Homemade Sausage Making

I'm going to make Pancetta tomorrow. I have read some recipes with skin on, and some with skin off. I've never eaten any so I don't know what it's supposed to be like. This is part of my "bacon of the world" project! I have "speck" (German Bacon" drying right now. Going to make Pancetta (Italian Bacon), I have a slab curing for regular bacon (American), a nd a loin curing for Canadian Bacon!

Thoughts on the Pancetta, I'm leaning towards skin off. (This will be a full dry cured type with cure#2).

It seems it can be made both ways but I would bet that it would be difficult to remove the skin after drying. You can also case it to slow drying. If drying in chamber casing would also make mold removal easy. Also debatable is the use of cure#2 in a bacon like product, I would base my desision on if you plan to cook it or eat it raw.

Previos discussion: http://www.wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopi ... t=pancetta

https://ourdailybrine.com/how-to-make-r ... ta-recipe/


http://www.meatsandsausages.com/hams-ot ... s/pancetta

I plan to eat it raw and roll it and tie it. I was thinking of using the hog sheets to wrap/case it to make mold removal easier. From the link you provided looks like skin on is traditional. Maybe I'll try that and tie it, then wrap it in hog sheet and net it to keep air out from between the sheet and meat.

First attempt at pancetta. Must say that it tastes quite nice. I only let if cure for a 20% weight reduction, which for my liking, was a little too short of at time span. I'll leave my other one cure for a little bit longer.
I noticed that there were 2 small areas developing a white fuzz. Not sure if that is classified as the "white mold" or not. Fortunately there isnt any black mold showing up.

Doesn't look serious, just wipe it off. Where did you hang it?

I had another trial pancetta hanging since dec16, decided to take a look and this is what i found. It's hanging around the 60% RH and 15-16C. Lots of air movement going on so I don't know what this is. It's only on the crease on the outer edge, nothing in the middle. There is talk about white/green mold being good, black - throw it away, but I don't recall anything about yellow. The smell is quite nice from the spices, no off smell. Can i just wipe down with vinegar?

Well, that does look odd! Slightly yelowish and waxy growth is usually yeast, which is acceptable and even desired, but it does not look like the growth on your pancetta. Staphylococcus xylosus also appears on the surface forming orange-yellow dots, but mostly on salami that has that bacteria in the starter. So I am a bit baffled and have no answer for you. What I would suggest is to scrape off the mould and wash the pancetta in a saline solution. If you can, turn down the temp to 11-12 and if you will be hanging it for a few more weeks, you can spray it with a 5-10% potassium sorbate solution. This stuff is used by industry, especially on uncased meats. You can get it at any wine making supply store.

Thx for the info.
If I were to wipe it off, is there any concern about cooking it concidering i used cure #2 and its been a month curing? The nitrates should have converted over by now?

You should be fine, the nitrates for the most part would have been converted to nitrites which by now would have been converted to nitric oxide. Having said that, there is a reason why nitrates are not allowed in bacon products in Canada and the US. When nitrates are present and cooked to a temp of 350F or higher, nitrosamines are produced which are considered as being carcinogenic. Long term dry cured products are exempt from the ban, but I would still not fry a piece of pancetta made with nitrates to a crisp.

redzed is that never crisp meat made with nitrates or only if cured for short period? I have always fried ham...

Cooked ready to eat ham and ham that is cured and partially cooked, is made with nitrite only. Potassium nitrate is used only in long term dried products.

How about various salamis used on pizza? I always thought anything dried long term more then 3 weeks needed potasium nitrate..not arguing just curious..