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Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 02:07
by Chuckwagon
Hi Uwanna,
Wow, it sounds like your fermenting chamber is working just fine. I had that same major pepperoni itch too. That`s why I posted "Project P" with T-SPX and Mold-600 in the same forum (Microbiology Of Meats). It has the same specifications. If you get the pepperoni right into the fermentation chamber, I believe you`ll be ok. Avoid a sudden drop in temperature and humidity if possible. I wouldn`t worry about `cross contamination` as much as maintaining the constant humidity and temp. Go for it! Note that with different diameters of sausage, you`ll have different finishing times. Be sure to weigh the sausages and keep good notes. Watch for the smaller diameter to finish first with a weight loss of about 30%.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 16:58
by uwanna61
Will do! Thanks for the advise..

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 04:54
by ssorllih
Hanging in the curing chamber are two kilograms each of Genoa Salami, Longaniza, and pepperoni. In one pound links.
It was a bit of a jgsaw puzzle to put it together but for this much effort I thought why not add some vatiety to my life. The cure/dry schedule is the same for all three.

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 05:41
by Chuckwagon
Sounds like a plan Ross. Which type of casing did you use? Are you holding firm at about 90% humidity and 68 degrees F.? And watch the air speed. If you see dry casings tomorrow, cut back on the 50 MPH Gale force winds going through your FC.
Goodness, I'm like a dad worrying about his kids out on their first date! :roll: Have patience with me fellars.

It looks like SikaStag is going to wait until his deer season opens in the fall. Rand is going with Project P (Pepperoni). GrayGoat has computer problems. We still need PartyCook and JBK to check in. Last we saw, JBK had a beautiful fermenting chamber built with a fan and a nice hygrometer-thermometer unit. I know he's got his hands full at work, so he might be a day or two behind the speedsters Uwanna and Davezak in getting their meat ground and stuffed. Oh shucks, then there's that big show-off Ross (ssorllih). He's makin' three different sausages to make us all jealous! It would serve him right if everyone showed up hungry on his porch about September 15th eh? :wink:

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 14:19
by ssorllih
Used clear fiberous protein lined 2.4 inch casing from The Sausage Maker in Buffalo.
http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/k48 ... esized.jpg

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 14:31
by Dave Zac
ssorllih wrote:Used clear fiberous protein lined 2.4 inch casing from The Sausage Maker in Buffalo.
http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/k48 ... esized.jpg
Lookin' good Ross. I'll be testing the same Cranberry juice bottle tonight to see how that size brings the temp down. Does it get it low enough for you? I have a 1 gallon milk jug frozen in reserve

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 16:44
by ssorllih
Dave I can get down to 68 degrees with one jug of ice but the one you see is water, the ice is under a wet towel. The jug of ice pulls humidity from the air and I need all of the wet towels I can spread. More surface area will provide better cooling, more volume will last longer. Friday when I start dropping the temperature I may go to two exposed jugs at a time. I have many.

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 21:24
by Dave Zac
When can I expect to see mold growth? It's only been 36 hours but I wonder when I will have to consider another spray.

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 22:19
by uwanna61
Hey all
I do have one question on the bactoferm 600 mold and this is my first use of this product. Per the instructions, it says to add 3 grams of the 600 to a cup of 68 degree warm chlorine free water, and hold for 12 hours. Then add 1 liter of chlorine free water, after the 12 hours. My salamis are ready for a mold 600 bath (dip) this evening. Shall I wait for the twelve hours or would six hours do? The next chance I will have to give them a bath (dip) will be tomorrow late afternoon, which will put me out to around 24 hours. I`m thinking I should have done this in the beginning when the Salamis where 1st hung, during the fermentation process.
Maybe I will roll out of the rack early in the morning, before work and dip them then :shock:

Chuckwagon
Are you starting to feel like a salami grampa, waiting for all the little salamis to mature :?:

Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 01:35
by Chuckwagon
Hi Uwanna,
I would wait the full 12 hours, add the liter of water, then dip. This time is called the "lag phase" and is necessary for the penicillium nalgiovense to wake up. Shucks pard, if you were cryogenically quenched like the Bactoferm, you'd want to warm up a little too before you went to work! :roll: Whether you dip or spray, or add it during fermentation or drying, makes little difference. This stuff grows so quickly and full, you`ll be amazed with the powdery, flaky, white stuff. It done correctly, you`ll have mold all over everything. The penicillium nalgiovense bacterium literally crowds out the colored bad stuff. However, if you happen to see any green or off-colored mold, especially if it is "fuzzy", wipe it off with a moist towel dipped in a vinegar-salt solution, then spray on a little more M-600 mixture. Always mix a new batch for a new batch of sausage.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 11:41
by Siara
Hi smoke addicts ,

I`m so impressed with what you do here.
At the same time I`m sorry I do not have time to join You in this oddsome projects.
We are lucky to have our buddy CW to provide us professional support.
Please post photos, they will be very helpful for newbie`s who will follow this project in future.(also for me :wink: )

Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 12:04
by Chuckwagon
Hello Siara old friend!
We hope you are doing well. Have you finished your work project. Did everything go smoothly? Thanks for the kind words Siara.
Question: When I click on Wedzarnicza Brac (Wedlinydomowe.pl) and the homepage comes up, who is the man in the photo next to all the delicious sausages & meats? Is that Maxell? The guy in the photo is a handsome fellow, but awfully thin! I pictured Miroslaw Gebarowski about 100 pounds heavier! :lol:
Is your photo anywhere on the site?

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 12:59
by ssorllih
My chamber is running about 64 degrees and 90 % RH. This is on the low side for the fermentation temperature by about 6%. Shall I just allow a few more hours for fermentation before I start reducing the temperature and RH? I am about 36 hours in at this stage.

Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 13:14
by Chuckwagon
Good morning Ross and Dave,
64 degrees at 90% is perfect! Don't do a thing. (Except sail that boat).
Dave just emailed me and said he is having a hard time keeping the temp down to 68 degrees. Will you tell him a few of your secrets Ross? How are you maintaining that temp?
I use a line voltage thermostat from McMaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com)
Dave will be alright with the fermentation at that temp but after the 72 hour mark, he'll have to drop it another 10 degrees for almost 3 months.
Do you folks in the east have cool, damp, basements like we do in the west. My drying room stays about 60 all year around. :shock:

Come on back good buddies :lol: Don't fret... we're not going to lose this batch.
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 16:41
by Chuckwagon
Hi Guys,
At this point in our project, a small increase in temperature is not as critical as the rate of diffusion and evaporation. Without a starter culture it would be. A bit of temperature raise will not harm the lactobacilli. However, the staphylococcus aureus and micrococcaceae spp., begin to grow at temps above 60°;F. These are the guys responsible for flavor (and color) and right now they must have Aw > 0.96. This is the reason we must not drop the available water down too quickly. They need a little water to work, but after another day, they should be just finishing up. As we continue to lower the moisture gradually, we are drying the sausage from the inside out. This is called diffusion - the water moving from inside the sausage to the outer casing. When the water leaves the outside of the casing and is expelled into the atmosphere, it is called evaporation. Our goal is to balance the two, in a state of equilibrium.

If the diffusion rate exceeds the evaporation rate, moisture will collect on the exterior and create a slimy surface that will host unwanted yeasts and ...yuck, colored, fuzzy, molds! On the other hand, if the rate of evaporation exceeds the rate of diffusion, the casing will dry out and harden. This "case hardening" will promote the growth of both pathogenic and spoilage bacteria, as moisture will have become trapped inside. Rytek Kutas used to say that it was just like welding the ends shut on a length of pipe. Could this case hardening become dangerous? Yes, possibly. The growth of pathogenic bacteria always presents a danger to our health. Remember, bacteria need water, and meat is 75% water. At the beginning of the "fermentation" stage, we want about 90% humidity and an airflow of < 0.7 m. per second to avoid case hardening.

Balancing diffusion and evaporation in this early stage of fermentation, has been known to drive sausage makers to the point of neuro-psychosis, where the use of foul and colorfully descriptive adjectives begin to affect their language, much to the consternation and dismay of their spouses. Soon, showing the first signs of "noevapodiffusem", a victim will begin exhibiting bizarre behavior, including throwing rocks at the mailman and making obscene gestures toward politicians and newscasters! :razz: Moreover, if this occurs during a full moon, one stands no chance at all! :shock:

Have you ever cut open a salami and found a gray ring around the outer edges of the sausage? Years ago, I had to buy a salami because I was away to school. Not only did it have an ugly gray ring, it was sour as a dill pickle. It was beyond tangy and just a bite of it would put a frown on a lottery winner`s face! This is case hardening.

Once the lactic acid bacteria have done their job (creating enough acidity that bacteria cannot survive), more moisture can be removed at a little faster pace, but remember... a large diameter salami should dry at a slower rate than a skinny little pepperoni.

Wanna hear something crazy? As the pH becomes more acidic, the drying becomes less difficult. Why? Because the myofibrillar proteins (remember mosin and actin?)are losing some of their binding quality at this point. During the last week, the air speed should have been gradually slowed to only about one and a half miles per hour. However cowboys, that is over another horizon yet. Right now, we`re concentrating on equilibrium. Do what you can to balance the diffusion and the evaporation. Good luck buckaroos! :mrgreen:

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon