So, as many of you know I started a Culatello a little over a year ago. This was from the Hampshire pig that I bought for $100 so if it all goes wrong I'm not out much. That piece was wrapped with collagen sheet initially, lost 20%, then I removed the sheet and covered with sugna. It has now lost 29%. Still got a ways to go before it is finished. When I removed the sheet, I noticed that the exposed meat area with no fat covering was boarderline case hardened. I made a mental note, covered with sugna and hung it in the chamber. Airflow may have been an issue for a few months as I dialed in my new chamber. We'll see how it turns out when it is finished. I am chalking that one up to R&D so either way, it was a success for the knowledge I gained.
Well, I started a new one in October 2021 with a Pasture raised Berkshire leg from my local butcher. I got a deal, but still paid almost as much as the whole Hampshire pig. This one, after having done a deep dive on Culatello and understanding the parameters at each stage in production, I cased this one in hog bladder. Hog Bladder transfers moisture easier than collagen sheet, but it will also case harden easier. I noticed after 2 weeks hanging in my chamber that the bladder was hard... not supple- even though I have been running my chamber 83-85%RH. The cooling cycle is still pulling too much humidity off the surface. It is drying to fast. So I restricted both the intake and return vents on the evaporator fan. That slowed the airflow down and helped some, but not enough. If I did not do something soon, I would lose the piece from case hardening and eventual spoilage.Then it hit me....EURIKA!
I was about to fall asleep one night and the idea hit me like a lightning bolt.."Make a cover with an inverted bucket!" I sat straight up in bed and made a crude drawing while the idea was fresh in my mind...yep, it ought to work!
So, what I did was buy a 10qt. paint mixing bucket from Lowe's for $4.88. I drilled (1) 3/8" hole in the center of the bottom of the bucket. Then (8) 3/8" holes along the bottom edge of the bucket drilling from the sides. Then I inverted the bucket and slid the culatello hanging string through the hole in the bottom of the bucket. Boom. Done. Then-and this is critical....I hung the culatello so that the bottom was 4-5" above my humidifier with the flow from the humidifier nozzle angled on the bottom of the Culatello.
When the compressor kicks on and starts dropping the RH% in the chamber, the humidity controller kicks the humidifier on. The cover catches the humidity so it does not get sucked over the evaporator coil by the evaporator fan. Water vapor is lighter than air....so it rises and creates a high RH% micro climate around the culatello WHILE THE TEMP. IS DROPPING! Just like the fog on the Po river!!!!! WOOOHOOO!!!!! I took my spare Inkbird RH controller and jimmied a way to hang it inside the cover to monitor the RH%. When the compressor kicks on, the RH% drops to 82-83%RH then rebounds up to 94-95% as the compressor shuts off. It stays high as the humidity spills over into the main chamber and rises to increase the RH% in the main chamber until the RH% controller shuts off. Over the next 20-30 minutes, the RH% slowly drops to 83-84% in the cover. RH is at it's lowest when the temp. in the chamber is at it's highest, so the micro-climate in the cover behaves opposite of the main chamber, rising with a decrease in temperature as the compressor is running and never going below 81%RH.
I have had it installed for 10 days now. The Culatello surface is supple again. The meat area has softened and the firmness over the fatless area has deepened becoming more even instead of concentrated near the surface. After an initial slowing of moisture loss, the moisture loss has increased. Case hardening is in the process of being reversed, the Culatello is now drying evenly. And here is the best part....THE MOLD IS GOING CRAZY! Even on the fat surfaces....spreading quickly... and that is one of the secrets of good Culatello...mold growth from the fog. The smell is incredible! All that mold will release enzymes into the Culatello which will transform it from meat to salumi.
I attached a string to the RH sensor (pictured above). Drilled a small hole in the bucket at the top, pass the string through and pop the string over a small screw in the top of the cover. This makes removing and replacing the sensor easy.
Well, I started a new one in October 2021 with a Pasture raised Berkshire leg from my local butcher. I got a deal, but still paid almost as much as the whole Hampshire pig. This one, after having done a deep dive on Culatello and understanding the parameters at each stage in production, I cased this one in hog bladder. Hog Bladder transfers moisture easier than collagen sheet, but it will also case harden easier. I noticed after 2 weeks hanging in my chamber that the bladder was hard... not supple- even though I have been running my chamber 83-85%RH. The cooling cycle is still pulling too much humidity off the surface. It is drying to fast. So I restricted both the intake and return vents on the evaporator fan. That slowed the airflow down and helped some, but not enough. If I did not do something soon, I would lose the piece from case hardening and eventual spoilage.Then it hit me....EURIKA!
I was about to fall asleep one night and the idea hit me like a lightning bolt.."Make a cover with an inverted bucket!" I sat straight up in bed and made a crude drawing while the idea was fresh in my mind...yep, it ought to work!
So, what I did was buy a 10qt. paint mixing bucket from Lowe's for $4.88. I drilled (1) 3/8" hole in the center of the bottom of the bucket. Then (8) 3/8" holes along the bottom edge of the bucket drilling from the sides. Then I inverted the bucket and slid the culatello hanging string through the hole in the bottom of the bucket. Boom. Done. Then-and this is critical....I hung the culatello so that the bottom was 4-5" above my humidifier with the flow from the humidifier nozzle angled on the bottom of the Culatello.
When the compressor kicks on and starts dropping the RH% in the chamber, the humidity controller kicks the humidifier on. The cover catches the humidity so it does not get sucked over the evaporator coil by the evaporator fan. Water vapor is lighter than air....so it rises and creates a high RH% micro climate around the culatello WHILE THE TEMP. IS DROPPING! Just like the fog on the Po river!!!!! WOOOHOOO!!!!! I took my spare Inkbird RH controller and jimmied a way to hang it inside the cover to monitor the RH%. When the compressor kicks on, the RH% drops to 82-83%RH then rebounds up to 94-95% as the compressor shuts off. It stays high as the humidity spills over into the main chamber and rises to increase the RH% in the main chamber until the RH% controller shuts off. Over the next 20-30 minutes, the RH% slowly drops to 83-84% in the cover. RH is at it's lowest when the temp. in the chamber is at it's highest, so the micro-climate in the cover behaves opposite of the main chamber, rising with a decrease in temperature as the compressor is running and never going below 81%RH.
I have had it installed for 10 days now. The Culatello surface is supple again. The meat area has softened and the firmness over the fatless area has deepened becoming more even instead of concentrated near the surface. After an initial slowing of moisture loss, the moisture loss has increased. Case hardening is in the process of being reversed, the Culatello is now drying evenly. And here is the best part....THE MOLD IS GOING CRAZY! Even on the fat surfaces....spreading quickly... and that is one of the secrets of good Culatello...mold growth from the fog. The smell is incredible! All that mold will release enzymes into the Culatello which will transform it from meat to salumi.
I attached a string to the RH sensor (pictured above). Drilled a small hole in the bucket at the top, pass the string through and pop the string over a small screw in the top of the cover. This makes removing and replacing the sensor easy.
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