Chorizo soft & tacky @ 33%

[rgreenberg2000]

Hey, all. Hope everyone is getting ready for whatever holiday they celebrate!

I've got some chorizo (Chorizo Asturiano) hanging in my chamber that's at 33% weight loss after 19 days (32mm hog casing.) I've had to clean white mold off of them a couple of times using vinegar and water (not harmful mold, I just didn't want it on the chorizo), and after the last time, the chorizos have been somewhat tacky. RH is averaging 75%, temp is 55F. Is this normal, worrisome, nothing to be concerned about?

My other concern is that the chorizos are still relatively soft when I squeeze them. I expected them to have firmed up a bit more at 33% weight loss.....then again, these are my first dry cured sausages so what the heck do I know?? I guess I just don't expect them to go from pretty soft to a firm, dry cured texture just losing another 7%. Does this situation imply that maybe my environment in the curing chamber isn't up to snuff? Too wet maybe? Or is this just me worrying about nothing also?

Thanks!

Rich

[bluc]

My guess is humidity too low or you either smeared or you have case hardening or both, like mine. A pic is worth a thousand words.

[rgreenberg2000]

My guess is humidity too low or you either smeared or you have case hardening or both, like mine. A pic is worth a thousand words.

Thanks, bluc, I appreciate your input! I've been watching the humidity like a hawk, and while it ranges up and down as the fridge warms and cools, the average has probably been a bit north of 75%, so I will be really surprised if this has been caused by low humidity. I also took even more care than normal to keep everything VERY cold when I was grinding and stuffing, and the fat looked very well defined as I went through the process.

I'm not saying you are incorrect, but if you are then I've got some serious defect in my humidity sensor (Inkbird), and/or my knowledge of how to keep the fat cold enough to avoid smearing.

If these were just tacky, I would think it was somehow due to my vinegar washing procedure. But having them both tacky AND soft has me very much thinking something else is amiss........

I only have pics of the exterior of the chorizo, which I suspect won't show much. I haven't cut into them yet as my target is 40% weight loss and I'd like to ride it out.....when I do cut it, I'll either post here to celebrate or to get some feedback on what went wrong!

This picture was a few days back, but nothing has changed other than some of the white mold reappearing.....

[rgreenberg2000]

Here's a bigger picture of just the chorizo that I took just now.....

[Bob K]

To be honest I think you are worrying too much. It wont really get firm until a 40-45% loss. If you have not calibrated your hygrometer...you should, they can be off quite a bit.

[rgreenberg2000]

To be honest I think you are worrying too much. It wont really get firm until a 40-45% loss. If you have not calibrated your hygrometer...you should, they can be off quite a bit.

Thanks, Bob. I have tested the hygrometer previously for accuracy, and it was +/-2%, but that was quite some time ago. You are right, I really should do it again.

I'm going to ride this out regardless, so we'll just see how they turn out. I'll learn something either way, but would prefer to learn something AND turn out a good result!

R

[Indaswamp]

could be yeast growing on the chorizo in place of the beneficial white mould....

[rgreenberg2000]

could be yeast growing on the chorizo in place of the beneficial white mould....

Thanks, Indaswamp. I'm relatively familiar with what yeast would look like (from my cheesemaking stint), and I don't think that was it.

As noted in another post about this Chorizo, I ended up trashing it due to poor texture, mouthfeel, taste, and pH reading of 7.

R