Failed Ferment

[biggame]

Failed Ferment

I just tossed some Saucisson au Blue Cheese for failure to ferment. Initial pH was 5.9, after 1200 degree-hours averaging about 68 degrees, it was still 5.9. I am trying to figure out which one or more things went wrong. My first fail, please be gentle!

(1) I used 0.2% of T-SPX. (Typically I use more.)

(2) Date of manufacture of culture was Jan 2020, I bought it from sausagemaker.com and froze it upon receipt in Jan 2021, It was stored folded, in zip lock bag. "Best by" date was 1/6/2022, so saucisson was made 3 weeks after the best by date. I had used it successfully many times, as recently as a month before. Culture looked normal, shakes easily in bag.

(3) I included 10% blue cheese. I did not measure it, but online it indicates that blue cheese typically has a pH between 6.2 and 6.5. Perhaps the cheese mold affected the ferment, but I have heard others have made this basic recipe successfully.

(4) Used 0.1% each of dextrose and sugar. (Typically use more, but I have had some very fast pH drops so I thought to cut back more.)

Here is the recipe: Pork butt, trimmed 80%; Fatback 10%; Pt. Reyes Bay Blue cheese 10%; Salt 2.25%; Cure 2 0.25%, Dextrose 0.1%; Sugar 0.1%; White pepper 0.2%, T-SPX 0.2%. Hydrated starter in room temperature distilled water. Mixed in well just prior to stuffing. Fermented for 1200 degree-hours, average 68 degrees and 90% RH.

[redzed]

From what you described, I can't zero in on anything that might have prevented fermentation. I would have added 3 grams of sugar, but the 2 grams that you added should have worked to some extent. Your culture should still be fine, I'm working with one that expired in 2018 and it still does the job. Over the years I had a couple of instances where I had failed fermentation, so it does happen. And I don't know enough about blue cheese in salami to speculate if it had any impact. How long did you hydrate the starter? Longer than 20 minutes is not recommended.

[biggame]

Thanks for looking at this. I don't think rehydrate was much more than 20 minutes, maybe 30. Next time I will watch the time more carefully. This is the first time it has failed. I may try it again with more dextrose, and perhaps less cheese. If I can make it work, I will be sure to post again.