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Mold of various colors

Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 14:17
by airbrush
OK. So I have my Soppressata in the drying fridge and my mold is starting to appear - some white and some not so white. Even a few black spots.

What do I do now? Here's a couple pics
Image
Image

Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 15:14
by reddal
Hi,

Before I started using Mold 600 I had a batch of Chorizo that looked a bit like that. Following advice I cleaned them with vinegar - but some of the mold came back - and I ended up binning the batch as it had a weird musty taste.

I would try cleaning them - wiping off the mold with vinegar. However I would strongly recommend using Mold 600 if you can for future batches - it crowds out any other nasty molds and has worked really well for me.

Others here are far more expert than me and may be able to advise better on the specific type of mold you have.

- reddal

Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 16:41
by Bob K
Along with the mold it looks as if the chubs are touching and are not getting enough air to dry properly. How long have they been drying?

Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 16:49
by airbrush
Chubs are not touching. Started on 3 June with 80 % humidity 60°F. Reduced humidity to 72% today.

Bob, what say you about the mold?

I actually did use mold 600 and fermented at 85°F with 80% humidity for 12 hours.

Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 17:54
by Bob K
Is the color difference in the chubs just from the photo or are areas redish and others tanish? Also what recipe and culture did you use? I would drop the temp to 52-55f.

That mold I would wipe off.

Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 19:17
by airbrush
No reddish or tannish, just the photo I think drawing the colors from the flash and the wood.
Ruhlman recipe from Charcuterie, Bactoferm F-RM-52, started the incubation with a spraying of Bactoferm 600.

Recipe
450 gm fat back
1800 gm pork shoulder
10 gm bactoferm F-RM-52
60 ml distilled water
56 gm kosher salt
7 gm Instacure #2
30 gm dextrose
3 gm white pepper
6 gm minced garlic
2 gm red pepper flakes
60 ml pinot biancostuffed in hog middles
200 lbs of love and dedication

Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 20:42
by Bob K
I dont know, does the surface seem dry or damp and slimy?

As far as the recipe. 4.5% salt + is more than most folks can tolerate, and 2.5% dextrose would make it quite acidic. Posible that it fermented too fast and caused the off color. Were you able to test the Ph when fermenting?

Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2017 12:36
by reddal
airbrush wrote:I actually did use mold 600 and fermented at 85°F with 80% humidity for 12 hours.
The green/black bits don't look like the Mold 600 nice white mold - somehow the other molds got going before the Mold 600 could establish itself I'd say.

I soak the casings in Mold 600 solution rather than spray them afterwards - maybe that helps make sure it gets going. Also make sure hands/surfaces etc are super clean when making them, and I would make sure the chamber is super clean before putting a new batch in aswell - at least until the Mold 600 stuff is well established.

Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2017 16:57
by redzed
Something went wrong with your inoculation with the mould starter. It's still early in the game, wash the salami in tepid salt water, hang at room temp to dry surface, (60 minutes is usually enough) then reapply the Bactoferm 600. Rehydrate a small amount of starter in 2oz of non-chlorinated lukewarm water for an hour, add more non chlorinated water and use a small spray bottle to apply. Give the inside of your chamber a few shots of the prepared mixture as well. P. nalgiovense is an aggressive strain and will eventually dominate. Other than the black mould, the turquoise colour mould is probably not harmful, but unless you examine it through a microscope we really don't know what it is. Personally I would leave it if I also had a bloom of the white nalgiovense, but there is little of that visible, so I would clean it off and reapply the starter.

Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2017 17:14
by redzed
Bob K wrote:As far as the recipe. 4.5% salt + is more than most folks can tolerate, and 2.5% dextrose would make it quite acidic. Posible that it fermented too fast and caused the off color. Were you able to test the Ph when fermenting?
Hey Bob, with 56g kosher and 7g #2 in 2250g meat block I get 2.75% salt, not 4.5% salt! :lol: But you are right about the dextrose, that's about 5 times the necessary amount. I am not home now so I can't check the Ruhlman books, but does the published recipe actually ask for that much sugar?

Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2017 17:37
by Bob K
Whoops!!! I guess 2250 doesn't calculate the same as 1250 :oops:

Yes Ruhlman's book calls for 40 grams salt and 30 grams dextrose. Per 2250 meat.

Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2017 18:04
by airbrush
Well, the batch I showed above just didn't work.

But THIS batch did. Dried to 45% loss, tasty, good texture. The bad news is that they taste so good, they won't last long.
http://imgur.com/n7MtV01

Image

Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2017 21:19
by Sleebus
Mmmm, those do look good! How long did you hang and what was the weight loss % that you ended up with?

Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2017 13:53
by airbrush
Sleebus wrote:Mmmm, those do look good! How long did you hang and what was the weight loss % that you ended up with?
45% loss and around 7 weeks. It's amazing the consistency and flavor difference between 35, 40 and 45%. The sopa is more compact but still tender and the flavor is so much more concentrated.

QUESTION for you experts: Is this salumi now considered shelf ready? And can these now be stored at room temperature (around 72°F?

Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2017 14:19
by Bob K
airbrush wrote:QUESTION for you experts: Is this salumi now considered shelf ready? And can these now be stored at room temperature (around 72°F?
Well I wouldn't consider myself an expert, However the short answer is yes they are now shelf stable and can be stored at room temp.

On the other hand its quite easy to vac seal and refrigerate. Stored that way out of the danger zone for foods, the shelf life is indefinite. Just make sure you remove the casing or at least clean off the mold.

Great job and I am sure they even taste better that they look!!