§ 1.334. Treatment by curing.
(a) Sausage. The sausage may be stuffed in animal casings, hydrocellulose casings, or cloth bags. During any stage of treating the sausage for the destruction of live trichinae, except as provided in Method 5, these coverings shall not be coated with paraffin or like substance, nor shall any sausage be washed during any prescribed period of drying. In the preparation of sausage, one of the following methods may be used:
(1) Method No. 1. The meat shall be ground or chopped into pieces not exceeding three-fourths of an inch in diameter. A dry-curing mixture containing not less than 3 1/3 pounds of salt to each hundredweight of the unstuffed sausage shall be thoroughly mixed with the ground or chopped meat. After being stuffed, sausage having a diameter not exceeding 3 1/2 inches, measured at the time of stuffing, shall be held in a drying room not less than 20 days at a temperature not lower than 45°F, except that in sausage of the variety known as pepperoni, if in casings not exceeding 1 3/8 inches in diameter measured at the time of stuffing, the period of drying may be reduced to 15 days. In no case, however, shall the sausage be released from the drying room in less than 25 days from the time the curing materials are added, except that sausage of the variety known as pepperoni, if in casings not exceeding the size specified, may be released at the expiration of 20 days from the time the curing materials are added. Sausage in casings exceeding 3 1/2 inches, but not exceeding 4 inches in diameter at the time of stuffing, shall be held in a drying room not less than 35 days at a temperature not lower than 45°F, and in no case shall the sausage be released from the drying room in less than 40 days from the time the curing materials are added to the meat.
(2) Method No. 2. The meat shall be ground or chopped into pieces not exceeding three-fourths of an inch in diameter. A dry-curing mixture containing not less than 3 1/3 pounds of salt to each hundredweight of the unstuffed sausage shall be thoroughly mixed with the ground or chopped meat. After being stuffed, sausage having a diameter not exceeding 3 1/2 inches, measured at the time of stuffing, shall be smoked not less than 40 hours at a temperature not lower than 80°F, and finally held in a drying room not less than 10 days at a temperature not lower than 45°F. In no case, however, shall the sausage be released from the drying room in less than 18 days from the time the curing materials are added to the meat. Sausage exceeding 3 1/2 inches, but not exceeding 4 inches in diameter at the time of stuffing, shall be held in a drying room, following smoking as indicated, not less than 25 days at a temperature not lower than 45°F, but in no case shall the sausage be released from the drying room in less than 33 days from the time the curing materials are added to the meat.
(3) Method No. 3. The meat shall be ground or chopped into pieces not exceeding three-fourths of an inch in diameter. A dry-curing mixture containing not less than 3 1/3 pounds of salt to each hundredweight of the unstuffed sausage shall be thoroughly mixed with the ground or chopped meat. After admixture with the salt and other curing materials and before stuffing, the ground or chopped meat shall be held at a temperature not lower than 34°F for not less than 36 hours. After being stuffed, the sausage shall be held at a temperature not lower than 34°F for an additional period of time sufficient to make a total of not less than 144 hours from the time the curing materials are added to the meat, or the sausage shall be held for the time specified in a pickle-curing medium of not less than 50° strength (salometer reading) at a temperature not lower than 44°F Finally, sausage having a diameter not exceeding 3 1/2 inches, measured at the time of stuffing, shall be smoked for not less than 12 hours. The temperature of the smokehouse during this period at no time shall be lower than 90°F, and for 4 consecutive hours of this period the smokehouse shall be maintained at a temperature not lower than 128°F. Sausage exceeding 3 1/2 inches, but not exceeding 4 inches in diameter at the time of stuffing shall be smoked, following the prescribed curing, for not less than 15 hours. The temperature of the smokehouse during the 15-hour period shall at no time be lower than 90°F, and for 7 consecutive hours of this period of smokehouse shall be maintained at a temperature not lower than 128°F. In regulating the temperature of the smokehouse for the treatment of sausage under this method, the temperature of 128°F shall be attained gradually during a period of not less than 4 hours.
(4) Method No. 4. The meat shall be ground or chopped into pieces not exceeding one-fourth of an inch in diameter. A dry-curing mixture containing not less than 2 1/2 pounds of salt to each hundredweight of the unstuffed sausage shall be thoroughly mixed with the ground or chopped meat. After admixture with the salt and other curing materials and before stuffing, the ground or chopped sausage shall be held as a compact mass, not more than 6 inches in depth, at a temperature not lower than 36°F for not less than 10 days. At the termination of the holding period, the sausage shall be stuffed in casings or cloth bags not exceeding 3 1/3 inches in diameter, measured at the time of stuffing. After being stuffed, the sausage shall be held in a drying room at a temperature not lower than 45°F for the remainder of a 35-day period, measured from the time the curing materials are added to the meat. At any time after stuffing, if the establishment operator deems it desirable, the product may be heated in a water bath for a period not to exceed 3 hours at a temperature not lower than 85°F, or subject to smoking at a temperature not lower than 80°F, or the product may be both heated and smoked as specified. The time consumed in heating and smoking however, shall be in addition to the 35-day holding period specified.
(5) Method No. 5. The meat shall be ground or chopped into pieces not exceeding three-fourths of an inch in diameter. A dry-curing mixture containing not less than 3 1/3 pounds of salt to each hundredweight of the unstuffed sausage shall be thoroughly mixed with the ground or chopped meat. After being stuffed, the sausage shall be held for not less than 65 days at a temperature not lower than 45°F. The coverings for sausage prepared according to this method may be coated at any stage of the preparation before or during the holding period with paraffin or other substance approved by the Department.
(b) Capocollo (capicola, capacola). Boneless pork butts for capocollo shall be cured in a dry-curing mixture containing not less than 4 1/2 pounds of salt per hundredweight of meat for a period of not less than 25 days at a temperature not lower than 36°F. If the curing materials are applied to the butts by the process known as churning, a small quantity of pickle may be added. During the curing period the butts may be overhauled according to any of the usual processes of overhauling, including the addition or pickle or dry salt is desired. The butts shall not be subjected during or after curing to any treatment designed to remove salt from the meat, except that superficial washing may be allowed. After being stuffed, the product shall be smoked for a period of not less than 30 hours at a temperature not lower than 80°F, and shall finally be held in a drying room not less than 20 days at a temperature not lower than 45°F.
(c) Coppa. Boneless pork butts for coppa shall be cured in a dry-curing mixture containing not less than 4 1/2 pounds of salt per hundredweight of meat for a period of not less than 18 days at a temperature not lower than 36°F. If the curing mixture is applied to the butts by the process known as churning, a small quantity of pickle may be added. During the curing period the butts may be overhauled according to any of the usual processes of overhauling, including the addition of pickle or dry salt if desired. The butts shall not be subjected during or after curing to any treatment designed to remove salt from the meat, except that superficial washing may be allowed. After being stuffed, the product shall be held in a drying room not less than 35 days at a temperature no lower than 45°F.
(d) Hams and pork shoulder picnics. In the curing of hams and pork shoulder picnics either of the following methods may be used:
(1) Method No. 1. The hams and pork shoulder picnics shall be cured by a dry-salt curing process not less than 40 days at a temperature not lower than 36°F. The products shall be laid down in salt, not less than 4 pounds to each hundredweight of product, the salt being applied in a thorough manner to the lean meat of each item. When placed in cure the products may be pumped with pickle if desired. At least once during the curing process the products shall be overhauled and additional salt applied, if necessary, so that the lean meat of each item is thoroughly covered. After removal from cure the products may be soaked in water at a temperature not higher than 70°F for not more than 15 hours, during which time the water may be changed once, but they shall not be subjected to any other treatment designed to remove salt from the meat, except that superficial washing may be allowed. The products shall finally be dried or smoked not less than 10 days at a temperature not lower than 95°F.
(2) Method No. 2. The products shall be cured by a dry-salt curing process at a temperature not lower than 36°F for a period of not less than 3 days for each pound of weight (green) of the individual items. The time of cure of each lot of such products placed in cure shall be calculated on a basis of the weight of the heaviest item of the lot. Products cured by this method, before they are placed in cure, shall be pumped with pickle solution of not less than 100° strength (salometer), about 4 ounces of the solution being injected into the shank and a like quantity along the flank side of the body bone (femur). The products shall be laid down in salt, not less than 4 pounds of salt to each hundredweight of product, the salt being applied in a thorough manner to the lean meat of each item. At least once during the curing process the products shall be overhauled and additional salt applied, if necessary, so that the lean meat of each item is thoroughly covered. After removal from the cure the product may be soaked in water at a temperature not higher than 70°F for not more than 4 hours, but shall not be subjected to any other treatment designed to remove salt from the meat, except that superficial washing may be allowed. The products shall then be dried or smoked not less than 48 hours at a temperature not lower than 80°F, and finally shall be held in a drying room not less than 20 days at a temperature no lower than 45°F.
(e) —
(1) Boneless pork loins and loin ends. In lieu of heating or refrigerating to destroy possible live trichinae in boneless loins, the loins may be cured for a period of not less than 25 days at a temperature not lower than 36°F by the use of one of the following methods:
(i) Method No. 1. Application of dry-salt curing mixture containing not less than 5 pounds of salt to each hundredweight of meats.
(ii) Method No. 2. Application of a pickle solution of not less than 80° strength (salometer) on the basis of not less than 60 pounds of pickle to each hundredweight of meat.
(iii) Method No. 3. Application of a pickle solution added to the dry-salt cure prescribed as Method No. 1 in this subsection if the pickle solution is not less than 80° strength (salometer).
(2) After removal from cure, the loins may be soaked in water for not more than one hour at a temperature not higher than 70°F or washed under a spray but shall not be subjected, during or after the curing process, to any other treatment designed to remove salt.
(3) Following curing, the loins shall be smoked for not less than 12 hours. The minimum temperature of the smokehouse during this period at no time shall be lower than 100°F, and for 4 consecutive hours of this period the smokehouse shall be maintained at a temperature not lower than 125°F.
(4) Finally, the product shall be held in a drying room for a period of not less than 12 days at a temperature not lower than 45°F.
Cross References This section cited in 7 Pa. Code § 1.331 (relating to treatment of pork and products containing pork).
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