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Using salt to preserve foods has been practiced throughout human history.  Through what was sure to be painful trial and error it was discovered that cuts of meat could be preserved by treating them with a salt solution or by packing them in dry salt.  Salt inhibits most spoilage by reducing the amount of water available for microbial growth.

Using salt as a means of preserving foods predates written history.  The Mesopotamians (3000 B.C.E.) commonly used salt to preserve meat and fish. Early Roman writers such as Cato (234-149 B.C.E.) was very descriptive about the need to salt perishable meats and vegetables to preserve them.

Smoking meat causes it to look and taste good, in addition to preserving meats.  Smoking preserves meat in three different ways:

• Heat
• Chemical
• Surface Dehydration

Smoking and curing meats and fish is delicious, fun and offers the opportunity to save money.