Project "A"

ssorllih
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Post by ssorllih » Sat Aug 06, 2011 04:48

uwanna61 wrote:
I figure it this way... someday you`ll look back on all this... and probably plow right into a parked car!
Parked car :?: oouch :!:
Ross
I would go out smoke the heck out of a turkey or chicken (in your smoker of course :wink: ) and when the weather cools down a bit, get right back at it! Heck we could start with project S together? We will make a sopressata at the end of this month when the weather cools down, hopefully? We can do a 5 lb batch to see how it goes.
I have a boned turkey that i am going to make into sausage with cut turkey mixed into ground and seasond meat and fat. Have done this in the past and it is good . I will post pictures.
Ross- tightwad home cook
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Chuckwagon
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Post by Chuckwagon » Sat Aug 06, 2011 11:47

Testing pH With The Use Of Litmus Paper

Government FSIS meat inspectors and professional commercial sausage makers use a battery powered device for measuring the acidity in meat. It is a quality made product by Decagon Devices Incorporated. It weighs only 4 ounces and is incredibly accurate. However, the last time I checked the wallet damage of a PawKit water activity meter, the retail price was over three hundred smackers!

Home hobbyists, needing a convenient and inexpensive method of testing pH acidity in sausage, have found a product called "pHydrion Microfine Testing Strips". The product is available from any pet store that sells fish or most sausage equipment suppliers for about $12.99 for a dispenser of 15 feet of litmus paper testing paper strips. The product is available in two ranges, first for testing acidity from 3.9 to 5.7 pH, and second, for testing acidity from 4.9 to 6.9 pH. Testing is done by color comparison and although the results may be less accurate than an electronic PawKit can provide, test strips are a bargain at about 6 cents per test.

The test is terribly technical and complicated as well as being decisively difficult! One must mix 1 part chopped meat with 2 parts distilled water, tear off an inch of testing paper, dip it into the solution, and match it to the color chart on the side of the dispenser. I suppose for six cents, we can endure!

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
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Dave Zac
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Post by Dave Zac » Sat Aug 06, 2011 17:25

Checking in for project A.

To date my salami has lost 26%, 26%, 27%, 25%. Only 1% weight loss this past week. Seems like it's gonna be a long haul to the end. I guess it hasn't even been two months yet. Looks like I'm in for the 3 month plan to get to 35% loss. I'm also generally at 58 degrees and 75% RH
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Post by Chuckwagon » Sun Aug 07, 2011 03:56

Hey Dave, thanks for checking in. So far - so good! It sounds like the timing will be just right. The lactic acid producers will be finishing up with acidification and the deep flavor and color producing microorganisms still need a bit of time to finish completely. By choosing T-SPX, you are using staphylococcus spp. rather than miccrococcus. It is active deep inside because the bacterium is anaerobic and requires less oxygen. (Mocrococcaceae spp. is aerobic and because they require oxygen, the bacteria is more active at the surface). I am really happy with the slower drying on your project. I believe it will pay off in flavor! Staphylococcus tolerates less water well and will continue performing its task until the end of the project. :smile:
Did you say you moved the sausages to a converted freezer or are you still using your cabinet? After you take these piggies out, Uwanna wants to start some sopressata going in a "half-batch" of about 5 pounds! Are you interested? Is your son getting anxious to try the Allysandra?

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
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Post by Dave Zac » Sun Aug 07, 2011 14:38

Chuckwagon wrote:Hey Dave, thanks for checking in. So far - so good! It sounds like the timing will be just right. The lactic acid producers will be finishing up with acidification and the deep flavor and color producing microorganisms still need a bit of time to finish completely. By choosing T-SPX, you are using staphylococcus spp. rather than miccrococcus. It is active deep inside because the bacterium is anaerobic and requires less oxygen. (Mocrococcaceae spp. is aerobic and because they require oxygen, the bacteria is more active at the surface). I am really happy with the slower drying on your project. I believe it will pay off in flavor! Staphylococcus tolerates less water well and will continue performing its task until the end of the project. :smile:
Did you say you moved the sausages to a converted freezer or are you still using your cabinet? After you take these piggies out, Uwanna wants to start some sopressata going in a "half-batch" of about 5 pounds! Are you interested? Is your son getting anxious to try the Allysandra?

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
I am still using my cabinet and change the ice twice a day allowing for good air transfer. We can't wait till they are done We are ALL waiting for a taste!

After this project I am going to try something else. Sopresetta sounds good. I was thinking too of something like Coppa or a lonzino or something like that. I think I can do them together though.
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Post by partycook » Sun Aug 07, 2011 21:23

checking in.
picture of Salami di Alessanddra on day 43. Weigh loss on day 39 was 40%
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Post by partycook » Sun Aug 07, 2011 21:29

checking in,
Sopressata day 29, wight loss on day 21 was 26 %.
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Post by partycook » Mon Aug 08, 2011 14:58

pepperoni day 29, weight loss on day 21 was 40% color was evenly light brown ,casing size 1 1/2 inches
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John
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Post by uwanna61 » Mon Aug 08, 2011 21:14

Ross
I have a boned turkey that i am going to make into sausage with cut turkey mixed into ground and seasond meat and fat. Have done this in the past and it is good .


Fresh turkey sausage sounds like a winner. I have made turkey patties with peppers and onion on the grill, can`t beat it.

Chow
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Post by Chuckwagon » Tue Aug 09, 2011 07:33

Hi Guys, I just checked with the manufacturer of Bactoferm (Chr. Hansen ). They have stated that the culture T-SPX is the best suited for fermented sausages where relatively mild acidification is desired. It is especially recommended for making Southern European - type sausages, low in acidity with an aromatic flavor. The manufacturer also stated that it assists with drying sausages "a month or more". :shock:

Right off hand, I`d say we`ve been pretty successful. Perhaps pushing the recipe`s instructions of "two to three months" is excessive. I would recommend that as you attain a weight loss of thirty to thirty-five percent (safe with Aw of < [less than] 0.85) you may wish to terminate drying and begin the 3rd phase - that of storage. So far, the ideal weight loss PER DAY during the drying phase in a sausage of this diameter has been about 0.6%. Ideally, during storage, no further weight loss would occur - but it will, although there are methods used to slow it down. In many countries, sausages are stored at a reduced temperature in barrels of lard where casing surface pores no longer permit evaporation.

A few weeks ago, we achieved a safe acidic pH level as lactobacilli began to use up any remaining nutrient sugars. By that time, our sausages had sufficiently lost enough moisture to limit the further development of pathogenic bacteria. By the way, has anyone tried pHydrion Microfine Testing Strips? If so, you should be aware of which acidity levels are considered safe. Generally, less than 5.0 will either restrict or stop growth of pathogenic bacteria. Below is a list of pathogenic bacteria and a corresponding pH scale value of acidity, BELOW which further growth is not possible.

Bacillus cereus 4.3
Campylobacter 4.9
Clostridium botulinum 5.0
Escherichia coli 4.4
Listeria 4.4
Salmonella 3.8
Shigella 4.0
Staphylococcus aureus 4.2

So, we've utilized two age-old methods of preserving sausage - those of introducing sufficient levels of acidity to hinder pathogenic bacteria while waiting upon a slower process, that of restricting "available" water. As we grow near the concluding days of this particular project, again, I hope you have kept good notes. With them, you`ll be able to "tweak" the process the next time you make dry-cured salami. Why not start a batch now so you`ll have a supply of great tasting salami ready when your current supply runs out?

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
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Post by uwanna61 » Tue Aug 09, 2011 17:21

CW
Interesting stuff! I thought that was odd that my Alessanddra batch lost half of its batch weight, and still turned out ok. But this is good info!
Why not start a batch now so you`ll have a supply of great tasting salami ready when your current supply runs out?
Project S next for me :mrgreen:
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Post by Dave Zac » Tue Aug 09, 2011 17:53

Chuckwagon wrote:So far, the ideal weight loss PER DAY during the drying phase in a sausage of this diameter has been about 0.6%
I'm only at about .2% over the last several weeks. 25% total loss at just about 50 days out...not sure HOW firm they should feel but I'm right on target I guess. Don't know if I have the patience to wait another 20 days or more.
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Post by Chuckwagon » Wed Aug 10, 2011 07:30

Hi Project "A" Sausage Makin` Dudes! I would appreciate it greatly if each of you would write a paragraph with a few of your thoughts about this project so others may benefit from your comments. Here are a few topics you might address:
~ What did you learn from the project?
~ What was the most difficult part of the project?
~ Did the final product disappoint you, meet your expectations, or go beyond your expectations?
~ Would you recommend making dry-cured salami and pepperoni to other sausagemakers?
~ Do you intend to make more dry-cured sausage?
~ How would you describe the flavor of Allysanndra?
~ Was it worth the effort?

I`ll go first:

If nothing else, I believe we have all learned how important it is to keep a uniformly balanced relative humidity and temperature without extreme high and low spikes of each. At first, we must be careful not to remove too much moisture too quickly. We were reminded that bacteria need water, and meat is 75% water. At the beginning of the "fermentation" stage, we needed about 90% humidity and an airflow of < 0.7 m. per second (about 2 miles per hour) to avoid case hardening. A couple of us learned "the hard way" that case hardening will trap moisture inside, thus inhibiting proper diffusion, and that spoilage bacteria (normally ceasing to grow at Aw<0.97) will continue to develop as long as the moisture is available.

Following fermentation, we learned that once the lactic acid bacteria had done their job (creating enough acidity so pathogenic bacteria were unable to survive), more moisture could be removed at a little faster rate, although a large-diameter salami should dry at a slower rate than a skinny little pepperoni. At this point, as the pH became more acidic, the drying became less difficult. Why? Because the myofibrillar proteins (including myosin and actin) were losing some of their binding quality.

I`ve said it before: Balancing diffusion and evaporation during the drying stage has been known to drive sausage makers to the point of neuro-psychosis, where the use of foul and colorfully descriptive adjectives begins to affect their language, much to the consternation and dismay of their spouses. Often, the strong language will hang in the air in a blue cloud... slowly diffusing and evaporating! At this point, spouses and neighbors commonly summon the police, whom have no sympathy whatsoever for a victim of a little-known, distressful, disorder... known to sausage makers only as "noevapodiffusem". A frustrated sausage maker, showing the first signs of "noevapodiffusem", will begin exhibiting bizarre behavior, including throwing rocks at the mailman, making obscene gestures toward police, and cursing politicians and newscasters! Moreover, if this occurs during a full moon, one stands no chance at all!

I`m getting to be an old man, but every time I make a batch of sausage, I learn something new. This project has been a lot of fun as we`ve learned many things together. The best part is that we`ve created a record so that others may read and benefit from our mistakes. Thank you gentlemen! You can cook on my campfire anytime!

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
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Post by Chuckwagon » Wed Aug 10, 2011 07:39

Partycook my man,
Your pepperoni has got some mega problems. Can you tell us a little more? Be explicit and let us know what happened to your project. Perhaps we can identify the problem so others will not make the same mistake.
Did you keep accurate notes all along? What was your RH and temperature profile?

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
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Post by ssorllih » Wed Aug 10, 2011 19:31

My conclusions about fermented sausage are as follows:
A . I don't have adequate control of the chamber for the long periods needed for consistant results.
B. The history of our consumption of this type of sausage doesn't justify the cost of better controls.
Ross- tightwad home cook
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