Help out the new guy

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RadRob
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Help out the new guy

Post by RadRob » Wed Aug 01, 2018 22:54

Hello from Cajun Country!!!

Another new guy here asking for a little help. I found this site today and have been reading & learning, this seems like a good place to join and ask for help along this new journey.

I recently started making sausage and now I want to move on to a few cured products and want to know if there's anything else that you would recommend to order to get started. I want to start off with Sopressota and Salami.

I already have cure #1 and hog casings but is there anything else I might need to make other products while I'm ordering?

I'm ordering from Buthcher-Packer and so far I have these on the list
DQ Curing Salt #2 - 1 lb. (aka DC Curing Salt #2)
Meat Starter Culture Bactoferm (TM) T-SPX
Dextrose (1 lb.)
Special Meat Binder (1lb) =for sausage, I've never used it before but want to try a small batch
Middle Casing for Salami, Supressa, Basterma (55/60mm)

Thanks in advance and I'm sure I'll have more questions once I start.
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redzed
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Post by redzed » Thu Aug 02, 2018 06:20

Hello RadRob welcome to the forum! We are thrilled to have you aboard!

I think that you have the essential ingredients there to start making salami. T-SPX is a proven and reliable starter and beef middles are probably the best casing you can choose. (Except for basterma which is a solid muscle beef product). I'm not sure about the meat binder in dry cured sausage. Do you actually have recipe that calls for it? Traditional and modern salami making usually does not utilize binders as these impede the migration of water from inside the sausage.

Can you post the recipes and process for the salami that you will be making? We'll be happy to comment, in a constructive manner of course. :grin: And do you have a curing chamber ready to go?
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Bob K
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Post by Bob K » Thu Aug 02, 2018 11:49

Welcome to our group! To add tho what Redzed said the Special Binder from BP is Trisodium Phosphates and while they have there application in some sausages and meats not something to use with dry cured as they help to retain water.
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RadRob
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Post by RadRob » Thu Aug 02, 2018 13:56

Thanks for the replies.

I'm buying the binder to use on fresh and smoked sausage not for the dried/cured sausage. I haven't used any binders yet and want to try it to see the difference. I'm lucky to live in an area where there's at least 50 stores that make and sell Cajun sausages, Boudin and other smoked products. I started making sausage to control the amount of salt and now I'm hooked on this new hobby. I've been using an Ugly Drum Smoker(UDS) to cold smoke the sausage and it's been working great but I plan to build a small smokehouse this fall. Here's a few pics of what I made
This is Andouille type smoked sausage
Image
Image
This batch came out better once I figured out the amount of spice to use
Image
Cajun fast food, Boudin
Image

I don't have a curing chamber yet but will in a month or so. I don't see a problem making one using a fridge since the controls are plug and play for the most part. I built a few incubators using water heater thermostats and light bulbs so this should be an easy build.

My plan is to use Umai bags for the first batch but didn't want to order a kit with small amounts of ingredients and then have to buy more later so I'm starting with everything to cure products and I can use Umai bags later if I like the way it comes out. This will also give me some experience on taste of both products.

I plan to use Len Paoli's Recipe of Sopressata di Calabria.
http://lpoli.50webs.com/index_files/Sal ... ta%201.pdf
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Bob K
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Post by Bob K » Thu Aug 02, 2018 14:21

When using that recipe with T-SPX culture you will have to adjust the sugar amounts and fermentation temp.

For example use:
0.2% dextrose
0.2% sugar
0.08% T-SPX
Ferment at 68-71°F
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RadRob
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Post by RadRob » Thu Aug 02, 2018 15:48

Thanks Bob. Is that the standard using T-SPX culture and is there a chart showing % using it in other applications?
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Bob K
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Post by Bob K » Thu Aug 02, 2018 16:01

Really no standard but a good starting point for Southern European type salamis. Sugar amounts are adjusted to taste- more sugar = lower Ph, which results in more tang in the taste dept.
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Post by RadRob » Thu Aug 02, 2018 22:06

Thanks Bob, I'll read up on that before I start.

One more ?. I've seen a few videos and people talking about using Mold-600 to kick start the good bacteria, should I order that too? Is it worth the extra step?
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Bob K
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Post by Bob K » Thu Aug 02, 2018 23:35

Yes order it, especially starting a new chamber. There are many reasons to use the white mold culture, jumpstarting a bacterial culture is not one of them. Lots of info on mold cultures here:

https://hjemmeriet.com/da/ChrHansen/Bro ... 20(UK).pdf

Not for use with the UMAI casings
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Post by LOUSANTELLO » Mon Aug 13, 2018 12:51

I`ve used the TSPX a couple of times. There is definitely a different flavor and smell coming from the soppressata using TSPX versus the BLC-007. I`ve been using the BLC-007 for the last 2 years and it works great for me. It`s been a while and I may make a batch of TSPX again. Once you get your chamber up and running, you`ll never go back to UMAI bags. I only use the UMAI bags now for aging whole loins.
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Re: Help out the new guy

Post by Khumz » Fri Dec 18, 2020 13:37

I'm also new to this and would also like some help and pointers. I bought T-spx, Mold 600, Coloroso Salt(o.6% nitrite),Saltpetre, Ascorbic Acid, Dextrose, hog casings (32mm) and spices. I am yet to get the Curing chamber equipment like Inkbird temperature and humidity controllers, PH meter and humidifier. what can I make apart from bacon whilst waiting for the rest of the equipment to come? I am based in Southern arica, so some of these things take quite a long time to get here and cost quite a handful. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
NB: For Curing salts, I had to get the European version together with a conversion chart for Cure#1 & 2. Thanks
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Bob K
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Re: Help out the new guy

Post by Bob K » Fri Dec 18, 2020 14:01

You can make all different types of fresh sausage! Welcome to the forum!
Easy to use conversion/calculation chart can be found here https://www.meatsandsausages.com/sausag ... calculator
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Re: Help out the new guy

Post by Khumz » Fri Dec 18, 2020 15:11

Bob K wrote:
Fri Dec 18, 2020 14:01
You can make all different types of fresh sausage! Welcome to the forum!
Easy to use conversion/calculation chart can be found here https://www.meatsandsausages.com/sausag ... calculator
thanks so much, the cure calculator seems handy. Will definitely give fresh sausages a try.
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Re: Help out the new guy

Post by Albertaed » Fri Dec 18, 2020 15:56

I was away from sausage/salami making for a few years. I went back through the online courses done by chuck wagon. It is a must to read!!
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6794
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