Project "A"

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 22:25

i posted sometime ago that I have found it easier to introduce mold spores than to eliminate them. This morning I found that some of my bread had gone moldy. Not the usual blue stuff just nice fluffy white mold.

Click on thumbnail and link to full size pix and my album.

uwanna61 · Post by **uwanna61** » Sun Jul 17, 2011 02:12

I think you and I could take a lesson in notekeeping from Uwanna

Shucks pardoners, you guys paved the way I just followed along, but thanks for the compliment.

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Sun Jul 17, 2011 05:31

Ross wrote:

I found that some of my bread had gone moldy.

Holy brochotrix thermosphacta... Batman!

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Sun Jul 17, 2011 14:04

Edible? Safely? Will it prevent the blue/black mold?

Edit to add: Save your fingures ! Thanks to the internet I am getting a crash course in microbiology. So far i have determined that it is non pathogenic but a spoilage bacteria .

Dave Zac · Post by **Dave Zac** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 01:17

Update on my project. Weighed in today:

17%, 18%, 19% 19.5% weight loss on the salami. Interesting to note the left side of the chamber is 1-2% behind the the right side. I'll rotate and hopefully be even at the end.

Is this about where should expect to be 4 weeks in?

Update on my spanish chorizo that went in at the same time:

33% weight loss. I cut one link to try. The casing (hog) was a bit 'wet' to teh touch. not really slimy but more moist than dry. I worried a bit about it but after one hour or less on the kitchen counter and some 'testing', the casing is dried nicely.

Taste is a bit salty and nicely spicy. I think it needs another 10% or so of dry time.

Any comments from the experts?

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 06:48

Dave wrote:

Update on my project. Weighed in today:
17%, 18%, 19% 19.5% weight loss on the salami. Interesting to note the left side of the chamber is 1-2% behind the the right side. I'll rotate and hopefully be even at the end. Is this about where should expect to be 4 weeks in?

Spot on, Dave! You're doing something right pal! Another month and it will be time for the harvest! Rotating is a great idea.

Update on my spanish chorizo that went in at the same time: 33% weight loss. I cut one link to try. The casing (hog) was a bit 'wet' to teh touch. not really slimy but more moist than dry. I worried a bit about it but after one hour or less on the kitchen counter and some 'testing', the casing is dried nicely. Taste is a bit salty and nicely spicy. I think it needs another 10% or so of dry time.

Dave, what recipe did you use for the chorizo? Can you post a side-view photo also? Will it snow on Christmas eve? Am I asking too many questions? Was the photo taken after the "end" had dried an hour? It looks a little... uh... "dry"

Any comments from the experts?

Uhh.... I don't know any "experts" except for Stan, and he's in Poland for a visit.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Dave Zac · Post by **Dave Zac** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 13:01

Dave, what recipe did you use for the chorizo? Can you post a side-view photo also? Will it snow on Christmas eve? Am I asking too many questions? Was the photo taken after the "end" had dried an hour? It looks a little... uh... "dry

I'll post the recipe and side view photo tonight.

It's actually not too dry at all. That photo is after a hour or so of exposure but I think a fresh cut will look similar.

Dave Zac · Post by **Dave Zac** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 22:21

My recipe actually came from this site for chorizo: http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/sausage-recipes/chorizo

Meats Metric US
lean pork, ham or butt (<20% fat) 1000 g 2.20 lb.
Ingredients per 1000g (1 kg) of meat
salt 28 g 5 tsp.
Cure #2 5.0 g 1 tsp.
dextrose (glucose), 0.2% 2.0 g 1/3 tsp.
sugar, 0.2% 2.0 g 1/3 tsp.
pepper 6.0 g 3 tsp.
Spanish smoked paprika (pimentón) 20 g 10 tsp.
oregano 2.0 g 1 tsp.
garlic powder 2.0 g 1 tsp.
T-SPX culture 0.12 g use scale

This particular link never really covered in mold. The rest is covered nicely.

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 02:41

That looks delicious Dave. Do you prefer it to pepperoni? I've got to calculate the salt content though. It seems a little stout. Stan recommends about 2.5% in this type of sausage. Seems like it might require the consumption of more sudsy liquid to help dilute the salt content eh?

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 04:30

Tell me I am wrong but the starting point is 3.3 % salt and then the meat dries 30% ? Is that the way this is calculated?

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 07:14

Hi Ross,
Sorry ol' pard but fresh sausage in general, should only contain only 1-1/2% to 2% salt. It gets a bit too salty for consumption at about 3-1/2% and at 5% it becomes unpalatable. Lots of people believe the perfect amount is 2% or simply 2 grams for each 100 grams of meat. However, in fermented-type sausage, the salt content is usually raised by 1/2 % to total about 2-1/2% in order to protect meat against pathogenic bacteria while lactic acid bacteria are developing during the fermentation process. The salt isolates or binds the "available" water to bacteria. The increase does however, make a noticeable difference in taste. For people with high blood pressure, it is just about the upper limit. To read more about salt, check out this link: http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?t=4824

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

P.S.

Refer to page 187 in Stan's book, "Home Production Of Quality Meats And Sausages".

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 08:50

Hi Guys,
For those of you who have had to make your own fermentation chambers for this project A, there is a great tutorial with photos from my friend Miroslaw "Mac" Stanuszek at the Sausagemaker in Buffalo, N.Y.
Mac is one of the nicest folks you could ever want to meet. He has worked hard at his job in Research And Development and recently posted some great projects of his own. Check out his modified refrigerator that now ferments his favorite salamis and pepperonis. Here's a link: http://www.sausagemaker.com/tutorials/c ... amber.html

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Thu Jul 28, 2011 10:17

Hi Guys,
It has been 10 days since we weighed and checked the relative humidity together. How about hearing from all of you? I sure hope you are still keeping good notes. You'll want to hang on to them for future reference.
We're in the home stretch now. Where did the time go? How about a few photos of your hard work guys?

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Dave Zac · Post by **Dave Zac** » Thu Jul 28, 2011 13:27

I've got RH around 70 this past week and temp at 58-60 with heat wave.

Did not weigh last weekend. I am dying to try it

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Thu Jul 28, 2011 21:37

G'day Chuckwagon, saw your post this morning but had to go out and earn a living. I pulled all of the sausages out yesterday and placed them in plastic bags in my cold fridge. to give them time to equalize without further drying . Weight loss ranges from 36 percent to about 48 percent. With the moisture content not uniform through the diameter. Not case hardened but not uniformly dry. The tapered ends are more uniform. I had one sausage that was stuffed with the left overs from the three varieties that i made and we ate that last night. We agreed that the taste was good but the texture needs to improve.
I have some doubts about the spice levels as we get older our taste buds fade and we need more spice in our food. I have my notes and will make adjustments in the next batch.
So far,so good.

Ross