A bit of Dry Cured Sausage

[deejaydebi]

One of my favorite things is making sausage and dry cured is my kind of candy.

Sausage hanging uncovered for the photo and then sliced.

Wh3-SmDone.JPG

• deejaydebi
• Jun 6, 2016

SausageTest.JPG

• deejaydebi
• Jun 6, 2016

 

[okie362]

Very nice!!  Mind sharing the "technical" details?

 

[deejaydebi]

Dry Cured Chorizo

Ground pork (1/2" Dice)

pork back fat  (12%)

Salt  (3%)

Cure # 2 (0.24%)

Dextrose  (0.2%)

Sugar   (0.2%)

Ground black pepper  (0.6%)

Red Chili Pepper   (1.8%)

Bactoferm TSPX

distilled water

hogs casings

Ferment at 75°F for 35 hours, 90% humidity.
Check the pH of the meat – you want 5.3 or lower.
Once desired pH has been reached, air dry at 55°F, 80% humidity for 2 weeks, or until the sausages are stiff throughout and have lost at least 35% of their initial weight.

 

[deejaydebi]

Deejay's Pepperoni Traditionally Fernmented

Ground pork (70%)

Ground Beef  (30%)

Salt  (2.5%)

Cure # 2 (0.24%)

Dextrose  (1.0%)

Sugar   (1.0%)

Cracked black pepper  (0.3%)

Smoked Paprika   (0.6%)

Fennel Seeds (0.3%)

Cayanne Pepper (0.15%)

Calabreian Chili Pepper Hot (0.01%)

Bactoferm T-SPX

distilled water

60 mm beef middles 1) Grind meat through 3/16 inch plate (5 mm) 2) Mix all ingredients with meat 3) Stuff firmly into beef middles or  2 inch fibrous casings 60 mm 4) Ferment at 38°C (100°F) for 72 hours, 85 to 90% Humidity 5) Optional Step: Cold smoke for 6 hours at 22°C, 72°F 6) Dry ar 12 to 16°C 54 to 60°F 80 to 85% humidty. In bout 6 to 8 week 30% weight loss is achieved 7) Store at 10 to 15°C ( 50 to 59°F), 75% humidity

 

[deejaydebi]

Salami Finocchiona

Ground pork (50%)

Beef Chuck (50%)

pork back fat  (25%)

Salt  (2.5%)

Cure # 2 (0.24%)

Dextrose (0.2%)

Sugar (0.2%)

Ground WHITE pepper  (0.2%)

Black Peppercorns (0.4%)

whole fennel seeds   (0.3%)

garlic (0.2%)

red wine (Chianti) (0.25%)

Bactoferm T-SXP

distilled water

beef middles  46-60 mm

optional crushed red pepper 2 grams

1. Grind meat and fat through 3/16” plate (5 mm). 2. Mix all ingredients with ground meat. 3. Stuff firmly into beef middles or 46-60 mm protein lined fibrous casings. 4. Ferment at 20º C (68º F) for 72 hours, 90-85% humidity. 5. Dry at 16-12º C (60-54º F), 85-80% humidity for about 30 days. The sausage is dried until around 30-35% in weight is lost. 6. Store sausages at 10-15º C (50-59º F), 75% humidity. Notes The following spice and herb combination can be found in some recipes: spices: 4 parts coriander, 3 parts mace, 2 parts allspice, 1 part fennel. herbs: 3 parts marjoram, 1 part thyme, 1 part basil. To make 5 kg sausage about 7 g of spices and 4 g of herbs are needed.

 

[SmokinAl]

Thanks for the recipes!

They sure look good!

I wish I had a place to dry cure like you have.

Al

 

[daveomak]

Morning Deb....  thought I was seeing things.....  

  ...    Guess not....   Glad to see you back....  Also I like the temps and humidity you are curing your stuff at...   Seems some folks are in a hurry to get their stuff to lose weight...  Not you....  The perfect humidity for a very high quality product...   

 ... 

 

[deejaydebi]

When it's cool the basement or attic works in the summer I use a mini fridge and a cheap temperature controller. There mini fridges can be had fr $30 this time if year.

 

[oberst]

The dry cured is the best I've had; I really want to up my game in getting good like Deejay!

 

[sfprankster]

...

 

[okie362]

I think I'm going to have to build something to control the temp and humidity.  Afraid it will be too warm in Oklahoma for drying sausages.  These look phenomenal though!

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Awesome dry cure and welcome back even.

 

[deejaydebi]

They sell small compressor type mini fridges at Home Depot that are perfect. The Magic Chef 2.6 CU is on sale right now less than $150 and sits on top of my micro wave.

I have two. One for cheese ans one for meat.I have had various type over the years. I don't recommend the electronic ones they don't last and are much harder to control.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

 
They sell small compressor type mini fridges at Home Depot that are perfect. The Magic Chef 2.6 CU is on sale right now less than $150 and sits on top of my micro wave.

I have two. One for cheese ans one for meat.I have had various type over the years. I don't recommend the electronic ones they don't last and are much harder to control.

Yes i have a small compressor fridge, 3.0 i think it is.

umaifinno infridge.jpg

• BGKYSmoker
• Jun 8, 2016

 

[newbiefrank]

That all looks delicious. I grew up eating dried sausage though they never used the cure. I recently decided to give it a try. I followed a recipe to make sure I was not taking any chances. I noticed after drying that I used instacure #1 on accident. I have both but in the rush of mixing everything I used #1 instead of #2. Everything I read says to use number 2. But I put so much time in making this and it smells so good.

I also read that #1 is good for anything cured under 6 months. What I want to hear is that it will be safe to eat. But I'm guessing it's not.

Thank you for your advice.
Frank

 

[ab canuck]

Looks Good Deb. Points. I am working my way into broadening my sausage repertoire and I love dry sausage, I have do much on my plate and working away from home doesn't give me all the time I want lol. But I will save these for the future.  Thx Charlie

 

[deejaydebi]

Oh man that stinks. I would not take the chance. Not much of a financial loss but an excellent learning session and could make you very ill or even kill you. Make notes on what went well and what didn't. Cut it open and check to see how well it was packed in the casing, look of air pockets etc and just give it a good visual evaluation and then In my opinion - toss it. Anyone can grind meat the biggest the battle is in the stuffing and the curing if that came out well you didn't loose anything you learned a great lesson.

Personally I would toss out the Instacures, fermentos all that other stuff. With the internet it is cheap and easy to to get #1 and #2 cures and they are easier to work with and can not be accidentally confused for table salt. I used instacure a few times to try other peoples recipes and dumped it ASAP when I saw a family member try to put it in a salt shaker. Pink salt is safer.

Good luck

 

[newbiefrank]

Thank you! The instacure 1 and two are both pink. My big concern was that I used #1 instead of # 2. Figured that it has nitrites and would still ensure that botulism cannot grow. Thought nitrates were added for cures over 6 months when the nitrites wear off. I'm bumbed but I guess I'll be grinding more up this week.

The more I read the more I can't believe how everyone I know that makes it never uses cure. I grew up eating this without cure. Very scary to know what could have happened.

Again thank you for your expertise. It's going in the trash!

 

[atomicsmoke]

Newbiefrank,


Please keep in mind the process of conversion from nitrates to nitrites is hit and miss (at home). We, the amateur charcuotiers don't know how much of the nitrate is converted - if any. Proper conditions (temp, humidity) and bacteria are required for this conversions to take place. I saw umai bag dried meats cured in the fridge. No way the nitrate in those turned to nitrite.

Don't trash your sausage. If botulism concerns you that much cook the sausage. There are many ways a dried sausage can be used cooked.

Cheers.

 

[deejaydebi]

Normal thorough cooking (pasteurisation: 70°C 2min or equivalent) will kill Cl.botulinumbacteria but not its spores. To kill the spores of Cl.botulinum a sterilisation process equivalent to 121°C for 3 min is required. The botulinum toxin itself is inactivated (denatured) rapidly at temperatures greater than 80°C .

Glad to hear Instacures are pink now. I bought it about 20 years ago and it was white.