SAUSAGE CURING CABINET BUILD - JC in GB PART TWO

[indaswamp]

Looking good JC! Very nice color on the salamis. Quick question...what casing did you use on the lomo? and did you prick the lomo casing?

 

[JC in GB]

Looking good JC! Very nice color on the salamis. Quick question...what casing did you use on the lomo? and did you prick the lomo casing?

I used collagen sheet and no I did not poke them. I did poke the salamis good though....

 

[JC in GB]

Took weights of salami yesterday and was surprised at how much water loss has occurred in the thin salamis.

The thicker salami and the lonzo are right about where I was expecting.

See attached data.

JC

 

[indaswamp]

File won't open for me.

 

[JC in GB]

File won't open for me.

It is a Microsoft excel file... I tried it and it opens fine for me. Not sure why you are having troubles....

 

[indaswamp]

Ah...my Excel program is screwed up. I need to wipe it and reinstall.

 

[JC in GB]

Hmm....No real cost savings then compared to using conventional refrigeration with a compressor.

$600 was the entire investment. The chiller section was around $120

JC

 

[indaswamp]

$600 was the entire investment. The chiller section was around $120

JC

So that's everything but the refrigerator?

 

[JC in GB]

I had to make a modification to my PWM controller. The coils on the fans I am using have too little inductance to create a magnetic field at the frequency my PWM is switching at. I had to smooth out the current through the coils. I came up with 2 solutions.

1) Run the PWM output through a diode and capacitor to smooth out the voltage and current waveforms.
2) Modify the circuit to have a higher frequency output.

I went with option one as it was easiest to implement. I am going to buy another PWM unit and explore the feasibility of upping to output frequency.

Thus far, my modified PWM is running the fan perfectly....

JC

 

[JC in GB]

So that's everything but the refrigerator?

The freezer cabinet I got for $0

I put about $120 into the chiller section

The heater module cost me $110

The aluminum rails cost me $40

Humidifier was $50

Dehumidification set up was $50

JC

 

[JC in GB]

I gave my test salami a try last week.

The weight was down 30% from start so I thought I would give it a try.

I thought the flavor was nearly there but the salami was too soft for my liking. Back in the cabinet it went.

I checked the salami this morning and the texture is much firmer. I will give it another taste test Wednesday or Thursday.

JC

Sausage with penicillium mold intact

Salami cut open for inspection. Nice color but still a bit soft for my taste...

 

[indaswamp]

Did you use natural casing for the small dia. test salami? And is the casing adhering good to the meat? Might be a deceptive photo, but looks like grease spots on the salami, or am I just seeing things?

 

[indaswamp]

The heater module....is that for heating the chamber for fermentation? Or is that also used for chilling? I know one side is used to transfer heat and the other is used to chill...or is that all contained within the chiller?

 

[JC in GB]

The heater module....is that for heating the chamber for fermentation? Or is that also used for chilling? I know one side is used to transfer heat and the other is used to chill...or is that all contained within the chiller?

The heater is used only for fermenting and is a separate module.

JC

 

[JC in GB]

View attachment 482814
Did you use natural casing for the small dia. test salami? And is the casing adhering good to the meat? Might be a deceptive photo, but looks like grease spots on the salami, or am I just seeing things?

Yes I used hog casings for the test salamis. Those aren't grease spots as far as I can tell. Might have been finger prints I got on the casing before the mold took hold.

The casing stuck tightly to the meat. The outer area of the meat was firmer than the center but not greatly different.

It feels like the salamis are drying out properly so far.

JC

 

[indaswamp]

It feels like the salamis are drying out properly so far.

Weigh the salamis over a 24 hour period, 3 days in a row. record the loss for each day, then take an average. Then you will know the percentage you are loosing each day. Over the complete drying time, salami weight loss should be 0.5~0.7% per day. More at the beginning, then less towards the end. I weighed everyday on my first salamis just for a mental benchmark. I will also do that again with the next batch of fresh salami in my new chamber.

If it is higher or lower than that range, you are drying too fast or too slow....

 

[JC in GB]

Weigh the salamis over a 24 hour period, 3 days in a row. record the loss for each day, then take an average. Then you will know the percentage you are loosing each day. Over the complete drying time, salami weight loss should be 0.5~0.7% per day. More at the beginning, then less towards the end. I weighed everyday on my first salamis just for a mental benchmark. I will also do that again with the next batch of fresh salami in my new chamber.

If it is higher or lower than that range, you are drying too fast or too slow....

Great advice. I was weighing the salamis once a week but will step it up to a daily weight...

The larger salamis lost 10 - 12 % in the first week. The lomo lost around 6%.

 

[indaswamp]

Of course, that is for a med. sized salami....55-76mm....larger or smaller will dry accordingly. 22mm will be done in 7-10 days....

 

[JC in GB]

Here is the final BOM for this build. I may add a dehumidifier if I plan on using this during summer months.

JC