Meat+Poultry - October 2019 - 56

INGREDIENT ISSUES

Vinegar is the key curing
agent in fresh chorizo.
It can take up to four to
six days of refrigerated
curing for the vinegar
to do its work on the
texture of the meat.

MEAT+ POULTRY | 10.19 | www.meatpoultry.com

NATURAL PRESERVATION
Organic acid salts are some of the most
effective antimicrobial agents used in meat
and poultry products. They get buffered, also
known as neutralized, with a conjugate base.
Propionic acid is recognized as being the
most effective of these acids; while vinegar,
a natural source of acetic acid, is now being
used by processors as a label-friendly, allnatural antimicrobial.
Their mode of action on pathogenic and

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56

protein chains in a twist, causing the proteins
to denature or unravel. This is the act of
tenderizing. Excessive marination may result
in a mushy protein. Sometimes the unraveled
protein chains form new bonds, causing the
proteins to coagulate and creating a much
more rigid structure. They may tighten,
squeezing out the water and causing the
protein to become tough.
Vinegar is included in the manufacture
of many varied sausages and charcuterie.
Functions include tenderizing the meat as well
as contributing a fermented sour-like taste.
Artisans will often soak natural animal casings
in a weak vinegar solution, as the vinegar
contributes to a more tender eating experience.
Mexican-style chorizo, also known as fresh
chorizo, is a soft, crumbly product, not to
be confused with Spanish chorizo, a harder
salami-type sausage. Vinegar is the key curing
agent in fresh chorizo. The comminuted
meat, chilies, seasoning and vinegar mixture
requires often as much as four to six days of
refrigerated curing to enable the vinegar to do
its work on texture.
Many international sausage recipes were
developed with the purpose of using tougher
cuts of meat and trim that might otherwise
go to waste. They often rely on vinegar to
assist with tenderizing. Some also use vinegar
to provide desirable taste. Longanisa fresca,
for example, is a pork sausage from Mexico
that is flavored with wine vinegar. Makanek

is a Lebanese sausage made with pork, beef
or lamb, along with pine nuts, cumin, cloves,
cognac and white vinegar.
Boerewors is a type of sausage found in
South African cuisine; however, its origins are
Dutch. It's made with beef or pork, along with
ground coriander, red wine vinegar, thyme and
Worcestershire sauce. Traditional Moroccan
beef sausage, a dried charcuterie-type meat,
includes all-spice, garlic and vinegar.
With dry sausages, vinegar does more than
tenderize at the beginning and add flavor for
enjoyment. It also may assist with preservation.
With some dry sausages, surface mold may be
part of the flavor development process. While
desirable mold grows, some less desirable
mold may invade the drying chambers. In these
instances, wiping the surface of the sausages
with a 2 percent to 4 percent vinegar solution
will assist with removing the mold while also
preserving the flavor already developed.
Malt vinegar is a trending ingredient that
culinary professionals are exploring for the use
of tenderizing and adding flavor to meat and
poultry. Made from malted grains of barley, the
same grains that are used for making beer, the
vinegar has a lemony, nutty and caramel flavor
profile that resembles malted ale. It also has
color, which ranges from light to dark brown,
and can be a source of natural brown in white
meats such as chicken, pork and turkey. It can
be used to make meat glazes or applied as a
drizzle after frying to add desirable color and
enhance flavor.
Sometimes vinegar is simply part of the
sauce that tops prepared meat. Sambal, for
example, has been identified as an up-andcoming Indonesian-inspired hot sauce made
from a variety of chili peppers, along with
shrimp paste, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, shallot,
scallion, lime juice and vinegar.
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Meat+Poultry - October 2019

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