a whole lot of patience. The time between buying a cut of meat from the butcher to actually serving it at the table can be months. Or even years. That’s when the meat breaks down, unlocking flavor you ...

Curing meat is why humans could stay put when there was nothing to grow, kill or steal. It is how conquerors and discoverers lasted while they traveled the world. But the refrigerator and the modern ...

Ever wonder how that huge, bone-in, Virginia ham can last for a year, swinging from the rafters at room temperature? The biggest reason for this impressive example of food preservation is salt. Salt ...

The key to salting meat is the process of diffusion: the tendency for substances to disperse through another substance until equilibrium is reached. From the hills of Italy to the Spanish plains, ...