[Avodah] How Much Salt for Kashering?

[Rabbi Meir G. Rabi]

Kosher meat must have all traces of blood removed. This procedure is known
as 'Kashering' and requires very precise procedures and timing of rinsing,
soaking, salting and finally removal of the salt and blood via rinsing and
washing.

Halachah provides no precise measure of salt to be used for Kashering and
although insisting that all surfaces must be covered with salt, does not
differentiate between small and large surface area to volume ratios, i.e.
thick or thin pieces of meat. In other words a large circular hunk of meat
[small ratio of surface area to volume] requires the identical amount of
surface salt and time for Kashering as does a thin piece [large ratio of
surface area to volume] Furthermore, a 20cm thick piece of meat will be
Kashered when salted on both sides, meaning the salt will extract blood
from a depth of 10 cm, but a 4cm thick piece of meat salted only on one
side will not be Kosher. It seems like the process has been standardised to
accommodate all cases. Nevertheless, although Halachah permits various
shortcuts when Kashering for emergency situations, it does not advise
Kashering thin slices to reduce preparation time.

Meat that was cooked before it was Kashered will make everything in the pot
it is cooked with non-Kosher. Halacha asserts there is as much blood in the
piece of meat as the mass of meat. If however, there is enough Kosher food
in the pot to render the blood insignificant, the food will be Kosher.
Halachah requires 60 units of Kosher food to neutralise every unit of blood
[1 gram of blood requires 60 grams of Kosher food] In other words, a 100
gram piece of meat will require 6kg to neutralise the blood.

However, meat that was cooked after Kashering but before the blood and salt
was washed off, requires only 60 times the salt and blood on the surface of
the meat i.e. soaked into the salt. The blood that was in the meat has been
removed by the salting.

Some authorities [a note in the ShaArei Dura] assert that every piece of
meat is itself large enough to neutralise the salt whilst others [the Rama
69:9] assert it provides only half the mass required.

מצאתי בא"ז - בשר שנמלח ושהה כדי מליחה ושמוהו בקדירה לבשל בלא הדחה מותר שכבר
פלט דמו ולא נשאר רק מעט דם עם המלח ואותו הדם בטל בששים כי אין לך שום חתיכה
שנמלח ושהה כדי מליחה שלא יהא בה ששים כנגד דם שעל המלח

The Rama however disagrees with the ratio - "there can be no question that
if the pot contains as much as the mass of the meat, it is certainly more
than 60 times the salt ...." See Shach that BeDiAvad, we may rely upon the
lenient opinion particularly if it is a thick piece.

וְאִם יֵשׁ בַּקְּדֵרָה כ''כ כְּמוֹ הַחֲתִיכָה שֶׁנִּמְלַח וְלֹא הוּדַח,
הַכֹּל שָׁרֵי, דְּוַדַּאי אִכָּא שִׁשִּׁים נֶגֶד הַמֶּלַח שֶׁעַל הַחֲתִיכָה
דְּהַחֲתִיכָה עַצְמָהּ בְּוַדַּאי הִיא שְׁלֹשִׁים נֶגֶד הַמֶּלַח שֶׁעָלָיו,
(בְּאָרֹךְ כְּלָל י''א ד''ד

To the best of my knowledge, this is the only source that provides an
empiric  measurement of how much salt is to be used for Kashering.

Keep in mind that since this is a general ruling it must encompass all
cases, the guidelines must reflect the maximum amount of salt that would be
applied and that would remain until the meat is ready for its final
washdown. In the words of the Rama, "there can be no question that if the
pot contains as much as the mass of the meat, it is certainly more than 60
times the salt ...."

The Halacha must provide the maximum safety margin and must therefore
assume that the maximum amount of salt was applied and remains on the meat
when it is added to the pot. Further, the Halacha must accommodate the
largest surface area to meat ratio [ChAdam 32:4] and the heaviest salting
hand. In other words, every possible variant that increases the amount of
salt used is turned up to the max - and in this worst possible case
scenario, we can be certain that the salt is no more than one thirtieth of
the mass of the meat. In other words, an average sized steak, 300 - 400
gms, requires no more than 2 teaspoonfuls of salt for Kashering.

Another thing that is certain - all Kosher agencies apply far more salt for
Kashering than one thirtieth. Does it make a difference? Well, these days,
the cost of disposing of contaminants is rising dramatically and salt is
deemed a nasty contaminant and is becoming more expensive to dispose. It
already adds a significant cost to production.


Best,

Meir G. Rabi

0423 207 837
+61 423 207 837
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