Fermenting/dry curing?

[SherryT]

Let me preface this by saying, as a sausage-making/curing newbie, I'm NOT ready to try this just yet...so there. :D

What "knowledge" I have of the process so far has mostly been gleaned from various forum posts (this forum and others I ran across while googling)...

Seasoned meat + cure + fermenting agent, ferment at X deg at X humidity for X hours/days, hang for x days at X humidity to dry...

That's a LOT of temp/humidity control...do those of you who make these sausages have some sort of "chamber" (for lack of a better word) rigged with all the gizmos necessary to control the environment to this degree OR is being THAT exact not TOTALLY necessary for sausages made at home and not for sale?

I mean, I'm a crafter and a DIY'er from WAY back and love tinkering with my toys just as much as the next person, but day-um!

I think I need more info...;););)

 

[Rings Я Us]

Sounds fun.. maybe a few dozen videos online also.


Good luck! '

:cool:

 

[indaswamp]

You can go the chamber route, but it takes some expertise to know where to set humidity and temp.

Thanks to technology, home salami and dry cure makers can use this:
https://www.drybagsteak.com/

It's a one way permeable membrane that allows water out, but keeps most all other gasses from entering. and you can do this in a normal refrigerator.

Hopefully nepas will see this and comment.

 

[indaswamp]

*I have not made any dried cured meat...yet....but I found this link very helpful @ understanding the process...
Len Poli's intro to salami...
http://lpoli.50webs.com/page0002.htm

 

[atomicsmoke]

A curing chamber is the easy year-round dry curing solution.

However there are plenty of folks who dry cure the old fashioned way. In a cool place in the house.

I dry cure meats in my "root cellar" in fall-winter-spring. If i need mold growing on the sausage i schedule these when is not too cold outside (and i use a humidifer).

 

[SherryT]

Hmmmm...I might have to leave this one alone.

• No root cellar (I've never seen or even HEARD of a root cellar in the southeast!)
• Our winter temps are NOT to be relied upon (case in point, over the last 9 days, SIX were record breakers of 80+ deg days...IN FEBRUARY!)
• The cost of all the gizmos and whirlygigs to control the temp/humidity in a chamber is prohibitive (I think, anyway)

The 32mm UMAi method looks do-able, though...might try pepperoni later on AFTER I get a new stuffer, grinder, and slicer.

Looking on the bright side, however, my mortgage pays out in two years, so there 'is" light at the end of the tunnel! :D

 

[tropics]

The UMAi bags are the way to go.You need cure #2 when using them.As for the bags I bought the 32s and 70s the 32s did make a nice Pepperoni,the 70s made a great Pepperoni.I have a Sopressatta curing now.
Richie

 

[daveomak]

The UMAI bags are made to replicate the permeability of natural casings, as far as I can tell....
Relative humidity at 90-95% if for the bacteria to flourish during the initial stages of growth... the 80% humidity is to allow the meat to SLOWLY dry without forming the hard outside crust (case hardening) that stops internal meat drying...
Certain sugars feed the bacteria.. Temps of around 50 F allow bacteria to grow to convert nitrate to nitrite for botulism protection... mold 600 protects the meat from bad mold... Thin meats, like biltong, can be dried at higher temps and lower humidity..
https://www.meatsandsausages.com/sausage-making/bacteria
https://www.meatsandsausages.com/sausage-types/fermented-sausage
https://www.meatsandsausages.com/hams-other-meats/meats-sausages

 

[SherryT]

Thanks for the info all!

 

[indaswamp]

So I have a question...
I know that when doing ceviche, the acid basically 'cooks' the proteins without heat. In salami, does the acid do the same thing to the meat?

 

[daveomak]

The acidic pH of salami stops certain pathogens from growing.. The drop in pH is from bacteria... The acid in vinegar is similar but different.. The term "cook" when doing ceviche, is for the folks that have an aversion to raw meats... When I serve my pickled salmon, some ask, "Is that raw fish? with a look of disgust..." When I reply, "It's "cooked" in vinegar".. the world seems OK again...
It's amazing how folks will eat raw meat in "salami" without thinking twice...

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Its not as hard as it looks. You can do traditional dry cure without all the fancy equipment. But if its to much for you go with UMAi, mix, stuff, ferment then into your fridge. Dont worry about checking the pH, if you mixed and fermented right No Problemo.

 

[SherryT]

The acidic pH of salami stops certain pathogens from growing.. The drop in pH is from bacteria... The acid in vinegar is similar but different.. The term "cook" when doing ceviche, is for the folks that have an aversion to raw meats... When I serve my pickled salmon, some ask, "Is that raw fish? with a look of disgust..." When I reply, "It's "cooked" in vinegar".. the world seems OK again...
It's amazing how folks will eat raw meat in "salami" without thinking twice...

People "are" funny about how well-done they like their meat. I love my steak about halfway between med-rare and rare (I don't need to hear it moo when I fork it, but a sudden twitch is not unacceptable :D), I love salami/pepperoni/etc, a pork roast from the oven just done enough so there's no pink...but if I see ANY sign of blood at the bone in chicken or ANY "translucency" in the fish/seafood, I simply can't eat it.

It might taste absolutely wonderful, but it's sort of a gross-factor reaction for me rather than any sort of safety issue. Why I don't have the same reaction to beef or dry-cured meats is a mystery that will never be solved.

 

[atomicsmoke]

a pork roast from the oven just done enough so there's no pink...

A pork roast that has no pink left is close to overdone.

 

[SherryT]

Perhaps, but if I see pink in a piece of oven-roasted pork, to me that's UNDERdone...ergo, I ain't eatin' it! :p

 

[atomicsmoke]

Perhaps, but if I see pink in a piece of oven-roasted pork, to me that's UNDERdone...ergo, I ain't eatin' it! :p

Funny how you like your beef rare but pork overdone.

 

[SherryT]

Funny how you like your beef rare but pork overdone.

I know! Like I said, it's a mystery!

 

[nanuk]

Funny how you like your beef rare but pork overdone.

I say the same thing about folks who BURN their bacon to a "crispy" waste!

Bacon needs to be soft and moist... Juuuuusssstttt cooked enough to be safe!!!!

 

[atomicsmoke]

I say the same thing about folks who BURN their bacon to a "crispy" waste!

Bacon needs to be soft and moist... Juuuuusssstttt cooked enough to be safe!!!!

Good point.

I eat bacon crispy....not disgusted by limp bacon (would eat it if i had no choice) but i like the crunch, texture and mouthfeel of crispy bacon.

Not everything cooked to a high IT is overcooked: pulled pork, brisket...