MEAT+POULTRY - March 2015 - 44

Pre-Slicing
and Packaging
Disinfection

Applications:
RTE meat and poultry
Cut chicken parts.
Food service pouches.

Providing these these
Destroys bacteria, mold and
yeast...extending product shelf
life.
Helps prevent slicer microbial
contamination.
No change to product color,
May dramatically reduce
water use.
Automatically adjusts for
changes in organic load.
No chemical fogging...
eliminates employee health
complaints.
tunnels and immersion
systems.

How we do it:
Breakthrough patented
catalytic process.
Powerful SuperOxidants™
generated from the brine itself.
Disinfection strength
automatically adjusts for
changing organic load.

BioIonix, Inc.

MEAT+ POULTRY | 03.15 | www.meatpoultry.com

D R Y- C U R E D M E AT R E P O R T

Publican Quality Meats (PQM),
explained how she keeps the
DRY CURING 101
company's charcuterie exciting.
* Processors need the right casings,
"We started with an Italian
equipment, environmental conditions
focus, but quickly learned that
and knowledge of the process to
charcuterie renders itself to all
successfully dry-cure meat.
types of ethnic flavors."
* In the dry curing process used
Then there's the question of
how to market these traditional
to make country hams and
products like dry-aged meats
prosciutto, fresh ham is rubbed
to "foodies" whose tastes may
with a dry-cure mixture of salt and
change frequently. Fallon says
other ingredients.
Columbus does that by taking
* Dry-cured hams may be aged
unique approaches to processing.
more than a year. Six months is
"We use whole muscle, no water
injection, and we deliver the
the traditional process but may
highest grams of protein per
be shortened according to aging
serving versus the competition.
temperature.
Consumers can tell the difference
* These uncooked hams are safe
in taste and texture," he adds.
stored at room temperature
He says the company's unique
and because they contain so
approach to processing results
in best-tasting deli meats with a
little water, pathogen growth is
great appeal to people who like
impeded. Dry-cured ham is not
dry-aged and cured meats.
injected with a curing solution
Another panelist, Chris
or processed by immersion in a
Marchino, executive chef at
curing solution, but it may be
Chicago's Spiaggia, honed his
smoked. (Source: USDA)
knowledge of charcuterie and
Italian cuisine while working at
restaurants throughout northern Italy. "It's increasingly
challenging to distinguish yourself in this business," he
said. "What sets one apart is the sourcing of the best
ingredients and using traditional techniques."
Herb and Kathy Eckhouse lived in Italy for several years
in the late 1980s, experiencing the tastes and nuances of
Italian meats and specifically prosciutto before founding La
Quercia, an Iowa-based processing firm specializing in drycured meats in 2000. Timing is everything, as the Eckhouses
will attest, as their business is "doing well" with a growing
customer base more than willing to pay a premium for La
Quercia's line of premium, dry-aged products. And there's
no shortage of raw materials in the pork-rich state. "When
we returned to the US, we kept thinking of making good
food from the bounty of Iowa," Kathy Eckhouse says.
"Using pork and making prosciutto just seemed to make
sense, so that eventually became our goal."
What was inspired by Italian tradition but founded in
the heart of America's hog hotbed is yet another testament
to the growing and thriving niche that is based on artisan
expertise and a quality-at-all-cost approach that lures the
trendy food lovers throughout the country.

http://www.bioionix.com http://www.meatpoultry.com

MEAT+POULTRY - March 2015

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