Cure meat products
Overview
This standard is about the skills and knowledge needed to cure meat products. Curing meat or poultry is important to the production of a variety of meat products including bacon, gammon, ham and salami using wet, dry, air and smoking techniques. The curing of meat or poultry is important to the production of added value products and extending the shelf life of meat. You will need to know how to prepare to cure meat, carry out the curing process, adhere to regulatory and organisational requirements and how to address problems within the limits of your responsibility. You will need to know and understand the principles underpinning the curing of meat or poultry including regulatory requirements, the major systems typically used to cure meat or poultry and the factors affecting the final product flavour and quality and shelf life. This standard is for you if you work in food manufacture and/or supply operations and are involved in carrying out curing of meat or poultry.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
Prepare to cure meat or poultry products
prepare to cure meat and poultry products in accordance with
organisational standards
wear and use the correct personal protective equipment in
accordance with regulatory standards and organisational
requirements
check the availability and cleanliness of work area, tools and
equipment for curing
address problems within the limits of your responsibility
Carry out curing operations
carry out curing of meat or poultry according to product
specification
take effective action to deal with problems during the curing
operation
maintain quality of meat or poultry when curing
make product available to next stage of process
store waste for disposal according to organisational requirements
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
why it is important to follow organisational standard operating
procedures and specifications during the curing of meat
why meat is cured
the key features of wet curing, dry curing, air drying and smoking
the work area tools and equipment needed to carry out the curing
of meat
why it is important to check the cleanliness of tools and equipment
how to access and follow the correct curing specification
how to prepare dry and wet cures of different strengths and make
suitable adjustments to achieve the required concentrations
how to check if the curing process is completed
the importance of storing cured meat separately from other meat
especially during the curing process
how to dispose of waste products from the curing process
the effect of ineffective curing on potential customer complaints,
lost revenue and food safety
- how to deal with curing problems within the limits of your
responsibility
why meat products are cured
the common types and cuts of meat commonly cured
the different production processes available to cure meat or
poultry
the effect of curing on final product shelf life
the key differences between dry and wet curing including the
advantages and disadvantages of each process
- why it is important to apply dry cures mainly to the muscle area of
the meat product
- how to measure brine strength and temperature using a variety of
different methods
- the major features of large scale curing equipment including the
use of massaging and tumbling systems
the key features of smoking as a curing process
why different time/temperature combinations are used in the
smoking process
how meat can be air dried to produce a cured product
the cuts of meat most suitable for wet curing, dry curing, smoking,
air drying, tumbling and massaging
- regional and national differences in production of cured meat
products including examples of typical products
- how raw material quality and temperature can impact on the
curing process and how this may be monitored
how the thickness/size of the meat joint impacts on curing times
how to establish what are appropriate curing times
how to assess the suitability of curing ingredients for use in curing
common product quality problems associated with each of the
curing processes
- how the different curing processes affect the flavour of the meat
product
- why it is important to store cured meat separately from other meat
including during the curing process
- how the curing processes affect yield and economic value of the
meat product
- the process of osmosis and its impact on flesh during the curing
process