefer to add a pinch
of mace and a pinch of red pepper also. After the seasoning is mixed thoroughly
and the onions cooked, pour the scrapple into pans (not bowls) and refrigerate
30 - 32 degrees F immediately.
Summer Sausage. Farmer-style summer sausage is a tasty
processed meat item often prepared in winter for summer consumption. A popular
formula follows:
4.0 lbs lean beef
6.0 lbs lean pork trimmings0.8 oz sugar0.6 oz pepper (black
or white)0.2 oz sage or 0.1 oz ground mustard
4.0 oz salt0.7 gram
sodium nitrite measured very carefully and dissolved in 1/4 cup
water
NOTE: It is very important that the level of nitrite not
be exceeded since excessive human consumption of nitrite can be lethal. In fact,
the use of commercial salt-sodium nitrite mixtures is strongly encouraged
because of the problem of measuring accurately such a small quantity of nitrite.
Some drug stores also are sources of sodium nitrite and may assist you in
weighing out appropriate amounts for the recipe. There are commercial sources of
salt containing sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite for home curing of meat. One
popular source contains 0.5 percent sodium nitrate and 0.5 percent sodium
nitrite. If you use this commercial source of salt and nitrite, use 5-1/2
level tablespoons per 10 lbs of meat. However, before using check carefully to
make sure the product contains 0.5 percent sodium nitrate and 0.5 percent sodium
nitrite. If the salt nitrate and nitrite mixture you are using contains more or
less nitrate and nitrite, adjust the amount included in this formula accordingly
and accurately!
Mix the beef and pork and grind through a 1/4-inch plate. Add
the seasoning and curing ingredients and mix thoroughly with a mixer or
carefully by hand. Grind again through a 3/16-inch plate. Place
the product on trays and refrigerate at 36 degrees F for 12 to 48 hours to cure.
After the cured red color has developed, stuff into hog casing or a commercial
collagen casing. The product should be smoked to 110 degrees F so that a rich,
dark color develops. Continue to heat the product until 142 degree F internal
temperature of the sausage is reached. The temperature must exceed 137 degrees F
in the internal portion of the sausage to destroy any Trichinella spiralis
(trichinosis) that may be present in the pork. The internal color will then be
the typical cured pink color. Store the product several weeks in a drying area
not exceeding 45 degrees F. A semi-moist atmosphere (75–80 percent relative
humidity) will help prevent hardening or uneven drying in the sausage.
The finished product should have a tang when eaten. This is produced by certain
acid-producing bacteria (normally present in the sausage). The acid tang insures
satisfactory removal of moisture from the sausage during drying, thus preventing
spoilage by other types of bacteria. To ensure the presence of the desirable
acid-producing bacteria, old-time recipes include mixing each batch with a pound
or so from a previous batch that has been successfully stored without spoilage.
The uncooked pound to be used in mixing should be kept under refrigeration.
Summer sausage need not be smoked. However, for those desiring a smoked flavor
but lacking the necessary and safe smoking equipment, liquid smoke is available
commercially.
Bratwurst. A common formula for 10 lbs. of bratwurst sausage
follows:
3.0 lbs boneless
light veal (or can be replaced entirely by pork or lean beef) and 7.0 lbs lean
pork trimmings.The pork should be approximately 70 percent lean.3-1/2 oz salt0.4
to 0.6 oz fine ground white pepper0.05 oz
ground mace0.05 oz ground celery seed
Grind veal and pork through 1/8-inch plate, add seasonings, and
mix well. Stuff into casings (preferably 30–36 mm in diameter) and link.
Product then may be stored in the refrigerator for a few days or frozen for
periods up to one to two months. In some cases, it may be desirable to cook the
bratwurst and then refrigerate. This is accomplished by heating in water until
the internal temperature of the bratwurst reaches 150 degrees F. Cooking the
bratwurst prior to freezing is not recommended because of subsequent reduced
shelf life.
Other Sausages. There are literally hundreds of different
types of sausages, many of which have several recipes per individual sausage.
The reader is urged to obtain the publications listed at the end of this fact
sheet for additional and detailed sausage recipes.
Curing and Smoking Hams and Bacon. There are numerous ways to
cure and smoke hams and bacon. Salt may be used alone, with sugar, or with sugar
and nitrite. The last method, sometimes referred to as "sugar cure,"
uses dry ingredients, liquid ingredients, and combinations of both.
The dry sugar cure is safest if you have no refrigerated curing room or
equipment for brine curing. Make up the curing ingredients as follows:
8 lbs salt
3 lbs cane sugar3 oz sodium
nitrate1/2 oz sodium nitrite
(or a total of 4 oz nitrate if no nitrite available).Remember, excess
nitrite is toxic.
Use 1 oz of cure per 1 lb of pork (for heavy hams weighing more than 20 lbs, use
1-1/2 oz cure per 1 lb of ham). Hams should be rubbed three
separate times at three to five day intervals. Bacon should have one thorough
rubbing with a light sprinkling over the flesh side after rubbing. Picnics and
butts should have two rubbings at three to five day intervals. Place the rubbed
meats in boxes, on shelves, on wooden tables to cure but not in tight boxes or
barrels where they rest in their own brine. Do not use cardboard or galvanized
containers. The length of curing should approximate seven days per inch of
thickness. For example, if the ham weighs approximately 12 to 15 lbs and is
approximately 5 inches thick through the thickest part, this ham should be cured
7 x 5 = 35 days. If a bacon is 2 inches thick, it should be cured for 7 x 2 = 14
days. It is advisable to rub some of the curing salt into the aitch bone joint
and hock end of ham to guard against bone sour. It is all right to leave the
product in cure longer than the recommended time since the saltiness does not
increase. Dry curing should be done in a cool place to reduce the risk of
spoilage.
Since bacon has only a one to two month freezer life because of its salt
content, it may be advisable to cure one slab of bacon at a time. The uncured
belly can be frozen until curing.
There are several formulas for the "sweet pickle cure" for home
processing of ham, bacon, and shoulder. The reader is urged to obtain the
publication, "The Meat We Eat," listed at the end of this fact sheet
to obtain detailed instructions on sweet pickle curing.
Corning. Boneless brisket, plate, chuck, of beef usually are
used for corning. For each 10 lbs of meat dissolve in 0.4 gals of water, 0.8 lbs
of salt, 0.3 lbs of sugar, 0.4 oz of baking soda, 0.3 oz of sodium nitrate, and
.025 oz of sodium nitrite (5-1/2 tbsp of a curing salt
containing 0.5 percent sodium nitrate and 0.5 percent sodium nitrite may be used
as replacement for the salt, sodium nitrate, and sodium nitrite if you are
unable to obtain pure sodium nitrate and pure sodium nitrite). A good color can
be secured by using 0.4 oz of cream of tartar instead of the sodium nitrate.
Garlic and pickling spices (cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves, and thyme) may be
added in varying amounts if more flavor is desired.
Place the meat in a stone crock or wooden tub (do not use metal containers that
will corrode). Put the chilled curing ingredients in the container in sufficient
quantities to cover the meat. If using garlic and pickling spices, add them,
stir, and weight the meat with a board upon which a nonmetal weight can be
placed. If the cut meats are not more than 3 inches thick in the thickest part,
they will cure in approximately 12 to 14 days.
Dried Beef. Top round, bottom round, and sirloin tip
(knuckles) are commonly used to prepare dried beef. Dried beef is similar to
corned beef except (1) dried beef is made from the muscles of the round, whereas
corned beef usually is made from the brisket; (2) the dried beef curing mixture
contains an extra 1/10 lb sugar but not the baking soda, garlic,
cloves, etc.; and (3) dried beef, unlike corned beef, is hung to dry for 24
hours and then given a light or heavy smoke in the smokehouse.
Dried beef may be prepared using a straight dry cure using the same salt, sugar,
sodium nitrate, and sodium nitrite combination described in the corned beef
section. When dry curing dried beef, apply 1 to 1-1/2 oz of the
dry cure to each pound of meat. Approximately two rubbings at three to five day
intervals are necessary. Check the curing vessel daily and if self-formed brine
accumulates in the curing vessel, remove this excess brine because pieces
resting in this brine will become salty.
Jerky. Top round steak sliced 3/8-inch thick is
suitable for beef jerky. Discard any fat surrounding the muscle and cut the lean
into thin strips 1 inch wide or less. Prepare a pickle cure of 2 lbs salt and 10
cups of nearly boiling water. Dip each strip into this hot, sweet pickle cure
until the strips are nearly white. Black or white pepper may be added to the
solution or generously sprinkled on the slices after dipping. Other seasonings
used occasionally include oregano, marjoram, basil, and thyme. Place the strips
on wire oven shelves and place in an oven at 225 degrees F or higher. Leave the
oven door partially open so that the moisture from the lean can escape and thus
dry the product. When the product has been dried (approximately 65 percent
moisture loss), remove from oven and store in a cool, dry place that is free of
insects, rodents, and dust.
Venison Jerky. Cut lean strips of venison and place in
granite canner, stone crock, or plastic bucket. Cover with brine solution made
from:
2 quarts water1 cup salt1/2
cup sugar4 tablespoons black pepperGarlic salt
Place a weight on the meat so the liquid covers the surface and allow it to
stand at least 12 hours. Drain well and place on trays. Transfer to smoke house
and smoke from 5 to 15 days, depending on the thickness of the pieces being
dried. Use any nonresinous wood, such as maple, hickory, or apple. When
completely dry, store the meat in airtight containers. Follow specific
directions if a commercial smoker is used.
Freezing. Meat products that have salt added to them during
processing are not particularly suitable for freezing. Salt accelerates the
development of rancidity and thus decreases freezer life. With a freezer set at
0 degrees F, intact ham and bacon can be frozen for two months whereas sliced
bacon and most sausages have a freezer life of one month. When the freezer is
set at -15 degrees F, freezer life is doubled.
For More Information
"The Meat We Eat," by J. R. Romans, K. W. Jones, W. C.
Costello, C. W, Carlson, and P. T. Ziegler. 1984. 12th Edition. ISBN
0-8134-244-5. May be available from your local public library or can be obtained
by sending $25 to The Interstate Printers and Publishers, Inc., 19-27 North
Jackson St., Danville, IL 61832-0594. This publication contains a voluminous
amount of information on slaughter, cutting, curing, and sausage manufacture.
"A Complete Guide to Home Curing," Anon. 1975. Published by the
Morton Salt Company and available from Cumberland General Store, Route 3,
Crossville, TN 38555. Send $3.45 and ask for item number 9225.
"Going Wild," by Urban Gaida and Martin Marchello. 1987.
Published by Watab Marketing, Inc., 832 First Street North, Sartell, MN 56377.
Richard J. Epley and Paul B. Addis
The information given in this publication is for educational
purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the
understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by the
Minnesota Extension Service is implied.
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, this
material is available in alternative formats upon request. Please contact your
Minnesota county extension office or, outside of Minnesota, contact the
Extension Store at (612) 625-8173.
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Service, is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to
its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed,
religion, national origin, , age, marital status, disability, public
assistance status, veteran status, or ual orientation.
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University of Minnesota Extension is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, , age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, or ual orientation.
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University of Minnesota Extension is implied.
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