Hotel Salami is now Open!

User avatar
redzed
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 3852
Joined: Fri Apr 20, 2012 06:29
Location: Vancouver Island

Post by redzed » Fri Dec 21, 2012 02:38

Hi Bert, I'm in Nanoose Bay, so you are welcome to stop by when you are in the area. My setup is at the beginning of the this thread and the only modification I made to it since, is to install a CPU fan that vents the air out of the chamber twice a day for 30 minutes. I also removed the small fan that I had inside the chamber. I'm shutting the operation down in a few days and leaving for Arizona next week. Will be back around the middle of February and will fill it up again then.
Best,
Chris
User avatar
Gray Goat
Frequent User
Frequent User
Posts: 125
Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2011 20:08
Location: Crystal Lake IL

Re: Breasola

Post by Gray Goat » Fri Dec 21, 2012 02:43

redzed wrote: Had some today drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice, some black olives and a glass of Primitivo. Good stuff!
You couldn"t pull me away from the table with a spread like that redzed :grin:

Everything looks great, nice job.
User avatar
el Ducko
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 1340
Joined: Sun Dec 25, 2011 04:59
Location: Texas Hill Country
Contact:

Post by el Ducko » Fri Dec 21, 2012 04:49

Chuckwagon wrote:Most people will never have the privilege of tasting that wonderful stuff because they buy the crap in the grocery store and think that's how it's supposed to taste.
While we're on the subject of tasting, and since it's Christmas and a time of giving, and because research and development costs can be expensed on income tax (right...?)

...where do you folks recommend I obtain some of the "wonderful stuff" to learn how it's supposed to taste? I don't have the same ethnic background or family traditions as many of you. (Being from "off-planet," the Muppet show's "Pigs in Space" series is as close as I ever got to the many Polish, Italian, et cetera sausages.) I can't think of a better way to learn than trying the real thing. ...but I need coaching for obtaining it, and knowing what to eat and drink with it.

The csabaii was a real eye-opener as to how good some of these things can be, but its production was pretty simple when compared with the temperature/humidity controlled rigs and techniques needed to do these fermented sausages.

Maybe, after Project B is laid to rest, we could do a series on what to enjoy and how to enjoy it. (Sausages and processed meats, guys, plus recipes for using them. Get those minds back out of the gutter.) For example, I was just introduced to goat cheese stuffed dates, wrapped in prosciutto, baked. I shared it with a friend who works in a Lebanese shop, and she immediately suggested...
:mrgreen:
Experience - the ability to instantly recognize a mistake when you make it again.
User avatar
redzed
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 3852
Joined: Fri Apr 20, 2012 06:29
Location: Vancouver Island

Post by redzed » Fri Dec 21, 2012 06:47

I rarely buy anything from supermarkets delis. I visit a couple of the small sausage makers in the area and buy several items in small quantities to taste. I also shamelessly ask for samples. When we cross the water over to Vancouver, I like to stop at an Italian butcher shop and a German butcher shop. In Toronto I visit Polish butchers. In the spring we are planning to travel to Montreal to visit our daughter and I'm planning to do some exploring and tasting there.
User avatar
redzed
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 3852
Joined: Fri Apr 20, 2012 06:29
Location: Vancouver Island

Coppa

Post by redzed » Fri Dec 21, 2012 07:03

Today I cut open my coppa which was started October 19. Weight loss was 28%, so it could have ripened a bit longer. But I have to wind this project down for the next several weeks, so I could not wait. I was not disappointed and received a stamp of approval when served to a couple of friends. I still have a large salami genoa started on October 5. It has achieved a weight loss of only 25% and is quite soft. I had a smaller one that lost 28% and tasted it today. It is also soft but the taste is good and maybe it will dry out in the fridge after a few days. Trying to figure out what to do with the big one since I will be going away and resting my curing chamber.
Image
Image
User avatar
el Ducko
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 1340
Joined: Sun Dec 25, 2011 04:59
Location: Texas Hill Country
Contact:

Post by el Ducko » Sat Dec 22, 2012 06:14

redzed wrote:I rarely buy anything from supermarkets delis. I visit a couple of the small sausage makers in the area and buy several items in small quantities to taste. I also shamelessly ask for samples. When we cross the water over to Vancouver, I like to stop at an Italian butcher shop and a German butcher shop. In Toronto I visit Polish butchers. In the spring we are planning to travel to Montreal to visit our daughter and I'm planning to do some exploring and tasting there.
In everyone's opinion, what would be the best things to try, for someone who doesn't know enough to know what to ask for? So far, on the list we have:
---Italian [???]
---German [schinken, ???]
---Polish [???]
Please help fill in the blanks. ...and then maybe we can find a couple of mail order places to order them from, for those of us who don't live anywhere near a decent deli.
:mrgreen:
Experience - the ability to instantly recognize a mistake when you make it again.
crustyo44
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 1089
Joined: Tue Jun 14, 2011 06:21
Location: Brisbane

Post by crustyo44 » Sat Dec 22, 2012 06:31

Duck,
Make a curing chamber like I am going to do. These photos from Red drive me around the bend AND he keeps on fronting up with of his wonderful end results. I hate him for doing that.
There again when my chamber is finished I am going to drive him nuts for information so I can copy it all.
Luckily he is going away on an extended holiday, no photos, thank heaven!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheers Mate.
Jan.
User avatar
redzed
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 3852
Joined: Fri Apr 20, 2012 06:29
Location: Vancouver Island

Post by redzed » Sat Dec 22, 2012 08:59

crustyo44 wrote:Duck,
Make a curing chamber like I am going to do. These photos from Red drive me around the bend AND he keeps on fronting up with of his wonderful end results. I hate him for doing that.
There again when my chamber is finished I am going to drive him nuts for information so I can copy it all.
Luckily he is going away on an extended holiday, no photos, thank heaven!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheers Mate.
Jan.
Thanks for the vote of confidence Jan but I'm no expert! I only got into this inoculation of sausages three months ago! You are welcome, however, to learn from my mistakes and hopefully CW can guide us through another project in the new new year.
Best,
Chris
User avatar
Chuckwagon
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 4494
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 04:51
Location: Rocky Mountains

Post by Chuckwagon » Sat Dec 22, 2012 09:55

On November 13th this year, our buddy Cabonaia wrote one of the most insightful statements I`ve ever come across on this forum. In two short paragraphs, he managed to get everyone`s attention by getting straight to the point. He wrote:
Yes sir. I'd recommend you do what I did. I hung 5 lbs. of sausage over a stick suspended between 2 chairs in a cool room that maintained a fairly steady temperature. I hung a big towel over the chairs/sticks/sausages, and beneath that kept a wide, shallow bowl of water. I monitored the temperature and humidity constantly. Sometimes it was just right, but usually at least within the high and low recommended control points.

After the sausages had lost 40% of their weight, I determined that they were case hardened, rancid, and according to all the best advice, dangerous. With tears, I threw them away. I put the word out until I got a free refrigerator from a friend who was remodeling her kitchen. With the addition of a freezer conroller ($50), humidistat ($50), and humidifier ($35), and the help of a common power drill, I was in business. This process works very well, and if you follow it closely, you will lose only 1 batch of sausage.
Jeff, people still try to "cheat" the process and then wonder why it doesn`t work. Usually, the recipe receives the blame. After a few failures, they finally discover that they could have just about paid for the controls with the money they spent on spoiled meat. People just amazingly hesitate to take the time and spend the bucks to build a proper fermentation chamber. Those who have succeeded just chuckle at the rookies who think they can bend the rules and save the bucks.

Project B will end soon. (One more sausage after Christmas). Then we will start another fermented sausage project for beginners who wish to find an old freezer (or fridge), then spend about 300 bucks for controls. Ouch! Yes, it requires a little "commitment". So, save your sheckles El Quacko and get ready to put some tang in your teewurst! :wink:

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! :D
User avatar
atcNick
Passionate
Passionate
Posts: 373
Joined: Fri Jan 01, 2010 05:17
Location: Texas, USA

Post by atcNick » Sat Dec 22, 2012 15:14

Redzed, that coppa looks amazing! Was that special pork or just your everyday cryovac butt? Did you not put the coppa in a casing? How was the recipe you used?
-Nick
Custom R&O Smoker
Cedar Smokehouse
Weber Performer
Weber 22.5" One Touch Gold Kettle
Weber 18" WSM
Weber Smokey Joe
Lang 84 Deluxe w/chargriller SOLD
Cinder Block Smokehouse RETIRED
User avatar
redzed
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 3852
Joined: Fri Apr 20, 2012 06:29
Location: Vancouver Island

Post by redzed » Sat Dec 22, 2012 19:17

Chuckwagon wrote:
Project B will end soon. (One more sausage after Christmas). Then we will start another fermented sausage project for beginners who wish to find an old freezer (or fridge), then spend about 300 bucks for controls. Ouch! Yes, it requires a little "commitment". So, save your sheckles El Quacko and get ready to put some tang in your teewurst! :wink:
CW, once you a source a working upright fridge or freezer, you can get the thing going for less than $200. You have to be resourceful and many of us here definitely are. I'm looking forward to the project and with El Ducko's engineering smarts and analytical mind we will, withoubt a doubt, break new ground in this ancient discipline!
atcNick wrote:Redzed, that coppa looks amazing! Was that special pork or just your everyday cryovac butt? Did you not put the coppa in a casing? How was the recipe you used?
Nick I wish I used a specially bred swine for the coppa! I just bought a case of four butts through a small local sausage plant. They were fresh and not encased in cryovac. I cut out the muscled part for coppa out of two of them and wish that I would have saved the other two as well.

I initially cased the coppa in a collagen casing but it did not shrink well enough with the meat and started developing mould on the inside. So after a couple of weeks I removed the casing and cleaned off the mould. Turned out fine, but next time I will definitely be using a proper casing. Below is the recipe I used. I was very pleased with it, and will not change a thing in my next effort.

Recipe adjusted for 1258g of raw weight

Dry cure mixture
Salt - 38g
Cure 2 - 8g
Black pepper, cracked - 1tsp
Garlic powder - 1tsp
Sugar - 30g
All spice - 1/2tsp
Cumin - 1tsp
Smoked Spanish paprika - 1tsp
Juniper berries, cracked - 8 berries
cinnamon - 1/2 tsp
hot chili blend - 1tsp

Cured with 1/2 of the mixture for 7 days, then added the another half and cured for another 8 days in the fridge. I had it in a plastic bag and massaged it now and then. After the 15 days I wiped off the spices and rubbed it with red wine and with 3tbs. dextrose, 1.5 tbs corn syrup solids, 4 tsp smoked paprika and 1tsp ground hot chilis. I let it dry in room temp overnight and then cased it and hung it in the chamber.
User avatar
Chuckwagon
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 4494
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 04:51
Location: Rocky Mountains

Post by Chuckwagon » Sat Dec 22, 2012 19:23

Hey Red,
If you would hang a name on that beautiful curing formula, I'd put it in the MRI. What would you like to call it?
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! :D
User avatar
redzed
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 3852
Joined: Fri Apr 20, 2012 06:29
Location: Vancouver Island

Post by redzed » Sat Dec 22, 2012 19:42

CW, that formulation is nothing more than a pseudo-synthesis since I pulled it together from at least a dozen sources. So I really don't know whether it deserves a name. It simply has significant characteristics associated with coppa. :lol:
crustyo44
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 1089
Joined: Tue Jun 14, 2011 06:21
Location: Brisbane

Post by crustyo44 » Sat Dec 22, 2012 20:17

Come on Red, don't be too modest. Get your finger out now!!!!!!!!!!!
We need the recipes and your every minute movements of what you did to produce plates of dried sliced meats you made and so proudly showed on the forum.
No hurry as long as you do it before going on your extended holiday!!!!!!!!!
Cheers Mate,
Jan.
User avatar
el Ducko
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 1340
Joined: Sun Dec 25, 2011 04:59
Location: Texas Hill Country
Contact:

Post by el Ducko » Sun Dec 23, 2012 05:39

redzed wrote:It simply has significant characteristics associated with coppa. :lol:
Maybe you could call it "Kinda-Coppa"? ...or better yet, "Coppa-Mine"?

:mrgreen: ←
Experience - the ability to instantly recognize a mistake when you make it again.
Post Reply