Ok so it seems to me that all the recipes in your initial post are viable options, but different casings and temperatures affect drying. I'm making a batch right now that is quite similar in method to Tony Tahhan's recipe in your initial post. I'll post the recipe I am using and pictures of the process. I won't be using a grinder or food processor, nitrite or nitrate cures, and am not using plastic or animal based casings, so I am posting links to recipes I have found that do implement these processes that I strongly suggest you peruse:
1.A multi-post recipe using casings, calling itself bulgarian, but most likely the author is ethnically armenian:
http://caramellacooks.blogspot.com/2008 ... -post.html
2. A recipe for Lukanka, a bulgarian brother sausage to soujouk. Talks of casings and a cure:
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/1299 ... anka-dried
3. Difference between general black and red spicing of soujouk:
http://thefoodblog.com.au/2009/03/sujuk ... nd-to.html
My recipe:
3 lbs. of 75/25 ground beef mix I bought from a butchers stand at my farmer's market
2 1/2 tbsp. of salt
3/8 cup finely diced garlic (adjust to taste)
3 tbsp. smokey paprika (if all you can find is simply labeled "paprika" don't worry
)
2 heaped tbsp. of fine ground black pepper
2 hpd tbsp. cumin
1 hpd tbsp. cinnamon
Nylon stockings that are non-scented
two sheets of plywood and some weight
Mix raw meat with all spices, ensuring that the spices are THOROUGHLY mixed into the meat, especially the salt. This is very important because the salt will be doing most of the work.
tie off a knot at toe end of a stocking, leaving space beyond the knot that can be hung on a nail or hook.
Stuff the stocking with the length of meat that you want. Before you tie off the other end of your cloth casing, you want to shape the meat. Roll it and shape it to make sure that there are no breaks in the meat and that it forms into a uniform cylinder.
Tie off the other end of the link tightly to the meat. If your soujouk links are larger than meatballs, they should not be connected to each other.
There are two ways that these are generally hung: On one end hanging like and "l", or more popularly, from both ends in a "U" horseshoe shape. Arrange all your soujouks in whichever of these you choose on a sheet of wood and put another sheet of wood on top of it.
Place this arrangement in a cool area and place a fair amount of weight on top and sit for 24 hrs. This will flatten them out a bit and drain most juice
Hang your soujouks in a cool dry place that does not have strong sunlight or is easily accessed by animals. In my case, I've created a cool environment in an out-of-the-way area of my house that is well ventilated with open windows and as cool as outside.
Check on them daily or every two to three days, but don't prod. If you hung them in a "U" shape and notice that they are starting to curl towards you or away from you or heavy in the "elbow", take them down and gently roll them flatter and evenly with a rolling pin. Maybe try hanging ends a little spread out.
They should start to harden after a few days, and full drying depends on the time and temperature. I'm rambling on this post, so I'll jump to another one for details on time and temp and pictures that I have