Post-drying PH is 6.5 - is my sausage safe?

[MTBiker]

So this is my first attempt at making a fermented sausage.
Used the Fuet recipe from the Marianski book, replacing pork back fat for beef fat. Also used 10 gr. of B-LC-007 for 2 kg. of meat - I know it's much more than the recipe calls for but was debating between that and 'use a quarter of the package for small batches' discipline, and decided I'd rather err on the side of caution.

Fermented at 20c for 3 days. After day #2 PH was already at 4.5 (which I guess is in line with what I was reading here on the 007 being a fast ferment culture). Well, I though, It'll be sour but safe...

Fast forward 6 weeks (15c, 80-85%RH). Sausage lost around 48% (natural beef casings, MOLD-600).
From what I can tell/smell the product looked nice:


Chopped up a piece, added distilled water (1 part meat, 2 parts water) and PH reading was 6.5(!)
Had a store-bought Cervalad in the fridge. Did same exercise for reference and the Cervalad's PH reading was 5.5.

My questions:
a) Should I be measuring the final product's PH at all, or is the fact that PH dropped to safe levels during fermentation enough?
b) Is the product safe to consume?
c) If I goofed up along the way, any idea where and how?
d) Once I cut the sausage, can I return the unused portion to the drying chamber, or should I now store it in the fridge?

[Agoracritus]

Hey MTBiker,

Go to the Wedliny Domowe main page and under Sausage Types, select Fermented > Fermented, and then scroll down to the section on “Drying”.

While it’s normal (desirable) for the ph to rise during the slow curing process of dried sausages, (and lose much of the tang from the initial fermentation ph drop), your initial ph seems pretty low.

My understanding, confirmed by the section I referred to (I think), is that a much less drastic initial drop and slower increase in ph is an important part of slow curing chemistry.

This is a question I’m not confident enough to answer without more expertise, but I’d definitely hold off on sampling your product just yet.

For all I know, it’s perfectly safe to consume (especially if you also used cure #2), but there are a few potential red flags. (Including, possibly a slightly high aw/moisture loss for a 6 week curing time)

Either way, don’t get discouraged. That’s a pretty impressive “first attempt”. You’re delving into some fairly advanced charcuterie, so even if you have to end up counting your first attempt as somewhat of a “fail” on the learning curve, you’re definitely on the right track.

I haven’t used the specific culture that you used, so I can’t speak to how it’s supposed to perform, but I’ve had good/consistent results using T-SPX for my dry cured sausages/salamis (well within the desired ph parameters), just a thought.

Hope this is helpful,I’m looking forward to some experts weighing in on your post myself.

[Agoracritus]

Apparently, the last “edit” for my reply didn’t update my response, so I’d just like to add that if anyone is having trouble finding the Wedliny Domowe main page and section I referred to in my post, from a browser/search engine: type in meatsandsausages.com to get to the main site, then in the “Sausage Types” category, select “Fermented”> “Fermented” (again) and scroll to the bottom of the “Drying” section for a really good breakdown of fast vs slow fermented sausages.

[MTBiker]

Thank you Agoracritus for the response. I think I'll go ahead and order the T-SPX culture - looks to be more predictable. I did use Cure #2 (2.4g/Kg). BTW why is a slightly high moisture loss considered a red flag?

Issue is that apart from the frustration of starting from scratch again, I still don't know what went wrong. Could it be that after the farce reached PH 4.5 (after day #2) I should have transferred it to the drying chamber & not let it ferment for another day at 20c? (recipe said 'ferment 3 days')

I'll wait a couple more days for any additional insights/advise the forum may have to offer before dumping the batch in the garbage bin

[jcflorida]

if anyone is having trouble finding the Wedliny Domowe main page and section

For what its worth, there is a link at the bottom of each page of this forum that takes you to the Wedliny Domowe main page.

[Agoracritus]

With regard to moisture loss (aw/water activity), I’m pretty sure that a lack of enough moisture in a slow cured sausage can adversely affect the slow chemistry required for long (6 week +) curing times.
I recently attempted to make a batch of slow cured pepperoni sticks in the same room/space I use for my tenderloins...but they lost about 30% weight in 2 weeks, (about 4 weeks ahead of schedule). I can tell by the smelling them that they are not properly cured, (not a bad smell however) and although I still haven’t tossed them out, I’m pretty sure they are just drying (after another 2 weeks) and not actively “culturing” anymore.

This is why the relative humidity in the curing chamber is very important.

The rh in my curing room sometimes drops to as low as 50%, which is fine for the loins that are coated in rendered lard, (inside cheese muslin and netting), and covered in penicillium mold, but was way too low for the pepperoni sticks.

Why didn’t I put them in the isolated curing chamber I use for my other sausages, (that is precisely regulated to approximately 54 degrees, and 70-80% rh)? Because it was an experiment, and I was curious, and also because they had an unintentional wild mold bloom on the last day of fermenting, that although I attacked/removed with vinegar, I didn’t want to risk contaminating/transferring to the chamber/other (revolving) sausages that are not inoculated with penicillium.

...I can be long winded, which isn’t always helpful, so to put a finer point on my reply to your initial question of “what, if anything, did I do wrong”?:

-Fast fermentation and slow curing don’t work together.

-Fast fermentation is for “semi-dry” sausages (like summer sausage) that need to be “cooked” to a minimum internal temp following the fermentation.

-Truly “dry-sausages” require a relatively subtle, calculated and regulated process to make safe for consumption. If you think about it, they’re basically old, raw meats, that can easily harbor dangerous pathogens if not cured with a precise scientific process.

If I were you, I’d experiment with some semi-dry recipes until you’re more confident, then advance to dry curing with a bit more experience/research.

If you’re still determined to jump to advanced charcuterie, I’d recommend making some dry cured salami/pepperoni from a specific recipe on this site, and following the directions precisely (after reading/researching as much as you can regarding everything you can find here/elsewhere on the subject).

When learning/experimenting, minimize the variables. That’s my rule of thumb, for what it’s worth.

(Even 99% safe, is still 1% “Russian roulette”)

[Agoracritus]

Incidentally, it’s the CHALLENGE of homemade charcuterie that keeps me motivated and inspired to do it. If it was easy, I wouldn’t bother. I’d just save my time and $, and buy finished products on the market.

Failure is an essential part of success. Without some level of uncertainty, I can’t see how success could be rewarding.

If I caught fish every time I went fishing, it would quickly lose it’s charm.

I know that you are feeling somewhat discouraged that you might have to “start over”, but to offer a bit of encouragement, I think you’re definitely on the right track for some very rewarding success if you persevere, and it all comes together, with a finished product that you can be proud to share with your friends/family/peers.

There’s nothing quite like (or more rewarding) than sharing your labor of love with others.

I think that’s what charcuterie (and sharing), on any level, is all about. (Community)

[Bob K]

MT-
Bottom line is yes your sausage is safe. The initial lower Ph is what gets you through the early safety hurdles, at this point aW or low moisture is what is preventing unwanted bacterial growth. A good rule of thumb when using 007 is to use .022%.