Project "A"

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Thu Jun 16, 2011 08:08

Hi Dave,
Sausages actually dry a bit quicker at slightly elevated temperatures but to prevent bacterial growth, drying must be done at lower temps usually between 53°; F. and 59°; F. The rate of the drying is never constant during the process but is fastest as fermentation begins because there is so much moisture to alleviate. Later on, it slows down to a point where the air is barely moving at all. To start out, the speed should be about 2.2 miles per hour or about a meter per second. Our ultimate goal would be to consistently remove the same amount of moisture being evaporated from the sausages. In reality, this will not happen. But we can come close!

The location of the fan is totally up to you. Use your best judgment. I`ve seen both inside and outside. I chose inside myself just because I can easily restrict the "egress" using a swiveling metal disk to block the vent in varying degrees while still being able to circulate the air inside somewhat. However, we must remember that initially, we need to vent out much of the evaporated moisture so it does not collect on the casings, in which case they will develop slime. If that happens, nasty strange molds may develop. If the sausages are wet during fermentation, the humidity must be lowered.

You wrote:
quote:

Should I re-do the back to eliminate the opening and install the fan inside the chamber? My first thought was fresh air circulation would be good.

Some fresh air is not only good, it`s vital. No, don`t plug the hole. Make it "variable" by restricting the egress as described above. You need it to vent out moisture into the atmosphere. Now let me ask you a question. How would you remedy the "ingress" of air if it were at the same humidity as the egress? I live in an area so dry that we never have to consider such a thing. But I know what elevated humidity feels like. I traveled east once in an air-conditioned car to see the Royals play. It was great until I stepped out. I thought I was going to die! I took a shower and still couldn`t get dry. I couldn`t wait to get back to my high mountain desert where it is so dry that the bushes follow the dogs around!

Hi Ross,
You wrote:

My casings are somewhat smaller at 2.4 inches. Where is it written that each sausage must be a single full length. Is it permitted to tie the casing in the middle so that with the six expected full casings I will get 12 pieces? I see in the stores many times 6, 8, 12 and perhaps 15 inch cased products.

Ross, that`s a great question. It is absolutely NOT written that each sausage must be full length. The drying rate depends upon the diameter of the sausage. Make them any length you desire. It is nice, however, to have them fairly similar so they will finish about the same time. If you need to have some ready at different stages of completion, start a new batch.

This would be a good time to introduce some observations made by our friend Stan Marianski. On page 104 of his book, "The Art Of Making Fermented Sausages", Stan lists several interesting facts:

1. The length of the sausage has no influene on drying time.
2. Sausages should be dried at a rate not higher than the moisture losing ability of the sausage.
3. Traditionally made sausage have pH of about 5.3 and Aw about 0.88 at the end of the drying process.
4. The drying chamber should not be overloaded as a uniform air draft is needed for proper drying and mold prevention.
5. The higher the air speed, the faster the drying.
6. Larger pores in certain type casings facilitate faster drying
7. The more fat there is in a sausage, the faster it will dry.
8. The larger the meat particle size, the faster it will dry.
9. The larger the diameter of a sausage, the slower it will dry.
10. A fully loaded chamber will dry slower as air movement is restricted.
11. Molds will develop more quickly if there is no air draft at all.
12. Excessive drying hardens the surface and closes the casing pores.
13. If the casing becomes greasy, wipe it off with a warm cloth, otherwise it may inhibit drying.

OK sausage wranglers. Let`s hear from you. Get a discussion going with plenty of questions. That`s how we`re going to iron out problems and learn during the process.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

jbk101 · Post by **jbk101** » Thu Jun 16, 2011 08:17

Hey Guys,
A little behind the eightball. I am getting ready to order my supplies and have been searching around for some of the items that i might have laying around.

I have started building the cabinet! It will be made out of a 1/4 inch 4 x 8 sheet of plywood that I am going to line with a heavy plastic. I have several old computer fans and a power supply that I will use to power them. I also have some old light fixture to use as a heat source.

I do have a couple of questions

1.) Is the Fan, just mounted inside the cabinet to "just move" the Air around the inside of the cabinet or does it need to be mounted in a way that will either expell or inlet air into the cabinet?

2.) Which way is best to mount the heat source? Top - Bottom or on the sides about half way up?

3.) Would it be better to mount more the 1 fan in the cabinet? I have alot of old computer fans at my disposal and the power supply that I have would run several at a time without any problem?

4.) If it is okay to mount multiple fans would a configuation as follows be accptable?
a.) One fan to just move the air around inside the cabinet!
b.) One fan to draw air into the cabinet when needed!
c.) One fan to expell any air (or excess heat) when needed!

Note: In option b. and c. I would fashion a cover to seal the cabinet when the fans are not needed or in use!

The finished cabinet is going to be 2' Wide x 3' Tall x 2' Deep

Thanks,
John

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Thu Jun 16, 2011 08:52

Hello JBK! Sounds like you're cookin' with gas.

And just think... you're only a couple of months away from having ten pounds of great tasting Alysanndra Salami!

You wrote:

I have started building the cabinet! It will be made out of a 1/4 inch 4 x 8 sheet of plywood that I am going to line with a heavy plastic. I have several old computer fans and a power supply that I will use to power them. I also have some old light fixture to use as a heat source.

Great questions John. All sausage makers should be aware that light hastens the spoilage of fat in sausage. It drives butchers crazy all over the world as neon lights especially, tend to change the color of fresh meat very quickly. For this reason, sausage is often made with corn syrup solids which tend to slow down lipid decomposition. However, many home sausage makers use incandescent bulbs to produce heat when needed. This may be the best choice for many reasons, economy being the first. Other methods of heating include electric barbecue starters, crock-pot heater elements, soldering irons, aquarium heaters etc. Oh, and yes... heat rises... mount the source at the bottom of the cabinet. Use your judgment and don`t burn the house down fellars!

JB, check the above response I made for Dave. He asked some of the same questions about inside fans and fresh air etc. One fan should suffice. Too much air circulating will dry out the casings too quickly and seal the moisture inside the sausage. When it can`t get through the casing to evaporate, it is trapped inside and will eventually spoil the sausage.

John, you also asked:

If it is okay to mount multiple fans would a configuation as follows be accptable?
a.) One fan to just move the air around inside the cabinet!
b.) One fan to draw air into the cabinet when needed!
c.) One fan to expell any air (or excess heat) when needed!

What a terrific idea! In a larger application, I`m sure it would work very well. However, in our smaller chambers, we only need to move about a meter per second and one fan should handle it easily. I really like the dimensions of your cabinet 2' Wide x 3' Tall x 2' Deep. That should really do the trick!

Terrific John,
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

jbk101 · Post by **jbk101** » Thu Jun 16, 2011 09:22

Chuckwagon,
Thanks for the response! I noticed that right after I asked my questions that you had just finished posting a response to Dave and that we had some similar questions! Graet minds think alike

I am hoping to have the cabinet completed by tommorow night

I will take a couple of pictures and post them for your review!

Thanks again,
John

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Thu Jun 16, 2011 09:25

Here`s a "reference page" for our Project A.

THE RECIPE:
Salami di Alessanddra by Stan Marianski

2.0 kg (4.4 lbs.) pork butt
2.0 kg (4.4 lbs.) beef chuck
1.0 kg (2.2 lbs.) pork back fat (or fat trimmings)
140 g. salt (3%)
12 g. cure #2 (do not use cure #1 in this recipe)
10 g. powdered dextrose (glucose)
15 g. sugar (3%)
15 g. white pepper
0.6 g. (1/4 tspn.) Bactoferm™ T-SPX
----- Bactoferm™ Mold 600

Optional:
Note: To make 5 kg. sausage, about 7 g. of spices and 4 g. of herbs are needed.

120 ml. (1/2 cup) quality red burgundy or other dry red wine (Do not exceed ½ cup).
4 parts coriander (spice)
3 parts mace (spice)
2 parts allspice (spice)
1 part fennel (spice)
3 parts marjoram (herb)
1 part thyme (herb)
1 part basil (herb)

Instructions:

Preliminary steps: Keep a logbook! Record everything you do. Write down dates, times, measurements, etc. Believe me, you`ll refer back to it several times during the process. Save your notes for the next batch. They will be invaluable. Don`t ignore this step. It only takes a few seconds to write down the information you may really need later on.

Thaw the Bactoferm™ T-SPX following the directions on the package. Measure .6 gram (1/4 teaspoon) of the culture and mix it with a little distilled water, allowing the bacteria to "wake up". Freeze the back fat and nearly-freeze the lean meat. Freeze the grinder plate and blade (20 minutes is plenty). Cut the meat and fat into cubes.

1. Grind the pork and back fat through a 3/8" plate (10 mm). Work in small batches and refrigerate the meat and fat at every opportunity. Grind the beef using a 3/8" plate then again using a 1/8" plate.

2. Mix all the ingredients with the ground meat and develop the primary bind. Fold in the fat particles.

3. Stuff the mixture firmly into beef middles or 46-60 mm. protein-lined fibrous casings, making links about 16 to 20 inches long. (Protein-lined fibrous casings shrink with the salami as the sausage dries.)

4. Weigh each salami and record its "green weight". Keep a log book!

5. Ferment at 68°; F. (20°; C.) for 72 hours, in 85% to 90% humidity.

6. Hang the salamis in the drying chamber and mix the Mold 600 according to the directions on the package. Spray the sausages with a misting sprayer or dip them into a solution. Dry the salamis at 57°; F. (14°; C.) in 80-85% humidity for 2 to 3 months (until 30-35% weight loss is achieved).

7. The salamis are stored at (+or- 4°;) 55°; F. (13°; C.) in 75% humidity.

Process:....................Temp:......Humidity:.......Length Of Time:

Fermentation........... 68°; F........85-90%..........72 Hrs.

Drying...................... 57°; F........80-85%..........2 - 3 months

Storage.................... 55°; F........75%...............until consumed

Participants:
1. Rand.......Iowa
2. ssorllih.......Maryland
3. JBK.......Indiana
4. DaveZac.......New York
5. uwanna61.......Vermont
6. SikaStag.......Scotland
7. Gray Goat.......Illinois
8. Party Cook.......Wisconsin
9. Chuckwagon.......Utah

Meat Starter Culture Bactoferm™ T-SPX
(Slow: Assists with drying a month or more) Also: Semi Dry Cured
Bactoferm™ T-SPX is a freeze-dried culture well suited for all fermented sausages where a relatively mild acidification is desired. T-SPX is particularly recommended for the production of Southern European type of sausages, low in acidity with an aromatic flavor. The culture is suitable for molded as well as smoked fermented sausages. (Semi Dry Cured)
Each 25-gram packet of Bactoferm™ T-SPX will treat 440 pounds (200 kilo) of meat. You can use the whole packet in 100 pounds of meat or use half of the packet and refreeze remaining culture. Use ¼ of a packet in any production under 50 pounds of meat. Note: Cultures must be stored in freezer and has a shelf life of 14 days un-refrigerated and 6 months frozen.
Contains: Pediococcus pentosaceus and Staphylococcus xylosus

Bactoferm:Mold 600 (Previously M-EK-4)
Meat culture for production of moulded dried sausages with a white/cream colored appearance. Mold-600 is a single strain culture containing spores of Penicillium nalgiovense in a convenient freeze-dried form.
P. nalgiovense is a fast growing, traditional white mold culture for controlling the surface flora.

Mold-600 is particularly recommended for the production of traditional sausages dried at low temperature and/or low humidity.
Mold-600 suppresses the growth of undesirable organisms such as indigenous molds, yeasts and bacteria. The culture has a positive effect on the drying process by preventing the emergence of a dry rim. Furthermore, the mold degrades lactic acid during maturation resulting in a pH increase and a less sour flavor.
Note: Cultures must be stored in freezer and has a shelf life of 14 days unrefrigerated and 6 months frozen.

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Thu Jun 16, 2011 09:40

You're very welcome John. Oh, by the way fellars... When you get a few batches of experience under your belt, and folks have had a chance to taste your wonderful salami, you'd better be ready for a little notoriety in the neighborhood! People will be asking you to make a salami for them. Allow me to present a question to you here. Do you realize what this stuff is worth?

You can't even buy it in markets in this country. I don't know about other countries.

You will have mastered a craft that is almost gone. Sure, right now it seems a little overwhelming. Don't let it be intimidating to you. Read the information and remember what my ol' pappy told me: "The man that doesn't TRY, doesn't DO anything"!

In Europe, the Polish folks have done much to keep the home crafted sausage techniques alive. I am most grateful to these people for sharing their knowledge with others rather than keeping it secret. Shucks pards, guys like Marianski and Gebarowski can share my campfire anytime, and ride my pony too!

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Thu Jun 16, 2011 12:53

If you plan to use an incandesent light bulb perforate a large tin can and control the light with a dimmer switch. Water dripping on a hot light bulb will break it.

Dave Zac · Post by **Dave Zac** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 00:35

Really dumb question? How do you know your fan is running at 2 MPH? Seems I have read somewhere that there is a paper test for this or something.

Chamber is done, Fan and pot working. Gotta figure out right speed though. Testing humidity and cooling ability now just as Ross is.

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 00:40

Dave light a candle and walk around slowly with it a nd watch the flame. Then put it in the box away from the direct blw if the fan and watch the flame. Light an incense stick and watch the smoke curl and drift. one to two MPH is pretty slow. It won't ripple the water on a pond.

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 03:00

Some simple physics will help us to deal with some of the questions we must have.
Air is heavier than water vapor. Air weighs about .076 pounds per cubic foot. Water weighs about 64 pounds per cubic foot. Air and water have a specific heat of about one BTU per pound. The air in my chamber weighs about 12 ounces. The water in my chamber will weigh about twenty pounds and the meat will weigh about ten pounds as a result the mass of water and meat will be about 40 times the weight of the air. Therefore when I open the chamber I will spill 3/4 pounds of air and replace it with room temperature air. The thermal inertia of the mass of material in the chamber will very quickly cool the new air to the temperatur of the material.
We won't hold the doors open for an hour so the loss of control will be very short term. I was having extreme control problems when the chamber was empty but for bottle of ice. The more mass that I add the more stable the temperature and humidity become.

uwanna61 · Post by **uwanna61** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 03:06

Hey all
Chuckwagon is there a specified start date? My order arrived yesterday, Bactoferm™ T-SPX and Bactoferm™ Mold 600 along with Protein-lined fibrous casings. I do have one dilemma, it`s my wifes b-day this Sunday, and well, kind of gotta do the right thing! If the plan is to start this weekend, I will just play catch up, no biggie!

Another note, my eyes are dropping from all the reading

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 05:00

Awww come on now . Anything less than a hundred pages a week is accidental reading.
My Bactoferm also arrived today with a paper that told me of a minimum 12 month shelf life if kept below zero degrees F. Same for the mold spores. This is encouraging because using more than one batch will reduce the cost of each batch. 32 dollars for flora plus the cost of the meat and the seasonings and the casing makes one batch hellishly expensive. But if I make enough in the next twelve months to use all of the casings, in my case three more batches would make four batches total will bring the material cost down to about a dollar per pound. Add three dollars for meat it is still only four bucks a pound for fine dry cured sausage.

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 05:13

Ross wrote:

If you plan to use an incandesent light bulb perforate a large tin can and control the light with a dimmer switch. Water dripping on a hot light bulb will break it.

That`s one of those, "Now why didn`t I think of that?" answers. What a great idea... and you could even cut some of the glaring light down using the can. Most folks stay away from the light type heater so the fat won`t go rancid. One of the reasons I recommended this particular recipe was because of the low temperature for the fermentation step. If you have a cellar, room temperature might already be achieved. We need about 68°; F. for 72 hours. After that, we need to drop the temperature about 10 or 11 degrees for the next 2 or 3 months. Your "heater" will surely be useful as you go on to craft other products, especially fast-fermented type salami or pepperoni where the fermentation temperatures are upwards of 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Ross also wrote:

Dave light a candle and walk around slowly with it and watch the flame. Then put it in the box away from the direct blow of the fan and watch the flame. Light an incense stick and watch the smoke curl and drift. One to two MPH is pretty slow. It won't ripple the water on a pond.

Wow Ross, where are you coming up with all this good stuff? That is terrific.

Dave wrote:

How do you know your fan is running at 2 MPH? Seems I have read somewhere that there is a paper test for this or something.

Dave, that is a great question. If you are good with math, you may enjoy figuring out the finer points of air exchange at this link: http://www.comairrotron.com/airflow_calc.shtml
However, to be honest with you, most people never do bother to actually measure it. I think the math scares a lot of folks away. Remember that the symbol for "greater than" is > and the symbol for "less than" is <
Most people simply adjust their fan (or rather, the volume of outflow of the air called "egress"), so that it just barely keeps the moisture from collecting on the casings. Although my fan keeps running, I close the vent partially with an adjustable metal disk swinging over the air escape hole at the rear. This of course, allows the air to circulate inside the chamber rather than being exhausted.

OK folks, Uwanna 61 would like to know if we have a specific start date. This is YOUR project so you folks should decide what is most convenient for youselves. I`m just the guide who will make recommendations. Right now, I would suggest that we all test our chambers for humidity and temperature variation. Ideally, this would require about 2 days but it sounds like Ross and Dave have got `em tested and are ready to go. John and a couple of others might need an additional day or so. The rest of us could start reading about cultures (Part 3). If I`m not mistaken, Uwanna already had his curing chamber in place at the beginning of the project. How do you folks feel about getting started with the grinding and stuffing? Check in please

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

jbk101 · Post by **jbk101** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 07:49

Hey Guys,
I have almost completed the cabinet. It is built the Fan mounted and running the Heat Source is in and working! I still have to line it with Plastic and Fashion a cover over the Light Bulbs I also need to Mount my Dowel Rods. Here are some pictures. Any comments or suggestions fro changes etc. would be appreciated

The Finished Cabinet is 17-3/4" Deep x 24" Wide X 36" High

The inside Showing the Lamp and Fan Locations and a Basic Temp/Humidity Gage that I found laying around.

I Drilled holes around the Fan Housing as opposed to cutting out the one Big Hole.

Close up pic of the Basic Temperature / Humidity Gage That I had Laying Around.

4 inch Computer Fan that is being powered by an Old Computer Power Supply.

Pic of the Power Supply that I used and Mounted on Top of the Cabinet.

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 08:21

John, that is absolutely gorgeous! Very nice indeed. You fellars are an inspiration to the rest of us. By the way, we still need to hear from Rand, SikaStag, GrayGoat, and Partycook. Before we actually start grinding and mixing meat, there are a few more items to consider:

1. Distilled water - All the chemicals used to treat your town`s water supply, can really raise hello with the bacteria we need in Bactoferm. You can purchase distilled water, but home crafters like us can easily make our own. See how at this link: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Distilled-Water

2. We should go into section 3 (Cultures) and read a little about Bactoferm and what it does. It`s at this link: http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/sausage-ty ... e/cultures
It`s not complicated, nor is it lengthy. I realize there`s been a lot of reading lately, but these are things you should have tucked away in your sausage savvy. I look at it this way: For centuries, man had no idea what was happening inside salami and certainly had no concept of fermentation due to lactobacilli. I`m just happy to be living in a time where we have the technology to understand such "saddlebum science" and craft better products because of it. We don`t have to memorize the names of the microorganisms or even learn how to pronounce them, but we should have a little knowledge concerning them so we`ll know what is happening inside the curing chamber. Let`s take advantage of the great information Stan Marianski has so generously provided (at no cost).

3. We should be finishing up the details on our fermenting chambers. Let`s test run them before we begin. For this particular recipe, we will not be using the heaters in your new fermenting cabinets. Later on, making a fast-fermented sausage, you may need to heat the chamber as high as 115°; F.

4. Soon, we should read section 4 so we don`t end up poisoning ourselves. It is called "Safety Hurdles" and is at this link:
http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/sausage-ty ... ty-hurdles

Can someone suggest a time schedule for these items? We can go as slow or as fast as your schedules permit. In my opinion, it doesn`t make much sense to be "rushing without reading". Any way you look at this project, we`ll be eating "long-term, fully dry-cured, southern European style" Salami Alysanndra about the middle of September.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon