Berkshire Culatello 2022 Transition to 2nd Winter Phase

[indaswamp]

Both Culatello have lost between 21-21.5% weigh as of today.

The first mold fermentation period is complete and now the first winter fog starts.. Lower the chamber temp. to 38-44*F; 80-85%RH for 4 months.

 

[Dave in AZ]

Looking good!

 

[tbern]

 

[indaswamp]

Culatello Cover 2.0

 

[indaswamp]

GOLD MINE of Information! Select the captions and then auto translate for English...very good translation.

 

[Gonna Smoke]

I'll bet that cellar smells amazing...

 

[indaswamp]

Awesome knife work videos deboning a ham and extracting the Fiocco and Culatello!

No sound though...

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

Keith my friend, that is beyond phenomenal!

Here I am thinking that making a few batches of elk jerky on my week off is an accomplishment!

Damn brother, you got it going on!

Well done and so awesome!

 

[indaswamp]

Thanks WaterinHoleBrew! Long wait time on this one so stay tuned!

 

[indaswamp]

Use the caption function and select auto translate then english...

 

[negolien]

damn bro ty 4 sharing

 

[indaswamp]

Another great read:

https://www.mykindofitaly.com/post/busseto-emilia-the-land-of-culatello-and-verdi

But I found one grammatical error...it should read 6 DAYS not 6 MONTHS before placing it in the pig bladder...

When a culatello arrives at the Minozzi Salumificio in Busseto, Alberto first debones it and then massages salt, pepper, wine and garlic into the meat, after which it is put into cold storage for a period of 6 months to allow the liquid to drain off and for the culatello to dry.

 

[indaswamp]

Drying update....

Down to 26% weight loss as of last night. will be between 30-35% by June when summer secondary fermentation begins. Taking shape nicely!

The microflora on the surface of Culatelli has changed... more beneficial yeast has a foothold mainly on the areas where the casing is covering meat instead of fat. The ammonia smell in my chamber has faded, but still noticeable on each piece.

The yeast growth is likely due to the cover blankets made from salami casing that was innoculated with a culture containing D. Hansenii yeast.

 

[indaswamp]

*if you noticed watching the Spigaroli videos, his culatelli have the same brownish splotches. The surface is not all white....

 

[mneeley490]

Absolutely amazing! I thought I was doing something special when I made a 16-month prosciutto a few years ago. That was nothing compared to the complexity of this! Looking forward to seeing the final product.

 

[indaswamp]

Absolutely amazing! I thought I was doing something special when I made a 16-month prosciutto a few years ago. That was nothing compared to the complexity of this! Looking forward to seeing the final product.

Don't sell yourself short mneeley, a bone in proscuitto is hard to pull off correctly.....have to get the salting correct or you will get bone sour. Boneless is a little easier as far as drying goes. But you are correct, there is more to making a culatello to maximize the flavor profile utilizing the mold and fog.

 

[indaswamp]

Both Culatelli have lost 30% weight as of tonight. Weight loss is slowing down so this is good. Very balanced and slow moisture removal. One more month of winter fog then will start stepping up the temp. to summer phase by middle of June.

 

[indaswamp]

Today was the end of the winter period. Raising the temp. from 38-44*F; 80-85%RH up to 48-56*F; 80-85%RH for about 6 weeks, then it will be time for the summer phase to start.

Note: the Culatello blanket covers made from old salami casing are working great! Holding the RH 87-88% in the airspace between the blankets and the surface of the Culatello. Very happy I thought about this method.

 

[indaswamp]

Taking shape nicely!

The deep vertical lines from the string are a defining feature of proper drying. It is not perfect on every string, but I know how to fix that on the next one. The piece is basically shelf stable now....and I could cut it, but it won't technically be a Culatello yet until it goes thru 2 winter fog periods and 1 summer fermentation. The flavor will not have been fully developed until then. Will have one year from now to wait at the earliest. Also, the white mold is making a strong come-back so this is great for flavor development into the summer fermentation phase!

 

[indaswamp]

The pure passion this man has for the king of Italian salumi blows me away! And he shares his knowledge so freely.

Excellent english translation!