Hey charcutiers!

I have a question about combining fast fermented “American style” semi-dry sausages with dry curing.

Basically, I’m wondering if taking smaller (35mm) natural hog cased pepperoni/summer sausage from the fermentation chamber to a dry curing room/chamber with a relatively low...

Two days ago I cut into a ham that I first salted in January 2017, two and a half years ago. I never intended to leave it that long, but here we are. For those of you who are interested in the process, a summary is below

Salting The 9.5kg ham was first rubbed with a mixture of 500g fine salt and...

 
Hello, I am making charcuterie in Korea. I have a problem making saucison. Fat frozen, ground with lean....But the problem doesn't seem to be solved. please see the picture Is that fat smearing right? or myosin? is that ok?

My english is not very good please understand...

Hello Salami Experts,

I have learned so much from this forum, website and books. Thank you very much for all of your insight and advice that I have gleaned from these posts.

I currently have 2.8 kg of pepperoni, 2.9 kg of sopresatta and 4.0 kg of smoked paprika salami curing in my homemade curing...

To make a long story shorter: A few weeks ago I made up a batch of Landjaegers, exactly how I usually make them, except that when I took the bowl of freshly ground meat out of the fridge to mix in the culture and dry ingredients, I didn’t notice that some of the ground meat had become partially...

Are traditionally fermented and dry cured sausages allowed/approved (at all) by the FDA for sale on the public market without being cooked (ruined) to a minimum internal temperature at some point during production?

I've made thousands of pounds of soppressata, and every single batch has come out very predictable. On my last batch, I made 3 batches of 25 pounds each using the same 2 recipes ( 1/3, 2/3) using a LEM mixing box, which is what I always use. I used the same amounts of cure #2, dextrose and BLC-007....

So this is by far my most ambitious go at charcuterie. Using Len Poli's recipe it's just past 4 weeks of salt curing in the fridge. Next step 12 months in the chamber at 58 f and 70% rh, talk about commitment.I had the butcher remove some of the shank end and debone it as my fridge space is...

Ok, so here’s a question. I made the one batch without using culture and it came out quite good, but I never feremented it to the fullest due to paranoia after 72 hours. If I was to do it again, would you:

1-add more dextrose to get get the ph to drop?

2- let it ferment longer?

3- add more wine...

An update !
The sausage is dried well but it kept oozing out oil even I reduced the temp. range to be 50~52.
I tried today one of the sausages and it had a very funky flavor. The meat is in tact and there is no spoilage, but the taste is incredibly unpleasant..
I noticed that the bacteria that was...

My father bequeathed these to me long ago.
As a Rotarian he had a fellow Rotarian in the US mail him these bulletins in the early 60s
They all mention saltpeter as the curing salt
About 2 oz for 100 lbs of meat.
Is it ok to use saltpeter once in a way for the long dry cure that I want to do as...

Well, It's been while since I posted, But I wanted to let you know that I haven't stopped making cured meats. Thanks for all of your help. Attached are some photos with explanations for each.

Culatello hung 6 months ago

Culatello @ 41% weight loss

Cutaway of Culatello

Cappicolla...

Another newbie question.
Can I use salt pork in place of Fat back in dry cured sausage? does the salt pork contain enough salt to affect the recipe? If so how do you compensate for it in the recipe?

Thanks

Ok, so this is probably a dumb question, but 1) this is my first time and 2) trying to avoid throwing away hard work!

So, it looks like I'm going to have one of the Lonzino done in about a week or so. Obviously I'm going to cut into it...but then what? Can I just hang the meat back in the chamber...

There are times when a piece of meat that is hanging in my curing chamber has reached its targeted weight loss, but I would like to keep curing it for a longer time (to increase the funk), but I do not want it to continue to lose weight. If I vacuum pack it, do I have to put it in a regular...

I made some soppresseta the other day and used B LC 007 starter.for the first time I fermented at 68F 90-95 RH checked Ph at 48 hrs and it was at 4.95. My question is is this normal to be that low that fast? When I use S TPX it takes 72 hours or more to get to aroud 5Ph. The recipie was from...

I just finished building my curing chamber and I am looking to do my first project. I was thinking pepperettes or something that will cure fast? I'm hoping to having something ready in 3weeks for a get together with some friends. Any suggestions or ideas?

The combination of orange, fennel and garlic has become one of my favourites in dry curing pork loins (lonzino), so I decided to make a salami with the same flavour panel. The sausage dried for 7 weeks, with a weight loss of 38%. The orange and fennel come through beautifully and complement each...

I was able to find a butcher in near by town that will sell me hard fat, but I need to buy in 5# increments. My question is how do I store it? can I simply Vac Pac and Refrigerate/freeze? How long can I store it, will it turn rancid on me?

Thanks

Hey guys, leaning on your expertise here...can someone advise whether or not this mold is good or bad, salami's been hanging since Dec. 9 @ 39F, approx. 85% humidity. I know the humidity is high, but i'm having trouble keeping dehumidifier from icing up with the room that cold.

Thanks in...

Can I make summer sausage with fl c starter to ferment , skip the smoking/cooking step, and just dry it ?

I was going to use a 70% pork 30% beef mix, and stuff in hog casing to make more of a sausage stick type thing

This is something I threw together on a whim back in February. I regret not keeping better notes on the procedure but I just found myself with a little idle time and decided to let my tastebuds direct my efforts. Using 3% salt, cure 2, 0.5% black pepper, 0.2% cayenne, 4 cloves garlic per kilogram,...

Hi,

There is a new round of scaremongering about nitrates / nitrites - eg

Leading scientists and a cross-party group of politicians are calling for chemicals called nitrites to be removed from processed meats like bacon.

Cancer specialists and politicians are among those backing the campaign...

If I decide to make soppressata without a culture, do you still add dextrose? How much? What temp for fermenting? Still monitor ph? How long shoild the fermenting take?

It's time to cover my prosciutto project with sugna and I'm having trouble finding a recipe for it. I gather from my reading that it consists of lard,white pepper and rice flour and while I have all these ingredients I need to know how much of each. Can anyone help me out?
Thanks
Bill

I had alot of friends ask to see how it's made. Although some of the comments may not be 100% accurate in verbiage, you get the idea. ENJOY!

Hey guys, quick query I am hoping someone can answer...

I have a whole load of wonderful cured back fat from a previous hog that I dried for a month and then froze. I don't see myself using it all in its current form and was wondering if it would be acceptable to add it to a new batch of salami...

Hi guys,

I've got a good recipe for pepperettes (small pepperoni), that calls for Cure#1 and smoking. I'd like to use the same recipe but dry cure them instead of smoking, can i just remove the Cure#1 and replace with #2?

Also, i'll be stuffing into small (17/19mm) casings, i'm assuming they'll...

Hello folks
I am having the common issue of the rising humidity in my curing chamber. and will appreciate any input and direction.
I am curing 25 of Soppressata for the first time ever. I am beginner who read lots of posts and now tackling it myself.
I am using a wine cellar or a soda fridge I am...

Well, I finally took the plunge. After watching some videos to find out exactly how to cut the meat, I finally decided to try 2 Culatello. 2.5% salt, 0.25% cure #2 and some black pepper placed in a bag in the refrigerator for 28 days. I rinsed them, drizzled with white wine and black pepper and...

What is the opinion with regard to the amount of cure#2 used in this recipe?

Ignoring the fact that you needn't use any for whole muscle why do you think this is such a high %. ?

I figured I would ask here because you guys were always spot on. There's a Facebook group that has some pretty knowledgeable guys on the group that's actually certified to sell their product and the discussion of starter cultures came up. We all know that starter cultures do add flavor and they are...

Well it's fall and that's hunting and sausage and salami time. My friend and I just got this nice bull moose. Had to carry it a mile to where we could get it to the 4 wheelers. Perfect timing as I'm all out of salami and Batsurma!

I remember this was covered in similar topic some time ago but I was not able to find it, so decided to ask this question again: Is it a huge mistake to use Cure 1 instead of Cure 2 curing the whole muscle? I was curing two pork loins (both 1550 g) with Cure 2 a month ago. They lost 30% of their...

I made some soppressata with beef middles and I chose not to press them flat this time. They look great and they are at 42% weight loss, but still have a very soft middle. Where should I be taking these to?

Hello from Cajun Country!!!

Another new guy here asking for a little help. I found this site today and have been reading & learning, this seems like a good place to join and ask for help along this new journey.

I recently started making sausage and now I want to move on to a few cured products...

I procrastinated for several months, but finally got around to my second ever trial batches of dry cured sausages. Did two of Len Poli's favorite salami, one stuffed in fibrous casing and the other in beef middle. Third sausage was according to cajuneric , recipe for Finocchiana. Fermented then...

OK. So I'm vacuum packing my sausages prior to shipping some to friends and family. Is it OK to vacuum pack with the with mold covered casings still intact?

I have some fresh pork belly (never frozen) and was thinking about making some Pancetta.
The recipes that I have looked at require cooking after curing and drying. Can I turn this in to
a ready to eat product by extending the drying time ? If so, what percentage of weight loss would I need to...

Hey guys we all know I`m not a math major but I`m about to do this recipe but I have 14 lbs of iberico pork and 20 lbs of fat back I picked up. I was wondering if anyone could help since last batch my math was so off
I would like to do this with 14 lbs of pork and fat. I`ll even wire someone money...

Finished up my salami. Ones with a lot of starter culture. Came out perfect.

Here are some pics of salami i was freakin out about with a lot of culture on accident. My test link I cut into

Smells great. Funky. Little outer ring more red than middle but losing a lot of water. 204 grams to 183 in 2 days. Everything look good ? Looks like a good bind but center isn`t as...

What is the ideal ph during the fermenting stage for Italian salami? I just bought an Apera ph meter so before I just did things by sight and smell.

Thanks

Marianskys book of the art of fermenting sausages says the final ph of salami is somewhere between 5.0-5.5 page 33061- if our initial fermenting drop is to get to 5.3 ( a safe consumable product) or below that, to 5.1-5.0 then on the last thRead blc 007 problems our friend said he was at 4.9 in the...

My 5th day in in my chamber I notice fruit flies or gnats. Everyone I open for fresh air they swarm in considering my apartment smells like a sour meat plant. I`ve seen the apple cider and soda method in a cup but could I put that in the chamber ? I have just now put 4 cups around the area and...