Controlling Your Fermentation Chamber
The home sausage maker must have the upper hand in the management of
temperature and
humidity. Understanding these two elements is the first step of successful dry-curing. Actually controlling them is not as easy as one may imagine since in nature, it is most difficult to find the constant conditions required for the time required - typically weeks to months.
If the process of actually controlling both factors becomes too labor intensive, the enjoyment can be removed from the hobby of sausage making. Fortunately there is equipment available to assist us during the process so we don`t have to continually dampen and hang towels, fan the air out of the chamber twice a day, or continually fiddle with a heat or cooling source - all of which become mundane pretty quickly!
It is important to realize just how greatly specifications may differ, especially if a bio-culture is added. For instance, some "super fast" cultures of Bactoferm™ may require more than 105°; F. in temperature. On the other hand, the slow cultures may only specify 68°; F. in 90% humidity, dropping ten more degrees just three days later, while the humidity is decreased to about 70%. For this level of inconsistency, we need to be able to adjust controls precisely and easily.
A freezer, rather than a refrigerator, may be the best choice for a curing cabinet, as a refrigerator has a bulky freezing compartment to remove... with a separate set of controls. A refrigerator is designed to operate below the temperature of 40°;F. A freezer typically operates at about 0°;F. How do we bypass the controls (set by the manufacturer), that hold the temperature down? The answer is by purchasing a device called a
"line voltage thermostat", about sixty bucks online - double that price from sausage suppliers. I can adjust the model I ordered, to operate between thirty degrees below zero to a hundred degrees above, and it includes a temperature probe. Complicated wiring? Naw. All you have to do is plug the freezer power cord into the LVT and adjust the thing to the desired operating temperature - a simple twist of the dial. When you`re not using the freezer for dry-curing, you may wish to use it as a refrigerator to keep your suds cold. Simply adjust the dial.
Typically, a refrigerator maintains a humidity level of only about 30% to 40%. This dry environment would case-harden a salami in no time at all. Depending on the area you live in, the frugal remedy may consist of merely a lipped cooking sheet-pan holding just enough water to cover a pound of salt spread evenly across the surface of the pan. Although it may be a little inconsistent, it will provide about 70% relative humidity. The trouble with this method is that we often need 90% for fermentation. So, we introduce frozen jugs of ice - replacing them frequently - another labor intensive pain in the Ask me what I use.
It`s called an "
in line humidistat" that controls a child`s room humidifier. The humidifier takes up little room and it`s plugged into the humidistat, (sensing the relative humidity). The control is set for the desired level of humidity, and presto - I forget it. The only hitch in the get up is that there are two types of humidifiers available. One provides
warm-moist air, the other,
cool-moist air. That`s the one you want in your fermentation chamber -
the smallest, cool-moist air model you can find at your local hardware store. Be sure to use distilled water in the thing.
Dave asked me about his "frost-free" model refrigerator. Some models are timed to kick on for half an hour every twice a day. Other models periodically turn on at different times set by the manufacturer. In any case, the defrosting mechanism struggles to eliminate the moisture that we are trying to retain. It must be disconnected. Trace the wire and disconnect it. Often it is encased inside a tube that runs beneath the cooling coils. If you are using an in-line humidistat to control a humidifier, you`ll find that it kicks in as the defroster attempts to remove moisture. If you cannot locate the wire to disconnect the thing... Don`t worry about it!
uhh... that is... unless you are using only a tray of salt to add humidity to your chamber. In that case, you`ll have to go after that little wire with a particular vengeance and a glint of impairing mischief in your eye. The size of the cutters you use to disable the thing depends upon how much trouble it was to locate in the first place!
Please note that Seminole has provided several pages of instruction involving the installation and use of these controls beginning on page 364 of his book, "
Home Production Of Quality Meats And Sausages". Diagrams are included so even a layperson like me can plug the danged thing in.
For reference:
Green Air™ makes a decent in-line humidistat. See it at
www.greenair.com.
McMaster-Carr™ has a good LVT at
www.mcmaster.com
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon