Chorizo mold during drying - is this the bad kind?

[reddal]

Hi,

I've done some chorizo before with mixed results - but recently did my first batch in my new curing chamber.

The fermentation period and the first few days of drying seemed fine - then today (after 5 days of drying) I noticed some mold on the chorizo : imgur.com/a/E8euH - ie particularly the furry looking blooms.

I cleaned them up  with vinegar and put them back in the chamber. Should I give up on this batch you think?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

- reddal

 

[ab canuck]

Hello and welcome to SMF from the Great white North  

. Browse the forums and ask lots of questions, get involved. There is a an amazing amount of info, recipes and knowledge here that are second to none. Enjoy good luck and share your experiences.

  You should swing by Roll call and introduce yourself,  There are some very knowledgeable people here and in the sausage / curing areas that will be able to help you out. Read some of the posts and ask questions. Good luck

 

[pc farmer]

5 days and you have all of that happening?

Whats you temp and humidity?

I wouldn't toss it.     Would like to see pics of the inside of you chamber and recipe you used, so maybe we can help.

 

[daveomak]

Looks like your fingers were dirty where you touched the casings to tie and hang them...  the dark stuff... wipe down with vinegar...  spray with mold 600...    after you clean off the vinegar with water...   wear clean plastic gloves...   wipe down everything with vinegar....   If you hung them in a chamber...  wipe it down with vinegar, clean, then spray with mold 600 to get rid of the bad mold...

 

[pc farmer]

Looks like your fingers were dirty where you touched the casings to tie and hang them...  the dark stuff... wipe down with vinegar...  spray with mold 600...    after you clean off the vinegar with water...   wear clean plastic gloves...   wipe down everything with vinegar....   If you hung them in a chamber...  wipe it down with vinegar, clean, then spray with mold 600 to get rid of the bad mold...

I don't wear gloves and never had that problem.. I can see why you said this. Maybe I am just lucky

 

[BGKYSmoker]

To vinegar wipe or not?

Thats your call.

If in doubt, throw it out, we been there. 

 

[reddal]

Hi,

Thanks for all the advice. To answer your questions :

- the recipe was basically this one https://ourdailybrine.com/how-to-make-dry-cured-spanish-chorizo-castellano/ - though I didn't have access to any of the Mold 600 - and I used http://www.weschenfelder.co.uk/bessastart-salami-culture.html as the starter culture.

- the temperature and humidity was 22c, 90% rH for the first 24 hrs for fermentation, then down to 13c, 83% rH for the next 5 days. I've got monitoring probes and a data logger and the actual values were not far away from these at any time. I've now turned the humidity down to 75% rH.

- I thought we had clean hands / surfaces etc during the preparation - but maybe we missed something...

- I cleaned them up with vinegar after I took the photos

I've made chorizo before - but only doing the fermentation and drying in a room with very limited control over the temp and humidity. I typically got them drying too fast. This is the first time I've used a properly controlled chamber.

My curing chamber has some airflow inside it (computer fan) but not a lot of airflow between the inside and the outside of the chamber. Do you think I need to create some? ie jam door open slightly or create hole in wall of chamber with a fan on it?

Thanks - reddal

 

[daveomak]

This should make stuff easier...

 

[daveomak]

Folks hang this stuff in caves, basements, garages, chambers...  nepas hangs his in his RV closet...   Maybe open your chamber door once or twice a day...  is it closed full time ??   I surely don't know what's right or wrong..   like nitrite protects from botulism, I've read where mold 600 will coat the sausage with edible good mold and prevent bad mold from getting a foot hold on the sausage...  That may be true..   I've also read where some folks take their sausage casings and dunk and fill, then dump, in a mold 600 mix to coat the inside and outside of the casing with it.... 

Folks have seemed to find 8 ways from breakfast to get to lunch..   others have no problems...   they fill the casing and forget it... 

I sure hope you get to the finish line on this fermenting sausage stuff...  we are here rootin' you on...

 

[reddal]

 
Maybe open your chamber door once or twice a day...  is it closed full time ??

Yes - its been closed full time. There is a little bit of a gap in the door seal where I have wires going through - but its not much. The door has been opened a few times when I've been fiddling with equipment though.

Do you think its important to exchange the air inside with air from outside regularly? Normally you would think about adding ventilation to control humidity - but that is being controlled by the humidifier/dehumidifier. Maybe having the same air in the chamber for days means mold gets accelerated?

 
I sure hope you get to the finish line on this fermenting sausage stuff...  we are here rootin' you on...

Thanks - I hope I can work out a reliable way to make quality chorizo. If I can master it I'd want to get a few chambers and sell it to people. I guess its good that its hard - as everyone would do it otherwise - and it wouldn't have so much value!

- reddal

 

[daveomak]

What recipe did you use ??   Who was the author...       found it....      Did you alter the recipe and how...

I'm thinking fresh air is important...  as is food for the bacteria culture to properly acidify the meat...  solidly stuffed sausage to remove air pockets..   cure #2....  glucose sugar to feed the culture...   proper temperature for culture to grow.. 

We can all learn something..  except maybe nepas....  he's forgotten MORE than we collectively know...    nepas...

.....

 

[reddal]

 
Did you alter the recipe and how...

We tried to follow the recipe fairly closely - everything measured to fraction of gram accuracy. We used cure #2, the specified amout of dextrose etc. Only modifications from the recipe were

- we didn't use any Mold 600 to treat the casings - I couldn't see a way to buy it outside the US - but for next time maybe I'll look further.

- we used http://www.weschenfelder.co.uk/bessastart-salami-culture.html as the starter culture instead of SafePro[emoji]174[/emoji] B-LC-007 specified in the recipe (again I couldn't see how to source the recommended one here).

Originally Posted by DaveOmak  

I'm thinking fresh air is important... 

Yeah - I'm thinking I need to make a small hole in either side of the chamber - and put a fan on one side so there is a slow but steady exchange of air.

- reddal

p.s. after 24 hours the chorizo is looking fine - no new mold yet after their vinegar wash. Lets see how long it takes to come back... The humidity is now down to 75% rH so its a bit drier than before - which might help.

 

[daveomak]

Bessastart Salami Culture....    Below is all I could find on the culture you used...    Maybe the initial temp of 22ºC was a bit too cold for the culture start properly... and acidify the meat..

1. Place the sausages on a cooling rack on a tray covered with a clean towel for 12 hours at room temperature, preferably 30°C (86ºF). This will allow the good bacteria to grow
2. Hang the salamis at 15°C with 70% humidity for 12-18 days