First time making fermented sausage
Day 6. I weighed them today and I'm at 6.9-9.2% weight loss.
Redzed, I'm using beef middles. I've read that the netting helps the salami hold its shape. When I tied the loop to hang at the end of the casing I also tied it around the netting as added insurance from casing breaking and sausage falling. But at this point I'm not sure it's really needed. But it does look cool! Haha
Redzed, I'm using beef middles. I've read that the netting helps the salami hold its shape. When I tied the loop to hang at the end of the casing I also tied it around the netting as added insurance from casing breaking and sausage falling. But at this point I'm not sure it's really needed. But it does look cool! Haha
-Nick
Custom R&O Smoker
Cedar Smokehouse
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Weber 18" WSM
Weber Smokey Joe
Lang 84 Deluxe w/chargriller SOLD
Cinder Block Smokehouse RETIRED
Custom R&O Smoker
Cedar Smokehouse
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Weber 22.5" One Touch Gold Kettle
Weber 18" WSM
Weber Smokey Joe
Lang 84 Deluxe w/chargriller SOLD
Cinder Block Smokehouse RETIRED
Day 12. Averaging around 15% weight loss. Lowest is 13.2%, highest 17.3%.
Im having a humidity issue. Been having it most of the time actually. I have an analog dial hygrometer, the Dayton 1UGH3 humidistat, and a digital remote thermometer/hydrometer.
Its rare that all 3 show the same humidity. Sometimes there's as much as a 15% difference.
Im not using a fan.
Im having a humidity issue. Been having it most of the time actually. I have an analog dial hygrometer, the Dayton 1UGH3 humidistat, and a digital remote thermometer/hydrometer.
Its rare that all 3 show the same humidity. Sometimes there's as much as a 15% difference.
Im not using a fan.
-Nick
Custom R&O Smoker
Cedar Smokehouse
Weber Performer
Weber 22.5" One Touch Gold Kettle
Weber 18" WSM
Weber Smokey Joe
Lang 84 Deluxe w/chargriller SOLD
Cinder Block Smokehouse RETIRED
Custom R&O Smoker
Cedar Smokehouse
Weber Performer
Weber 22.5" One Touch Gold Kettle
Weber 18" WSM
Weber Smokey Joe
Lang 84 Deluxe w/chargriller SOLD
Cinder Block Smokehouse RETIRED
A couple of weeks ago I went to a couple of stores and bought 5 digital hygrometers. All five read the humidity differently. I returned all except one. Here is a link to a site that will tell you how to calibrate your hydrometer, or if you can't you will know how close your reading is.
http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/maho/y ... mo_002.cfm
http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/maho/y ... mo_002.cfm
The usual solution: get rid of all of 'em except the one that has the reading you like.atcNick wrote:Its rare that all 3 show the same humidity. Sometimes there's as much as a 15% difference.
Better solution: calibrate, using a sling hygrometer. If you don't have access to a good one, try pegging the 100% mark by saturating some air with water- - boil; some water in a tea kettle, and direct the steam into a closed vessel (container).
Good luck.
Experience - the ability to instantly recognize a mistake when you make it again.
Thanks for the link. That should be easy enough.redzed wrote:A couple of weeks ago I went to a couple of stores and bought 5 digital hygrometers. All five read the humidity differently. I returned all except one. Here is a link to a site that will tell you how to calibrate your hydrometer, or if you can't you will know how close your reading is.
http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/maho/y ... mo_002.cfm
-Nick
Custom R&O Smoker
Cedar Smokehouse
Weber Performer
Weber 22.5" One Touch Gold Kettle
Weber 18" WSM
Weber Smokey Joe
Lang 84 Deluxe w/chargriller SOLD
Cinder Block Smokehouse RETIRED
Custom R&O Smoker
Cedar Smokehouse
Weber Performer
Weber 22.5" One Touch Gold Kettle
Weber 18" WSM
Weber Smokey Joe
Lang 84 Deluxe w/chargriller SOLD
Cinder Block Smokehouse RETIRED
Im at Day 18, everything still looking good. I do have a question though:
I dont have a fan in my curing chamber, I just circulate the air by opening the door a couple times a day to check on things. Im about to go out of town for about 52 hours. Do you guys think everything will be OK or not? Will 2 days of no air exchange cause any problems for me?
I dont have a fan in my curing chamber, I just circulate the air by opening the door a couple times a day to check on things. Im about to go out of town for about 52 hours. Do you guys think everything will be OK or not? Will 2 days of no air exchange cause any problems for me?
-Nick
Custom R&O Smoker
Cedar Smokehouse
Weber Performer
Weber 22.5" One Touch Gold Kettle
Weber 18" WSM
Weber Smokey Joe
Lang 84 Deluxe w/chargriller SOLD
Cinder Block Smokehouse RETIRED
Custom R&O Smoker
Cedar Smokehouse
Weber Performer
Weber 22.5" One Touch Gold Kettle
Weber 18" WSM
Weber Smokey Joe
Lang 84 Deluxe w/chargriller SOLD
Cinder Block Smokehouse RETIRED
Hard to say, but I would think there should be no problem since you are already into your third week and as long as the humidity is stabilized. I have noticed that after a week or so when I added a product into my chamber, the humidity swings dissipated considerably. Are you running your humidity at less than 80?
Its around 80% at this point. Probably swings between 77-85.redzed wrote:Hard to say, but I would think there should be no problem since you are already into your third week and as long as the humidity is stabilized. I have noticed that after a week or so when I added a product into my chamber, the humidity swings dissipated considerably. Are you running your humidity at less than 80?
-Nick
Custom R&O Smoker
Cedar Smokehouse
Weber Performer
Weber 22.5" One Touch Gold Kettle
Weber 18" WSM
Weber Smokey Joe
Lang 84 Deluxe w/chargriller SOLD
Cinder Block Smokehouse RETIRED
Custom R&O Smoker
Cedar Smokehouse
Weber Performer
Weber 22.5" One Touch Gold Kettle
Weber 18" WSM
Weber Smokey Joe
Lang 84 Deluxe w/chargriller SOLD
Cinder Block Smokehouse RETIRED
I'm at day 20. Made it back in town and haven't noticed any change so that's good. I do see that the white mold is starting to get thicker though. It's been doing that for the last few days atleast. Is this normal? It's only white, no color, just thickening.
-Nick
Custom R&O Smoker
Cedar Smokehouse
Weber Performer
Weber 22.5" One Touch Gold Kettle
Weber 18" WSM
Weber Smokey Joe
Lang 84 Deluxe w/chargriller SOLD
Cinder Block Smokehouse RETIRED
Custom R&O Smoker
Cedar Smokehouse
Weber Performer
Weber 22.5" One Touch Gold Kettle
Weber 18" WSM
Weber Smokey Joe
Lang 84 Deluxe w/chargriller SOLD
Cinder Block Smokehouse RETIRED
- Chuckwagon
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That's EXACTLY what you want Nick! Nice goin'.I do see that the white mold is starting to get thicker though. It's been doing that for the last few days atleast. Is this normal? It's only white, no color, just thickening.
Sometimes, earlier in the process, people have gotten round, dark, colored "spots" on the meat. This indicates a yeast in competition with the mold. These organisms cause physical, chemical, and sensory properties of a food to change, as the food is spoiled. In the sausage industry, the spoilage yeast we fear is of the zygosaccharomyces genus. These species are able to grow in some of the more commonly used food preservation concentrations including ethanol, acetic acid, sorbic acid, high sucrose, benzoic acid, and even sulfur dioxide.
The white mold on your alysandra salami is called hyphae - penicillium nagliovense in particular. This species greatly contributes to improving the flavor by breaking down fat (lipolytic) and breaking down proteins (proteolytic). The nagliovense also oxidizes lactic acid - increasing pH, and consumes oxygen to produce "catalase" as well, thereby reducing lipid oxidation and rancidity of fat. However, in order to grow, the mold needs 75% relative humidity or more and higher temperatures facilitate their development (hence the curing chamber).
Lookin' good Nick. Keep up the good work.
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
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Many folks frown upon thick development of mold (it's not usually traditional); I happen to be one of them. It can become overpowering.atcNick wrote:I'm at day 20. Made it back in town and haven't noticed any change so that's good. I do see that the white mold is starting to get thicker though. It's been doing that for the last few days atleast. Is this normal? It's only white, no color, just thickening.
Once thick mold starts to develop, a tiny amount of air movement will help control it.
Godspeed!
Bob
Bob