Cured, dried and fermented by StefanS

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Butterbean
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Re: Cured, dried and fermented by StefanS

Post by Butterbean » Wed Jan 20, 2021 00:05

Interesting to see it displayed like this. Thanks.
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EAnna
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Re: Cured, dried and fermented by StefanS

Post by EAnna » Wed Jan 20, 2021 09:51

Unfortunately, there is no description Y-axis of the first graph.
Now, I can,t improve this.
Below, correct, with data completed graph:
Low temp ferment.jpg
Best regards
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Re: Cured, dried and fermented by StefanS

Post by SMR » Thu Jul 22, 2021 22:30

Hi Guys: I have been curing this Culatello since the latter part of 2019. The Fiocco is done; however, these guys are still hovering around 36% moisture loss. I am concerned with the slowness of drying and the blackish mold growth. The smell of the meat is a little funky, but not rancid.

Image

Any idea if this blackish gray mold signals trouble? The compressor in my curing chamber just crapped out. I am going to either refrigerate these while I build a new and improved chamber or toss them if the consensus is that this mold spells trouble.

Thanks for any thoughts.
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Re: Cured, dried and fermented by StefanS

Post by redzed » Sat Jul 24, 2021 17:45

It's been drying/maturing a long time. Unless you are using a cut from an oversized older sow, there is no benefit to age that long. A culatello made from commodity pork will be at it's best after 10 -12 months. I think it's more than time to give it a wash with warm water with a bit of salt, blot with a paper towel, dry and cut in half. The mould that formed on it is normal. Smell and taste it to determine whether it's fine. More than likely you will have dry rim on the exposed meat side, so vacuum pack the two halves and refrigerate for a few weeks. Don't dwell on the percentage of weight loss. 36% is enough and remember that when we refer to weight loss we start at the green weight of the cut, not after it has been cured.

Can you provide more info about your process?
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Re: Cured, dried and fermented by StefanS

Post by StefanS » Sun Jul 25, 2021 01:30

I would like to add my opinion - first at all - I don't think that that "blackish mold" has been there during curing times. Very often nice white mold is dying with moisture loss but its conidia always changing colors so that the reason on pictures you have different colors of "mold". It is also looks like you never rehang that Cullatelos "up-side down", for that reason bottoms on pictures are different from tops.
Pictures showed also that your Cullatelos have been packed in pig bladders, and nicely bound with butcher twine. It is additional reason to not worried about that mold - mold rhizotomies (roots) cannot penetrate bladder "wall" up to anchoring in meat. In other words - that mold can not produce mycotoxins on meat surface. (except - that are air packets under bladder). Best thing in my opinion is to carefully unwrap them outside (not spread mold inside rooms), then processing with Redzed advices.
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Re: Cured, dried and fermented by StefanS

Post by SMR » Tue Jul 27, 2021 21:45

Red and Stefan: Thanks for the advice. I just cleaned and sliced. The meat side was not exposed and was coated with a thick layer of sugna. The meat side is actually considerably moister than what I was expecting and has the firmness of a medium rare steak when poked with my finger. The meat below the fat cap is drier. I tasted the drier section and it tastes very good. I am a little leery about the meat side. I will vac seal and see if the equalized version has a better texture.

Image

I cured the culatello for about 1 month and then placed in a hog bladder, weighed and then hung in my chamber at 54 F and 75% humidity. At 25% weight loss, I weighed, added sugna, weighed again to determine the weight of sugna applied and subtracted that weight from all future measurements to arrive at the moisture loss. The blackish mold really started to appear in the last 2-3 months.

Would either of you be concerned with the moistness/pliability of the meat side? I think the sugna worked too well in slowing down the moisture loss from that side.

Thanks again.
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Re: Cured, dried and fermented by StefanS

Post by StefanS » Thu Jul 29, 2021 00:54

IMHO - cross cut looks very good, - no visible dry ring, nice color of meat, white color of fat. A little surprise by your describing that meat is more moisture on "meat side" than on fat cap. Also with sugna cover it is main road to loose moisture - thru fat cap is practically no way. Anyway - vacuum packing will help for sure to equalize moisture in these cuts. Keep vac-pack in refrigerator. To serve or testing - that kind of meats should be sliced on commercial meat slicers(large one) in "paper thick" slices. Otherwise it will be chewy.
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Re: Cured, dried and fermented by StefanS

Post by redzed » Thu Jul 29, 2021 15:29

I concur with Stefan. It looks really good, nothing to be concerned about. Vac pack it for a few weeks and you will have a tasty treat to serve to your friends.
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