Hi, I've bought a bowl cutter. I'm hoping to use it instead of a grinder to improve the texture of Chorizo. Any tips on how to use it best? i.e : - how long should I run it for when cutting pork? - should I still grind the fat? - what difference should I expect to the end result because I used a bow...

I think that should read "not passed 4 hours in the temperature danger zone" - ie safe as long as it hasn't been kept at too high a temperature for too long. I think in theory fully cooking meat will kill botulism - but I don't think its safe to rely on this if its been kept at too high a temperatur...

I always remove all the skin - I've never tried it with - but I suspect the skin wouldn't be good in the mix.

We have had some success at making pork scratchings with the skin. Lots of recipes on the internet for this - and its pretty simple.

Others here will have more expert opinions than me - however for what its worth - I think you might get away with this. I think the starter culture uses up the available sugars then stops. If there is too much starter culture the extra just won't do anything.

Don't know what type chorizo you make but the ones I'm are more familiar with use acidici ingredients like vinegar and this will effect the bind and make it crumbly. I don't add vinegar - but there is some white wine which is a bit acidic. The pH of the mix before fermentation is about 5.5 to 5.6 -...

I've also wondered about this. When I was mixing by hand the answer was to stop when I was sick of mixing it! Nowadays I have a motorised mixer so I can easily mix it as long as I want. I've heard people talking about the risks of 'over mixing' - but I've no idea how this would manifest itself. I mi...

Thanks for all the info. Browsing the internet, there is so much scaremongering and misinformation about nitrates/nitrites in cured meat. Vegetables have vastly more eg : Nitrate/nitrite levels Cured Meats : less than 5ppm (based on the lab test I did) Lettuce : 792ppm link - Table 2.5 Spinach : 217...

Hi, I got the lab report back of the test for nitrate/nitrite levels in my chorizo. I sent them three samples to test : A fully mature chorizo sample, about 7 weeks since fermentation, made without any anti-oxidant A nearly mature chorizo sample, about 5 weeks since fermentation, made without any an...

I thought this might be a solution - pure Sodium Chloride, non iodized with no additives and a specification on minimum level of purity. Then I saw the price - $84 for 500g! Surely it must be possible to buy 'food grade' salt for a reasonable price with some sort of specification of what else is in ...

Hi, Up to now I've been using Sea Salt in my recipe for Chorizo - only because it was specified in the original recipe I started from. I grind it into a fine powder so the texture doesn't make any difference. However I read that Sea Salt has all kinds of things in it other than Sodium Chloride - and...

Hi, So I now have a large drying room (about 3m x 3m) which I keep at about 75% rh, 13c and have several batches of chorizo in drying simultaneously. For fermentation I have a seperate smaller chamber (converted commercial fridge) which each batch lives in until its ready for the drying room. Origin...

Thanks. In this thread I note the recommended dosage of Ascorbic acid is 0.05% for 'normal cure dosage'. I'm using 0.25% of cure #2 (6.25% sodium nitrite 4% Potassium nitrate and 89.75% salt). I think this is a normal cure dosage? Given this is the first time I've used Ascorbic acid - maybe I'll onl...

While its no problem in the winter I would hesitate shipping in the summer. Unless you want to pack in ice and overnight it. I guess you are right. I live in NW Europe where the temperature in summer is rarely above 25c - but in a hotter climate a package could spend many hours in a warehouse or de...

Hi, I've been making Chorizo using cure #2 (ie inc nitrates) and some customers have been concerned about Nitrates in the product. I've explained that most of the worry about nitrates is myth and fear mongering - and that most if not all of the nitrates are consumed during the curing process. Howeve...

Well I just finished up some genoa salami in the cure chamber right at 8 weeks I may leave some in there longer but I would like to send some to a family in the mail. Would this be safe? I read that you could vacuum seal it and it would be ok is that true ? Or what do you suggest. Yes - I believe i...