Choice of Salt

• The choice of salt has an impact on how salt-cured foods turn out. Iodized table salt is a poor choice for most purposes other than table use, because the iodine and anti-caking ingredients can cause discoloration in brines and preserved foods. Coarse pickling salt, a pure noniodized salt, is a good choice for most purposes. Unrefined sea salts can be excellent for salted meats and vegetables, because their impurities impart unique flavors. They are less suited to pickle brines, where those same impurities may cloud the brine.
  
  

Wet and Dry Cures

• There are two standard types of cure, the wet and the dry. In wet cures, the salt and other ingredients are dissolved into a brine with water, vinegar or other liquids such as fruit juices. Many recipes boil the liquid to dissolve the salt more reliably, then cool the brine before using it. Dry cures consist solely of salt and other dry ingredients. They work the same way, but require slightly more care to ensure even curing.
  
  

The Science of Salt Cures

• There is a broad consensus within the food science community about what salt curing does. The mechanism that enables this to happen is less well understood and hotly debated within the scientific community. Essentially, salt extracts free water from the foods and then permeates the cells itself. A quick cure firms the foods and seasons them, while a long cure can produce a tough, leatherlike food that will last for years in storage. Salt preserves the foods by denying the use of water to bacteria, fungi and other potential sources of spoilage and food-borne illness.
  
  

Salt Cure Ingredients

• A cure consisting solely of salt is not especially appealing. Salt alone has a harsh character, producing foods with one-dimensional flavors. Most cures moderate the salt with sugar or other sweeteners, which moderate the salt's impact and make the foods more palatable. Sugar also has a preservative effect similar to salt's. Most cures add other flavoring ingredients as well, as simple as a few bay leaves or as complex as the spice mixture for pastrami. When salt or sugar is absorbed into the cells, these flavors are taken along.