Both dried and freeze-dried meats retain their original fat content, so they eventually turn

rancid unless sealed in vacuum packaging or bathed in antioxidants. If mold starts to grow on the

outside of dried meat, it means the surface layer was rehydrated, either from humidity in the air

or because someone watered it along with the philodendron.

Fermentation is not a common way to preserve meat, but it is the process that gives that

excellent, unique flavor to good-quality dry sausages and salamis.

Canning is an old established method of food preservation that goes back to the

American Civil War times though canned version of meat is hardly a gourmet's delight. To make

meat absolutely safe, it must go through processing at high heat for a certain length of time.

What comes out of the can rarely resembles the flavor and texture of the original product. Take

canned corned beef, for instance. It is not necessarily bad, but not at all like beef or even fresh-

cooked corned beef.

Warmed-over flavor

Leftover meat is a bonus in any busy household, but after several days it develops a

distinctive, disagreeable off-flavor that bothers some taste buds more than others. What can we

do to prevent it or at least reduce its effect? Food scientists even have a term for this, they call it

warmed-over flavor. Unfortunately, it is not a flavor that we can totally eliminate. Warmed-over

flavor is the oxidation of the fats in the meat, it is the first sign of it turning rancid. This is the

same chemical process I discussed above under Preserving Quality. Heating releases compounds

in the meat that not only promote but accelerate the oxidation. When cooking in metal pots, the

released metal ions accelerate the process even further. As with chemical reactions in general,

this reaction also slows down at lower temperatures and if you can cut off oxygen from meat,

you can reduce oxidation completely. So do the obvious. Wrap any leftovers carefully to cut off

oxygen and store them in the refrigerator or freezer as soon as they are cool enough.

Covering the meat with a sauce to keep oxygen away is an excellent way to reduce

rancidity. (It doesn't completely eliminate oxidation because the sauce contains some oxygen.)

Meat stored in gravy has a shelflife five times longer than meat wrapped securely by itself. Meat

high in unsaturated fat is particularly susceptible to this type of rancidity, and so are breaded

cooked meats as the rough surface of the breading holds a lot of oxygen in its porous texture no

matter how tightly you wrap it. Meat processors add an antioxidant (ascorbic acid) to cooked

meats to inhibit development of warmed-over flavor. Antioxidants are harmless and don't effect

the flavor.

At the normal refrigeration temperature of 38°to 40°F (3°to 4°C), warmed-over flavor

develops within two days. Reheating the meat and raising the temperature again speeds up

oxidation. To enjoy leftover meat, eat it cold and within a day or two of the original cooking.

Sausages and other processed meats

Processing meat started as a method to use all extra parts of the animal, particularly those

that tend to spoil quickly. Different regions and ethnic groups added their own unique spice

mixes, their own special preparation technique until today we have a truly stunning variety of

sausages and other processed meats worldwide. Processed meats turned out to be a superb way

of using those extras, plus, they are also easy to prepare and eat, and are relatively inexpensive.

A well-spiced, well-cured processed meat has excellent flavor, which is another reason they are

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