Temperature and humidity play a crucial role in curing meats. Curing meat involves the preservation of meat through the use of sugar, salt and other ingredients to draw out moisture.

Drawing out moisture changes the flavor of the meat and extends the shelf life of it dramatically.

What You Need To Know

  • Different aspects of the weather impact the meats on your charcuterie boards

  • Cured meats require very specific temperature and humidity to cure properly

  • Controlling both is crucial to keeping healthy bacteria in check on the meats

  • These meats often cure best in the winter or early spring

The ideal temperature for curing meat is between 50 to 60 degrees. That temperature allows the enzymes in the meat to break down proteins and fats, creating the flavors we know and love on our charcuterie boards.

But temperature is not the only important factor when curing meat. Humidity is equally, if not more, important.

Humidity levels between 60 to 70% are required to prevent the meat from drying out too quickly. That would mean a tough and chewy texture. Also, that sweet spot of 60 to 70% humidity allows the growth of good bacteria.

Good bacteria helps the meat get the intended flavors. Bad bacteria would make consumers sick and spoil the meat.

Bad bacteria is easy to run into. That’s because it grows much quicker than good bacteria. It thrives in environments where the temperature and humidity are too high.

Again, this shows the importance the weather plays in keeping the conditions surrounding your charcuterie meats just right!

When mass producing these meats, it is a lot easier to keep control of the conditions. They sit in specific temperature and humidity controlled rooms. In smaller operations, it takes a lot more work and attention!

My boyfriend and his family have been curing Soppressata, a cured pork, at home for decades. After making a blend and putting it in a casing, they hang it in a controlled environment.

Daily, they check the conditions of every stick of Soppressata to make sure the bacteria growing on it is the healthy kind. In addition, they make sure conditions in the room are conducive to make the best tasting meat.

If either the humidity or temperature is even a little off, it requires immediate attention so that the year’s batch is not ruined. In total, the process takes several months.

All in all, careful monitoring and control of both the temperature and humidity are essential to produce high quality, safe and delicious cured meats.

Follow Meteorologist Kaylee Wendt on Faceb​ook, Instagram and Twitter!

Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.