Sausages drying faster than others

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wasuky
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Sausages drying faster than others

Post by wasuky » Wed Mar 31, 2021 14:37

Hi guys. Just wanted to ask you... Have you ever noticed sausages of the same batch drying faster than others?

I made 2 small batches of Spanish chorizo and salami (1kg each), made links of 8cm and put them in the chamber at 13-14°C and 75% RH and noticed that the sausages hanging lower are drying way slower than the ones higher (which by now are ready).

I'm thinking it's due to fact that I don't have a fan inside the chamber (I will install one after this) and the lower ones are are closer to the vapor steam. It's not like the lower links are to close to the humidifier. I hanged 3 links in each hook, so, there are only 25cm between the higher and lower link, give or take.
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Re: Sausages drying faster than others

Post by Albertaed » Wed Mar 31, 2021 16:17

I don’t know if it makes a difference but I try and hang my sensor midway down the sausages as a sort of average.
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Re: Sausages drying faster than others

Post by Bob K » Wed Mar 31, 2021 16:44

Smaller chambers like refrigerators/freezers are notorious for uneven air flow,even with slow speed fans. Best solution is to rotate product, top to bottom and side to side around the chamber throughout the drying process. That should even things out for you.
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Re: Sausages drying faster than others

Post by wasuky » Wed Mar 31, 2021 19:09

Albertaed wrote:
Wed Mar 31, 2021 16:17
I don’t know if it makes a difference but I try and hang my sensor midway down the sausages as a sort of average.
I will try this for my next batch. I have to figure how to pull the sensor down (I made a small hole on the top of the fridge and I passed the sensor and a power wire through and now they are too tight to move them... Actually I try not to touch the sensor as I might break the wires).
Bob K wrote:
Wed Mar 31, 2021 16:44
Smaller chambers like refrigerators/freezers are notorious for uneven air flow,even with slow speed fans. Best solution is to rotate product, top to bottom and side to side around the chamber throughout the drying process. That should even things out for you.
I actually thought of that same solution. I think I will test this solution in one batch and for the next batch after that one I will install a small computer fan and set it to blow a couple minutes throughout the day. I think that is something many guys in this forum do.

BTW... Have you guys ever used beef runners (I think that's what it's called... The small intestine) to make salami? I put them in the same fermentation chamber I always use in the same location. In this batch the casing stayed wet through the entire fermentation process, some weird mold started to grow and I had to wipe it out, they were squishy and looked like sweaty fresh sausages. After the first 4 days in the drying chamber I had to wipe the casing again because it was too sticky (I put a nduja stuffed in beef bung at the same time and that casing was dry to the touch after the 2nd day). After 3 more days I had to wipe them again. The chamber was at 78% RH average but I had to low it down to 70-72%...sfter that the casing started to feel more dry and didn't get sticky again. Last batch I did I used hog casing, it was fermented for 72hrs in the same fermentation chamber and after the 1st day the casing was almost dry, was showing sign of shrinkage and the sausage felt firm. I have read that beef casing tend to be slimy but had no idea it would be that much.
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Re: Sausages drying faster than others

Post by Bones » Fri Apr 02, 2021 10:32

It's not just the placement of the humidifier. The humid air is actually less dense than dry air, so you will always have higher humidity in the upper portion of the fridge. A fan is not a solution, because in will lead to case hardening.
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Re: Sausages drying faster than others

Post by Bones » Fri Apr 02, 2021 11:52

A practical solution will be to put the humidifier in the upper part of the fridge. You can also manage the humidity by simply rotating the dry cured products. By adding a new batch of fresh product, you also add a lot of water /humidity. Works well, especially in small spaces like your fridge.

Also, it will be good to clean the fridge well and put a new paint. This will help with any unwanted molds or slime.
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Re: Sausages drying faster than others

Post by wasuky » Fri Apr 02, 2021 18:09

Bones wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 10:32
It's not just the placement of the humidifier. The humid air is actually less dense than dry air, so you will always have higher humidity in the upper portion of the fridge. A fan is not a solution, because in will lead to case hardening.
But if this was the case and the humidity was higher in the upper zone, sausages in that area would dry slower, right? What I experienced was the opposite. I actually had to turn around the sausages (hanged them by the lower sausage) and they started feeling dryer after 2 days.

My idea with fan is to set it to blow a few seconds/minutes, stop for a few hours, then blow again... I guess I will have to test the best setup for my fridge (I can change how often and how long it blows and the fan speed).
Bones wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 11:52
A practical solution will be to put the humidifier in the upper part of the fridge
I will certainly try this setup as it takes away the problem of the humidifier steam going directly to the sausages.
Bones wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 11:52
Also, it will be good to clean the fridge well and put a new paint. This will help with any unwanted molds or slime.
:roll: I actually have the new metal sheet for the walls but I guess I'm too lazy to cut, paint and install them.
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Re: Sausages drying faster than others

Post by wasuky » Tue May 04, 2021 04:45

Bones wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 11:52
A practical solution will be to put the humidifier in the upper part of the fridge. You can also manage the humidity by simply rotating the dry cured
This worked as a charm in my last batch of 4kg of salami so I'm keeping this setup. No need to rotate the sausages so far as they are not that long. I guess if I get closer to the bottom of the fridge I would need to start rotating. I think I'm going to install a 2nd sensor near the bottom just to see how different the temp and humidity are.

Thanks for this recommendation. Cheers!
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Re: Sausages drying faster than others

Post by Indaswamp » Wed May 12, 2021 16:01

wasuky wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 18:09
Bones wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 10:32
It's not just the placement of the humidifier. The humid air is actually less dense than dry air, so you will always have higher humidity in the upper portion of the fridge. A fan is not a solution, because in will lead to case hardening.
But if this was the case and the humidity was higher in the upper zone, sausages in that area would dry slower, right? What I experienced was the opposite. I actually had to turn around the sausages (hanged them by the lower sausage) and they started feeling dryer after 2 days.

My idea with fan is to set it to blow a few seconds/minutes, stop for a few hours, then blow again... I guess I will have to test the best setup for my fridge (I can change how often and how long it blows and the fan speed).
Bones wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 11:52
A practical solution will be to put the humidifier in the upper part of the fridge
I will certainly try this setup as it takes away the problem of the humidifier steam going directly to the sausages.
Bones wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 11:52
Also, it will be good to clean the fridge well and put a new paint. This will help with any unwanted molds or slime.
:roll: I actually have the new metal sheet for the walls but I guess I'm too lazy to cut, paint and install them.
Too much air flow, even with high humidity, will dry out the salami casing. In a home frost free fridge, the return air is usually at the top and depending on how that air is directed with the vent cap, it could dry the sausages hanging near the top.

I remove the vent cover so the air blows horizontally at the top and hits the door where the shelving causes turbulence. I also add length of twine to my salami hanging strings to lower the product down to the middle of my chamber.

And since humidity rises, I have my dehumidifier on the top shelf of my chamber...the dehumidifier controller sensor hangs down 3-4" below the top shelf and about 3-4" above the product.

I also rotate product as Bob has mentioned...when I truss my salami, I tie hang loops on both ends. I can rotate and invert them as they dry.
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Re: Sausages drying faster than others

Post by Indaswamp » Wed May 12, 2021 16:06

wasuky wrote:
Tue May 04, 2021 04:45
Bones wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 11:52
A practical solution will be to put the humidifier in the upper part of the fridge. You can also manage the humidity by simply rotating the dry cured
This worked as a charm in my last batch of 4kg of salami so I'm keeping this setup. No need to rotate the sausages so far as they are not that long. I guess if I get closer to the bottom of the fridge I would need to start rotating. I think I'm going to install a 2nd sensor near the bottom just to see how different the temp and humidity are.

Thanks for this recommendation. Cheers!
I have separate controllers for humidifier and dehumidifier. The humidifier sensor hangs down 1/3 from the bottom of my chamber, dehumidifier sensor hangs down 2/3 from bottom of my chamber. I try to hang product in the middle between them. Humidity is consistently lower near the bottom and higher near the top...5-8% difference.

So if you have stuff that needs lower humidity, hang near bottom of chamber. if it needs higher humidity, I hang near top of chamber.
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