Does cooked meat require refrigeration?

Question

As we all know, the general rule is, that cooked meat must be refrigerated within 2 hours or so after its cooked.
However, why are foods like cheese & bacon rolls, and those little hot dog rolls you find at Asian bakeries deemed safe to eat in room temperature?

In: 2

Answer 1

Refrigeration is just one way of preserving food. For meat, salt is another big one. It’s why meats like jerky and cured ham last so long. Generally if a food is dry and salty enough, it can be kept safely at room temperature, because all organisms need water in order to thrive and salt is kind of like negative water since it’s really good at drawing moisture out of things. For foods like jerky or those asian rolls, there may also be additional preservatives present.