5.0 from 15 votes
Salted Meat [Recipe + Video] Carne Salada or Tocino
While salted meat (Dominican carne salada or tocino) is a dish and food preservation method that was very popular in the pre-refrigeration days, but created a cut of meat with its own characteristics, flavors, and virtues.
Prep Time
50 mins
Cook Time
4 hrs 50 mins
Total Time
5 hrs 15 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 579 kcal
Course:
Lunch
Cuisine:
Dominican
Ingredients
To preserve meat
- 2½ pound meat pork, beef or goat [1.13 kg]
- ½ cup coarse sea salt
- 3 tablespoons oregano (dry leaves), crushed
- 1 tablespoon pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground)
- 2 tablespoons mashed garlic (optional)
For meat stew
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large red onion sliced
- 4 large tomato chopped
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- ½ teaspoon oregano (dry, ground)
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon cilantro chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)
- 1½ cups liquid from boiling meat
Instructions
1. To season the meat
- Slice the meat as thinly as possible and discard any connective tissue, bone and cartilage.Season the meat with salt, pepper, and oregano, coating it well, and let it rest overnight in the fridge.
Cup of Yum
2. Dry the meat
- Remove the meat from the liquid that would have seeped out overnight. Pat dry with a paper towel.Place the meat on a wire rack and dry in a dehydrator until it is completely dry and stiff. It took me about 8 hours. You can dry it in the oven over 200 ºF [93 ºC] until the meat is quite stiff and dry to the touch (it took me about 3 hours).
3. Storing
- Cool meat to room temperature and store in a sealed bag in the refrigerator for up to a month.
4. To de-salt meat
- Rinse meat in running water. Soak overnight in abundant water (about a gallon [3.8 lt]) in the refrigerator.Boil in the same water it soaked overnight until the meat is very tender. If you cook it in a pressure cooker it should take 20 minutes. In a conventional pot it should take about an hour, add water if it becomes necessary to maintain the same water level. Save the liquid to use later on.
5. Shred meat
- Cool the boiled meat to room temperature and shred it.
6. Sautee
- Heat oil in a 2 quart pot [2 lt] over low heat. Add onions, cook and stir until onions become translucent. Add garlic and cook stirring until the garlic releases its aroma (about a minute).Stir in the meat and cook until it has heated through.
7. Make sauce
- Mix in tomatoes and oregano and stir. Add tomato sauce and 1½ cup of water from boiling the meat (check that it's not too salty before adding it).Cover and simmer over low heat for ten minutes. Taste and add salt to taste if you find it necessary (I did not).
Nutrition Information
Calories
579kcal
(29%)
Carbohydrates
8g
(3%)
Protein
34g
(68%)
Fat
45g
(69%)
Saturated Fat
16g
(80%)
Cholesterol
134mg
(45%)
Sodium
1253mg
(52%)
Potassium
888mg
(25%)
Fiber
2g
(8%)
Sugar
5g
(10%)
Vitamin A
860IU
(17%)
Vitamin C
16.1mg
(18%)
Calcium
66mg
(7%)
Iron
4.6mg
(26%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 6servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 579
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 579kcal | 29% |
| Carbohydrates | 8g | 3% |
| Protein | 34g | 68% |
| Fat | 45g | 69% |
| Saturated Fat | 16g | 80% |
| Cholesterol | 134mg | 45% |
| Sodium | 1253mg | 52% |
| Potassium | 888mg | 19% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 5g | 10% |
| Vitamin A | 860IU | 17% |
| Vitamin C | 16.1mg | 18% |
| Calcium | 66mg | 7% |
| Iron | 4.6mg | 26% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.