We all want to keep our food fresh for as long as possible, but sometimes the fridge is not enough. If your fruit and vegetables are withering away at an alarming rate, it might be time to enlist the help of a food preservation technique that has been around for centuries. Cured pork has been a staple in Asia for centuries because it’s delicious and versatile. Here are some tips on how to use it to keep your food fresh for much longer.
- Add a Layer of Fat
In Vietnam, a standard method of preserving pork is marinating it in sweet soy sauce and sugar. This sweet-and-salty mixture helps preserve the meat for months, but you don’t have to waste time making your concoction. Add a layer of fat like lard or cooking oil to the outside of your cured pork—you can also use duck fat if you’re looking for something more traditional.
- Smear it With Vinegar
When curing pork, some people like to add a generous amount of vinegar to the mixture, but it’s not essential. Vinegar and salt go well together, and research shows that the acids in vinegar are good at preserving meat. If you don’t have time to cure it, place the meat in a glass jar or plastic container with some added vinegar.
- Store It in Food-Grade Plastic Containers
If you want to store your cured pork in the fridge, do yourself a favor and use food-grade plastic containers. Not only will this ensure that your meat stays fresh longer, but it should also keep it from smelling bad in the fridge—historically speaking, a lot of people like to brush their cured pork with vinegar to keep it away from food smells.
- Freeze It
Freezing is always a good option for preserving meat because you don’t need to make any cure—all you have to do is wrap it tightly in plastic and put it in the freezer for several weeks. In addition to keeping your meat fresh, freezing also makes it easier to slice.
- Store It in a Salt Cured State
In Vietnam, some people cure their pork for several weeks before using it. This results in a product that lasts for months at a time at room temperature (or in the fridge), but if you’re looking for something that takes up much less space, try keeping the meat in its salt-cured state for a few months—store it in an enclosed container in your pantry and use when needed.
- Cure With Herbs
Traditional Vietnamese cure recipes often include a few herbs like garlic and lemongrass. Adding herbs to your pork will give it more flavor, but more importantly, they may also be able to extend its shelf life. If you want to try this traditional method of curing pork, use the same sugar and soy sauce as you would for regular cured pork, but add a few other ingredients for good measure. In particular, try adding garlic and lemongrass—you may have to experiment to see what works best for you.
- Use Cold-Processed Cures
Even if you don’t have the time to make a traditional cure, you can still come close by using cold-processed meat curing methods. Many online recipes indicate that they last for several months, and you don’t even have to make a traditional cure. Add salt and sugar to the meat, wrap it in plastic, and freeze or store it at room temperature.
It is a simple process to preserve pork in Vietnam. Even without curing, it can keep for several months or as long as you store it correctly. The way the Vietnamese people use preserved pork is such that it will not smell bad and will still be fresh.
