Using sal ammoniac (ammonium chloride) for salting fish
A cursory internet and pubmed search did not yield any historical/traditional/cultural food-ties to this quaternary ammonium salt compound for me.  Personally, I would not feel comfortable using this in a home setting because it can be toxic in small quantities.  

To my knowledge, ammoniac is used in agriculture (with pesticides and as an industrial equipment "cleaner") in salt form, it can be also be seen as a gas.  Please remember, the industrial applications for NH4Cl are implemented in conjunction with other stringent  regulations. The end consumer contact level of NH4Cl cannot exceed 48ppm in the US. 

Being able to test the end product for NH4Cl residues requires lab equipment and an understanding of how to run liquid chromatography-tandem mass spec, or other specialized tests.

NH4Cl is also administered as part of medical treatments for metabolic alkalosis(acid-base balance issues), and is primarily absorbed in the GI tract.  Patients undergoing treatments using NH4Cl are very closely supervised in the hospital because of the potent effect is has on the human system.   Check out the pubchem site on this chemical.  Look at the side effects of overdoses, they are NOT FUN. It really takes less than you think.  http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/summary/summary.cgi?cid=25517#x332

I fear that if you used this to cure meat or in a way that leaves more than 48ppm in the final product, that you may begin to experience serious health complications.     

You also mention in your question that you like the taste of salty licorice/liquorice?, and the wiki source does say that it is used as a flavoring agent in liquorice...but there is no mention of the final concentration of this compound in the candy.  If the anstringency/tounge numbing is what you are after, USE SOMETHING ELSE. Honestly, I would tell anyone I care about to NOT USE QUATERNARY AMMONIUM SALTS AT HOME, IN FOOD PRODUCTS. 

Perhaps incorporating karela (bitter melon) in a brine? 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonium_chloride