Equalization and drying — aren't they the same?

What's the difference?

These two terms sound similar but mean completely different things — and mixing them up costs a lot of people good meat.

Curing equalization (also called: equalization phase) is the step after curing. The salt has done its job but sits unevenly in the meat — more on the outside, less on the inside. During equalization, salt migrates via osmosis from the saltier zones into the less salty ones until everything balances out. The meat stays moist, sits in a bag or open in the fridge at 2–5 °C, and needs roughly 1 day per 10 mm of meat thickness (minimum).

Drying, on the other hand, is a separate process: you actively want to remove water from the meat. Either as preparation for smoking (so the smoke adheres better) or as part of the curing process for dry-cured sausages and hams. This is about airflow, temperatures around 10–15 °C, and controlled humidity — the meat loses measurable weight, often 20–40 % over long curing periods.

How to do it right

• Cure first — rub in salt or submerge in brine, quantity according to recipe (typically 20–35 g salt per kg meat for dry curing).
• Then equalize — remove meat from the curing bag or leave it in, put it in the fridge at 2–5 °C. Time: at least 1 day per cm of meat thickness, a bit more is fine.
• Then dry — take the meat out, rinse, pat dry. Now let air get to it: either hang for 1–3 hours at room temperature (before smoking) or weeks in a curing chamber (for dry-cured ham, etc.).

The order matters. Anyone who mixes them up or skips a step risks unevenly salted meat or a surface that won't dry properly.

Conclusion

Equalization = distribute salt evenly (moist, cold), drying = remove water (airflow, temperature) — one after the other, not at the same time.