Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 44, November 2, 2024
(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.
This section cited in 7 Pa. Code §
1.331 (relating to treatment of
pork and products containing pork).
