Made a batch of dry cured pepperoni...thanks Bob K recipe!

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Post by harleykids » Wed Feb 03, 2016 02:31

Took my PH reading and it looks like it is between 4.5 and 5.0 on the color scale.
So I am hoping that means around 4.8 PH. It is definitely at or lower than 5.0

This is after 48 hours of fermenting (5pm Sunday until 5pm Tuesday)

I sprayed them with mold around the 24 hour mark.

Hung them in the curing chamber tonight, chamber is set at 13C @ 82% RH for normal drying. Pic is below.

Bob, how long do you think they will take to lose 35%? 4-6 weeks?
And since it is your recipe, what is your favorite weight loss % for these pepperoni?
35%? or 40%? or more?

Thanks!

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Post by Butterbean » Wed Feb 03, 2016 02:47

Looks great
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Post by harleykids » Wed Feb 03, 2016 04:12

Thanks BB!
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Bob K
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Post by Bob K » Wed Feb 03, 2016 18:59

harleykids wrote:Bob, how long do you think they will take to lose 35%? 4-6 weeks?
And since it is your recipe, what is your favorite weight loss % for these pepperoni?
35%? or 40%? or more?
To be honest I have no idea of the weight loss % :shock: I did meticulously weigh and monitor the weight loss% for the first few batches of salami that I made , but found it did not correspond to the texture that I prefered. I now go totally by feel, If the sausage feels firm enough I will cut into one and give it a try. On 55-60mm beef middles in my chamber that is usually 7-10 weeks. Your setup will vary.

As far as the texture I prefer for Pepperoni, pretty firm like the whole pepperoni sticks that you see in stores.


Your remaining soppressata, still hanging in the chamber, should be approaching a nice firm texture, if that left from your 12/9 batch :!:
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Post by harleykids » Thu Feb 04, 2016 05:06

Good eye Bob!

Yep, that is the last sopressatta left from my Dec. 9th batch. Four total, down to the that last one.

I pulled one at 30%, one at 35%, one at 40%, and the last one you saw hanging is scheduled to pull at 45% (820g start, down to 456g finish at 45%)
It is sitting at 474g currently, so probably a couple of weeks to go and it will be ready.

The 30% had good flavor but was a bit soft for my taste.
The 35% was better, still soft, about the same flavor.
The 40% was my favorite so far, and my boys also liked it the best. Firmer in the middle with a more concentrated flavor and more complex.

Hence the wait until 45% on the last one...my boys are want to eat it NOW, but I told them let's do an experiment and see how we like it at 45%.
We plan to do another batch just as soon as we see how the 45% turns out.
If we like it the best, then we will let the second batch go to 45% before vacpak-ing it.

Also in the chamber is a coppa dusted with Calabian hot pepper powder cased in beef bung and netted, a bresoala dusted with coriander and white pepper cased in a beef bung and netted, and six 1.8lb each pepperoni cased in beef middles (your recipe!)

This weekend I will try to do something else, maybe a Genoa Salami and a Lonzino with orange and fennel.

And we need to cure more bacon, so probably a full pork belly in cure #1 with brown sugar, molasses and cinnamon.
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Post by Bob K » Thu Feb 04, 2016 14:00

The Mariansky recipe for Genoa is excellent, Simple and tasty! I have made it several times.
http://www.wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?t=7387

If you like a little heat , there is always a batch of this drying in my chamber, and I run out before its done!
http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?p=29320#29320

Orange Lonzino by Redzed, Fennel optional
http://www.wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopi ... ge&start=0
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Post by harleykids » Sat Feb 06, 2016 05:19

Thanks Bob, those recipes look great!

I put in my order to my local butcher, so I will have my hard back fat in next week (they ran out, so no Salumi making this weekend unfortunately)

I also sold them my Berkel 808 slicer, they wanted it for an extra backup, and it paid for my Hobart 410, so all is good!
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Post by harleykids » Mon Feb 08, 2016 21:06

Pepperoni have full mold coverage now and are looking great!

But my curing chamber smells like cat piss and ammonia now!
I think Chris said that was normal in a post a while back?

My sopressatta and coppa and bresoala didn't stink up my chamber, but these pepperoni are sure smelling up my chamber!

Hopefully that means they are moving forward and curing like they should?
This is the first time I have had this smell in my chamber...what's up with that??????

Thanks!
Jason

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Post by Bob K » Mon Feb 08, 2016 21:48

It probably went bad and needs to be disposed of in a special Hazmat container. I can supply one that is postage paid and pre-addressed. :twisted:


All Kidding aside, the ammonia smell is normal and should subside within a week or so.

Also your air exchange is tied to your humidifier. With 10 lbs of new product being added the humidity level can remain higher and the air exchange may not be running as often or at all, so you are more aware of the smell.

You can add a charcoal filter on the exit opening if the smell offends anyone.

What Chris said:
redzed wrote:Having said that, while the heavy handedness with paprika might have something to do with the taste, and additional moisture for the slow rate of drying, nether have anything to do with the ammonia smell. The primary cause of this is overactive proteolysis. It's beyond me to describe in length and detail what proteolysis is, but in a nutshell, it is the breakdown of proteins into smaller peptide chains and amino acids. This is accomplished by enzymes that reduce proteins into smaller amino acids. When this breakdown goes beyond this stage and goes on to also breakdown those same amino acids, ammonia is released as a by-product. Ammonia is produced by deamidation and dehydrogenation of protein by deamidase and deaminase enzymes secreted by both cocci strains of bacteria and molds and yeasts. In your situation the culprits are Staphylococcus carnosus and Staphylococcus xylosus in the B-LC-007 and the mould in Bactoferm 600. Moulds produce the ammonia odor caused by their high rate of proteolytic activity in the final stages of ripening

So in layman's language, proteolysis is good, it contributes to flavour, aroma, colour and texture, but when it's excessive, it needs to be railed in. Moulds are also desirable but when allowed to bloom uncontrollably, they too can be responsible for developing undesirable characteristics in the sausage. So a while some ammonia by-product is normal for a short period of time, too much of it can spoil your sausage.
Last edited by Bob K on Tue Feb 09, 2016 14:28, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by redzed » Tue Feb 09, 2016 01:28

Justin make sure you are venting out the stale air, and lower the temp by a few degrees and the ammonia smell should subside.
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Post by Bob K » Mon Feb 22, 2016 17:00

Hey Jason
How did you make out with the ammonia smell?, it should be almost gone by now.
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Post by harleykids » Mon Feb 22, 2016 18:24

There is still a faint ammonia smell, but it is not really offputting (never really was, just my first experience with the smell)

My chamber has great ventilation I believe, as the humidifier and exhaust fan come on about every 30 mins or so, and stay on for about 2-3 mins.

So assuming the exhaust fan is able to vent the interior space, which I think it is, I should have 100% air turnover around 48 times per 24 hour day.

This should equate to 1.6-2.4 hours of constant fresh air being pulled into the chamber each 24 hour day.

In addition, when the freezer kicks on to regulate the temp it also draws the humid air out and replaces it with non-humidified fresh air.

I think that is the main reason why I have never had a single episode of any bad mold. All my mold is the M600 pure white.

My chamber has been running since early Dec. 2015, and I have never had anything but perfect mold formation. That tells me that my humidity and temp are condusive to good mold growth, which hopefully translates to consistent and slow drying of the salumi!

I empty my freezer drip pan every week, and there is probably 1-1.5 quarts of water in it each week! I go thru a gallon of distilled water every 3 weeks or so.
That tells me that the freezer is doing its job of dehumidifying the chamber, which also pulls fresh air in.
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Post by harleykids » Mon Feb 22, 2016 18:50

Wanted to post an update on the pepperoni.

They are drying nice and slow, and look great! The beef middles I used are just starting to shrivel up now, and they all have a perfect coat of M600 on them.

Weight loss is around 24-27% after 20 days drying in the chamber.

They are currently losing an average of 4.2% every 3 days or so.

So they should be ready to sample in a couple of weeks.

First one I will try will around 40% I think, based on the squeeze test.
They are firming up nicely! Can't wait to try them!

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Post by Bob K » Mon Feb 22, 2016 18:58

Good to hear. A chamber will always have a bit or a funky smell.
harleykids wrote:In addition, when the freezer kicks on to regulate the temp it also draws the humid air out and replaces it with non-humidified fresh air.
Actually the frost free freezer does not bring in fresh air it circulates the air over the frozen coils/refrigerant lines, freezes it, and then defrosts periodically, letting the the moisture drip out into the evaporation pan. Thus a frost free freezer. And a built in dehumidifier :grin:
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Post by harleykids » Mon Feb 22, 2016 19:09

yes, but when my freezer kicks on, the circulation of chamber air (the evaporator has a fan that sucks the chamber air in and blows it across the coils) inadvertently pulls some fresh air in from my intake vent and pushes it out the exhaust.

This extra fresh air is a by-product of the air circulating inside the chamber during temp control and dehumidification (basically when the freezer is on)

So I kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.

Freezer kicks on when temp rises, dehumidifies chamber from 85% down to about 78% and lowers temp to around 12C, and inadvertently draws fresh air in while this is happening.

Humidifier, camera light, and exhaust fan kick on when RH% drops to 80%, further exhausts chamber and raises humidity to about 86% in about 2-3 mins.

Chamber temp rises to 13.5C over the next 45 mins, and the above cycle starts again.

Repeat every 45 mins or so, 24 hours a day!
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