Should iodized salt be a avoided when salting meat?

I have heard people telling me that iodized salt makes meat taste funny when using it for meat purposes. Is this true or can regular table salt still be used to salt meat?

Also should the salt water mixture be heated / brought to a boil before submerging any meat in it or is a brisk mixing adequate?

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    It's called iodized salt where I'm from, and I thought iodised in British English? If iodated something you see on packaging too? If not, might want to edit to make this easier for others to find. – Cascabel Nov 30 '14 at 17:45
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    Went ahead and edited since I still can't find any usage of "iodated" for this. – Cascabel Dec 13 '14 at 0:02

I assume you are making a brine? Such as pastrami, corned beef, pickled pork, etc.

If so, you probably want to go with kosher or pickling salt. Both are pure salt, and pickling salt is ground more finely to facilitate mixing with cold or lukewarm brines.

You can use iodized, table, or sea salt, but there are additives in them to prevent sticking that can affect the curing process or leave sediment in your brine (i.e. pickles or pickled meats stored in brine). Sea salt may not have additives, but it may contain other trace minerals that could affect the finished product.

Here are some links on the subject: Curing and smoking More curing and smoking

  • If we're talking about brining/pickling, this might cover the specific question better : extension.psu.edu/food/preservation/faq/… . "... it is not recommended for canning recipes because the calcium silicate may cause clouding or settle to the bottom of jar. Furthermore, the iodide may discolor some foods." – Joe Dec 16 '14 at 23:19
  • @Joe I thought about that after posting this. For brining jerky or something, probably not a big deal. For making pastrami or something, there is actually particular salts (sodium nitrate?) that preserves the color of the meat. I don't know if flavor is necessarily affected, but salt is cheap and it doesn't hurt to just use the right tools for the job. – JSM Dec 18 '14 at 19:36
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    it's commonly called 'curing salt' or 'pink salt' (and sometimes 'prague powder'). It's generally added in small amounts to the cure, not a replacement for the salt entirely. There are two different types (#1 and #2), so if you have a recipe that calls for it, use the right one and don't substitute. – Joe Dec 18 '14 at 20:59

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