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[Warren1989]

Hi all I’m new to the whole dry curing and air drying thing. I’m building my own curing chamber right now to begin air drying my salamis. I need a bit of help on how to calculate the time for dry curing meat cuts like guanciale,coppa,bresaola.... How long do you leave them in the dry cure mix please? Is there any ratio to the weight of the meat please? Thanks

 

[daveomak]

May I suggest you get this book... It covers alot of stuff... I have it and use it frequently... Good stuff... Make sure it's the newest updated version.. Several errors were corrected... My version has +/- 700 pages...

 

[zwiller]

+1 TONS of other useful info in there too.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

With these long term dried/fermented sausage, I strongly get a book to have on hand. Even the best knowledge on these forums will never beat having a book at hand when you get worried.

That said, I hope Neppas pops into this thread.

 

[Warren1989]

May I suggest you get this book... It covers alot of stuff... I have it and use it frequently... Good stuff... Make sure it's the newest updated version.. Several errors were corrected... My version has +/- 700 pages...

View attachment 376480

I’m finding different publication dates. Do you have any link to the new version please?

 

[daveomak]

Get the newest date....

 

[Warren1989]

Don't dry by a calendar you dry by a scale.

Went a meat has lost a desired percentage of weight that is when its done. Drying time can vary do to ambient conditions. I find that whole muscle meats take longer to dry in the dead of winter than in the summer. In the summer the curing chamber cycles more often creating more airflow and a drier environment. I am using 10X the amount of water in the humidifier during the hot humid summer months than I am did the cold dry winter months.

Traditionally my Bresaola and Lonzino take between 8 and 10 weeks to achieve 40% loss. This is running at 56/58 degrees and 80% relative humidity

This is for whole muscle meat:

Cure times are dependent on the thickness of the meat and the temperature the meat is cured at. It is generally accepted that cure penetrates the meat at a rate of 1/4" per 24 hours. This is with the meat being held between 38 and 42 degrees for the duration of the curing process. Then you need to add in a few days of safety factor curing. So a 2" thick piece of meat will take 8 days + 2 days safety factor curing for a total duration of 10 days. A whole eye of round or pork loin I typically let them cure for 21 days.

Cure, salt and cure percentages per weight of meat:

Salt 2.8%
Sugar 0.5%
Cure #2 - 0.25%

Flavorings/spices can generally be used in any amount you prefer.

Thanks very much for your useful information for example I have books which for example for a duck breast they tell you to cure them for 7 days and then air dry them. But not all duck breast are the same weight and size. I want to learn what methods on how to calculate the curing time before air drying so not to leave it too short in the cure and not too long. Even for example for a pork cheek when do you decide to remove it from the cure to air dry it. Thanks

 

[daveomak]

I want to learn what methods on how to calculate the curing time before air drying so not to leave it too short in the cure and not too long. ...

In post #7, Holly explained the curing time is based on meat thickness.. Then the drying process is based on moisture loss by weighing on an electronic scale...
This "curing" stuff is a slow process.. Days, weeks and months to get to completion...
If a hunk of meat is approx. 1 1/2" thick, rubbed on both side with spices and cure, minimum of 7 days and a maximum of approx. 14-21 days..

 

[zwiller]

There are some real hard core guys that take a year to make hot sauce. ;)

Maybe look into the UMAI stuff and get your feet wet before building a chamber etc.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

If I wanted to never buy breakfast meat again, realistically I'd be starting a new pork loin to canadian bacon every 2 weeks for example. Curing is a labour of love.

But if you want to 'dabble' into long cures with out a chamber, Zwiller is right, alot of people here have posted their success with the UMAI bags and all that takes is regular fridge space!