Battling Bugs By Restricting Their Available Water

I`ve chuckled and snickered at Kjuncatman`s `signature` on our forum since the first day I read it. It says, Cure the meat? Is it sick? If the world were depending upon you to eliminate pathogenic bacterial microorganisms, just how would you go...

Aces

I reckon the vacuum packer is the way to go if they can't all fit in my fridge :grin:
That's how i keep my Coppa and Bresaola long term. I got the Sunbeam
from The Good guys for a bargain of $220 about 2 years ago. Well worth the money.
As Redzed said, freezing as well for longer term.

Let...

have been busy hiking and camping these days, and the salmon have also been running.
Chris, you're having waaaay too much fun! :wink:

when my dry cured product are finished, I peel the casing off, and wash them with vinegar, then vacuum pack them and store them in the refrigerator, i have pepperoni that is 4 month old that still is great if its vacuum packed,Tim

The Ruhlman/Polcyn Salumi book is a unmitigated disaster, a lot of bad information, some of it a serious safety risk!!!!!

Just wanted to say a big thank you for all the help, the ham is currently in 3 pieces and being smoked every other day and then we shall see !!

Thanks again
Ped

I bought juniper berries at Cost Plus World Market.

Hi Kem,
Well done pal! Your sausages look very nice and I'll take your word that they are tasty. Now... aren't you glad you've made your own? They are soooo...much better than the crap in the butcher's case down at the ol' grocery store.
Kem, you've got some great lookin' photos there of some...

Very nice result Devo. Looks like an interesting recipe. I would have no issues with eating it but my better half and friends would probably hold back because of the visibility of the fat. I served my Coppa over the holidays and while some ate it with gusto, others would not even taste it even...

Hi Devo,
Looks great!!!!! The pictures are certainly helpful to a beginner like me.
Thanks for sharing.
Jan.

I would love to some pictures of these, if you could post some,Tim

I did some research on the Alessandro (correct spelling) salami.
Alessandro is an Italian influenced sausage of American origin, which explains why it's unheard of in Genoa, Italy.

Yes i picked this up a month ago, it was not suppose to be working, but it had a bad cord, i was going to use it for a smoker, but it works great, it is a continental 2f, 50 square ft, stainless, i did not pay anything for it, So far it has worked great,Tim

I haven't had grocery store salami, so I can't compare.

Salami Milano is a general term, there are several variations within the Provence of Milan.
I suggest starting with the most basic, pepper and garlic, the next most basic, pepper, garlic and wine (3.35% to 3.5% wine), and go from there.

Nick
I would recommend a semi fermented pepperoni like this one.

Can be ready in a couple days to a week depending on the Bactofirm used. Good stuff.

I had no problem uploading with my mac. Thanks for the help baconologist. I think i'll try a larger image next time.

I was admiring that fat, too. Last time I made mortadella, I had some leftover cubed up fat, just a month or so old, that I had frozen. Enough for half my recipe. I added that, and then cubed up some fat from a larger piece of uncut backfat, also in the freezer. The newly cubed stuff came out...

Kristje,
I can't help be there are several members here that could help, Chuckwagon being one of them! I know that if you provide more information along with some pictures they would be happy to offer comments and suggestions that could help you and members like me that are trying to learn!
Good...

Thanks dude.

I've been reading the Project A thread to figure things out. One thing Im not sure of is how you guys get the low temperatures of mid 50's to upper 60's farenhiet in a wooden box in June??? The cpu fans dont cool, do they? I figured they were just for circulation.

Thanks.

Nice work!

Thank you for your response Chuckwagon, I feel better now!!

Aaron

In the town of Bel Air Md we were for some years priviliged to have a shop owned and operated by a man named Joseph Semith. He was a German by birth and a butcher by trade and training. His sausages were the very best, he sold only USDA grade prime beef and the best pork. When he died his...

This topic split 7.10.11@0227 by Chuckwagon. See also: Project P in Microbiology Of Meat

Hi Blackriver,
I know what you mean. However there is something I'm not sure you are aware of. In any animal, the further from the center of the animal - the softer the fat becomes. In fermented type salamis and such sausages as sopprasata etc., a hard fat is preferred and often comes from the...

yea, I know what you mean when you mention the noodles. I have watched people throw dried ones in the fryer and watch dumbfoundedly as nothing happens.

But, I thought the process was to essentially braise the skin, scrape off the remaining fat or flesh, portion, dehydrate, and fry. I have seen...

1st Question: Yup!
2nd Question: Salt enhances various natural flavors in poultry and it denatures proteins, causing the meat to become more tender during cooking. Salinity always plays a role in brining but it does not even make sense to measure it without addressing a defined length of time. In...