Morning All,
Long term Kamado smoker and cured whole muscle maker but a total neophyte to fermented sausages.
Made a 5 kg batch of summer sausage (first time) using I used a 50/50 mix of venison and pork, 1% dextrose, 1/2% brown sugar, and Bactoferm LHP. Fermentation was conducted at 86*f with 85% rh per Mariansky's method.
A little note on the Bactoferm, I discovered it was out of date well into the process of making the batter. Since I was committed to making the sausage, knowing that if the Bactoferm failed I'd toss the whole batch, I decided to over inoculate to catch as many of the remaining viable spores as possible and hopefully get it to work.
I Kept a small bowlful (1/2 pint) of the batter for pH testing and placed it in the chamber.
I calibrated the tester several times before use using high, mid and low buffer and then tested it in a known pH solution to verify its accuracy.
Fresh Batter had a starting pH of 5.9
At 18 hours the pH meter shows 4.25.
This begs a Several questions.
First, the recipe calls for 24 hours fermenting. Do I risk additional acidification if I continue at fermentation temperatures? Or, should I move immediately to smoking to slow or halt fermentation?
Second, is this 4.25 pH reading indicative of a too sourly tasting product? Will I find it unpalatable?
Third, though Marianky doesn't say, when I do start smoking should I give the sausages a short drying period before starting the smoke?
Thanks!
Long term Kamado smoker and cured whole muscle maker but a total neophyte to fermented sausages.
Made a 5 kg batch of summer sausage (first time) using I used a 50/50 mix of venison and pork, 1% dextrose, 1/2% brown sugar, and Bactoferm LHP. Fermentation was conducted at 86*f with 85% rh per Mariansky's method.
A little note on the Bactoferm, I discovered it was out of date well into the process of making the batter. Since I was committed to making the sausage, knowing that if the Bactoferm failed I'd toss the whole batch, I decided to over inoculate to catch as many of the remaining viable spores as possible and hopefully get it to work.
I Kept a small bowlful (1/2 pint) of the batter for pH testing and placed it in the chamber.
I calibrated the tester several times before use using high, mid and low buffer and then tested it in a known pH solution to verify its accuracy.
Fresh Batter had a starting pH of 5.9
At 18 hours the pH meter shows 4.25.
This begs a Several questions.
First, the recipe calls for 24 hours fermenting. Do I risk additional acidification if I continue at fermentation temperatures? Or, should I move immediately to smoking to slow or halt fermentation?
Second, is this 4.25 pH reading indicative of a too sourly tasting product? Will I find it unpalatable?
Third, though Marianky doesn't say, when I do start smoking should I give the sausages a short drying period before starting the smoke?
Thanks!
