How to Remove Excess Salt from Salt Pork

Salt pork is a beloved ingredient in many classic American dishes like baked beans, succotash, soups, and stews. Its salty, smoky flavor adds a wonderful depth of taste. However, salt pork earned its name for a reason – it’s cured in salt, which makes it incredibly salty! Too much salt can make recipes unpalatable. Thankfully, there are easy methods to remove some of the excess salt from salt pork.

What is Salt Pork?

First, let’s cover what exactly salt pork is Salt pork comes from pork belly or fatback that has been rubbed with salt and cured This preservation technique allows it to be stored for long periods without refrigeration. The salt penetrates deep into the meat for a concentrated salty taste.

Salt pork provides a few benefits

• Adds a salty, umami punch of flavor to dishes
• Provides richness from the fat content
• Can be stored for up to a month without refrigeration

Common in colonial American cooking, salt pork is an iconic ingredient in New England, especially Boston baked beans It’s also used to flavor soups, stews, scrambled eggs, rice, greens, and more in traditional Southern and Cajun cuisine

Health Concerns of a High Salt Diet

While delicious, the extremely high sodium levels in salt pork can have negative health impacts if consumed in excess. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting sodium to less than 2,300mg per day. Just a 3oz serving of salt pork can have over 1,500mg sodium – well over half the daily recommended amount!

Consuming too much sodium can lead to:

• Increased blood pressure, putting strain on the heart
• Higher risk of stroke, heart disease, and kidney problems
• Calcium loss from bones
• Fluid retention – swelling in extremities
• Potential stomach cancer risk

For those limiting salt for medical reasons, salt pork poses a particular concern. That’s why it’s important to know how to remove some of that excess sodium before eating it.

Effective Techniques for Removing Salt from Salt Pork

When salt pork is too salty for a recipe, there are a few simple prep methods you can use to remove some of that excess salt and achieve a more balanced flavor:

Soaking

Soaking salt pork in water helps leach out some of the salt through natural osmosis. The longer it soaks, the more salt will balance out into the water.

• Place salt pork in a container and cover with cool, fresh water. Use enough water to fully submerge the pork.

• Let soak for 2 hours up to overnight. Change the water halfway for maximum desalting.

• Rinse pork under cool running water after soaking to wash away surface salt. Pat dry with paper towels.

Parboiling

Bringing salt pork to a brief boil helps draw out salt from the meat which can then be rinsed away.

• In a pot, cover salt pork with water and bring to a boil for 1 minute only. No longer or it will start to break down.

• Drain the water and immediately rinse pork under cool water while rubbing gently to remove salt residue.

• Pat pork thoroughly dry with paper towels before using.

Low and Slow Cooking

Gently cooking salt pork over lower heat for a longer time renders out more salty fat before the meat browns.

• Place salt pork in a cold pan and set heat to medium-low.

• Cook for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally, until fat renders and meat browns lightly.

• Drain on paper towels to soak up rendered fat, which contains salt.

Soaking in Milk

The proteins in milk can help draw salt out of cured meats through the brining process.

• Cover salt pork with whole milk in a container.

• Refrigerate 8-12 hours to allow milk to pull out salt.

• Remove pork, rinse, and pat dry. Discard milk.

Tips for Using Salt Pork

In addition to removing excess salt, there are other tips for preventing salt pork from being overpowering:

• Cut salt pork into smaller 1/2 inch cubes to disperse salt more evenly.

• Mix with an equal amount of regular uncured pork or bacon.

• Balance strong salty flavor by serving with sweet and acidic ingredients.

• Add salt pork early when making stocks and broths, then remove it.

• Saute vegetables in rendered salt pork fat instead of using the meat itself.

• Soak beans overnight before adding salt pork to baked bean recipes.

Make Your Own Lower Sodium Salt Pork

You can control the sodium level by curing salt pork at home. Omitting nitrates and reducing the salt creates a lighter cure:

• 1 cup sea salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• Spices like pepper, bay leaves, juniper berries

Rub mix onto pork belly. Refrigerate 3-7 days. Rinse, rest, then slice. Customize the cure until it suits your taste.

Enjoy the Deep Flavor Without Excess Salt

Salt pork offers incredible flavor complexity but the high salt content can be off-putting. With simple prep steps like a water soak, brief parboil, slow rendering, or DIY curing, you can remove some of the excess sodium before using it in your favorite American dishes. Follow these desalting tricks to enjoy rich, savory salt pork flavor without going overboard on salt.