- Nov 17, 2016
- 8
- 10
Hi everyone,
I build my curing chamber a few weeks ago and was eager to try it out. I built it out of a gutted mini fridge, a crane ultrasonic humidifier, and an Ink Bird Temp/Humidity Controller. I didn't build in anything for airflow as I've read that opening the fridge once or twice a day is sufficient.
I decided on bresaola as my first experiment. Using 2 pieces of elk loin and Michael Ruhlman's recipe, I got started. Following the 2-week salt/herb cure in the refrigerator, I moved them to the curing chamber. I immediately noticed two things. 1) the temperature wasn't getting high enough for the fridge to kick on (roughly 58 degrees and I set the temp controller at 65) 2) the humidity was high at about 80-82%, so my humidifier wasn't kicking on either.
I figured the temp was close enough and the humidity would come down. After three days I started to notice some mould start to appear. Very little of the white "chalky" type, and quite a bit of green. Also, some slimy looking areas with little spots in the slime. I wiped them down with vinegar and hung them back up. The next day it had all returned. I concluded that I must have an airflow and/or high humidity problem. I propped to door open a bit and this brought the humidity down enough that the humidifier would kick on for a short time every few minutes. This HELPED, but I'm still getting green mould on the one that isn't hanging right by the door opening. I also need a long-term solution, as I don't want to leave the door propped open all the time. Any ideas on how I can correct this? It has been discouraging but I'm determined to figure it out! Thanks in advance!
Here you can see the slime and some of the green mould. I'd wiped most of it away, but these little spots were all over.
I build my curing chamber a few weeks ago and was eager to try it out. I built it out of a gutted mini fridge, a crane ultrasonic humidifier, and an Ink Bird Temp/Humidity Controller. I didn't build in anything for airflow as I've read that opening the fridge once or twice a day is sufficient.
I decided on bresaola as my first experiment. Using 2 pieces of elk loin and Michael Ruhlman's recipe, I got started. Following the 2-week salt/herb cure in the refrigerator, I moved them to the curing chamber. I immediately noticed two things. 1) the temperature wasn't getting high enough for the fridge to kick on (roughly 58 degrees and I set the temp controller at 65) 2) the humidity was high at about 80-82%, so my humidifier wasn't kicking on either.
I figured the temp was close enough and the humidity would come down. After three days I started to notice some mould start to appear. Very little of the white "chalky" type, and quite a bit of green. Also, some slimy looking areas with little spots in the slime. I wiped them down with vinegar and hung them back up. The next day it had all returned. I concluded that I must have an airflow and/or high humidity problem. I propped to door open a bit and this brought the humidity down enough that the humidifier would kick on for a short time every few minutes. This HELPED, but I'm still getting green mould on the one that isn't hanging right by the door opening. I also need a long-term solution, as I don't want to leave the door propped open all the time. Any ideas on how I can correct this? It has been discouraging but I'm determined to figure it out! Thanks in advance!
Here you can see the slime and some of the green mould. I'd wiped most of it away, but these little spots were all over.
