dry curing sausage

[Mr Walleye]

Hey Brian

I've never tried dry sausage but here are a couple of links with regards to building a setup for it.

http://lpoli.50webs.com/Tips.htm#Humidity%20Control (click on the Humidity control link, although the whole page has good info)

http://lpoli.50webs.com/text_files/Creating%20An%20Ideal%20Environment%20For%20Dry%20Curing%20Sausage.doc

Mike

[Stickbowcrafter]

Thanks for the info Thomas. I have made over a dozen of the recipes in Charcuterie and all of them, except a few dry cure attempts, have turned out spectacular. I love that book.

I'll have to try it without the water pan and see what the humidy levels are. Do you have any circulation in your set-up? That seemed to be a problem for me as well.

Thanks Walleye. I have read those web pages as well. That is one of the better sources of info in the limited number available on the web.

-Brian

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi Thomas;

Welcome to the forum.

Without the water pan you don't have any problems with the outer part of the meat or sausage drying too fast. If not maybe I will attempt it again in my beverage cooler.

[ThomasMN]

Hi Thomas;

Welcome to the forum.

Without the water pan you don't have any problems with the outer part of the meat or sausage drying too fast. If not maybe I will attempt it again in my beverage cooler.

I didn't have any problems with the outside drying too fast in the 1 1/2" casing. With a 2 1/2" casing we took it down after 3 weeks and it was just a little difference in the inside of the sausage so we hung it for another 2 weeks.

There is no circulation inside the fridge and even with the humidity level lower than recommended that is when we've had the most success. With a water pan we've always seemed to have some mold (it's possible to wipe it down if the mold has not gotten on the inside of the casing). I left the 1 1/2" sausage I smoked (I think the smoke helped in keeping the mold away - but required more work as far as processing) for a full month while I was in China and only had my wife check on it once to verify that there was no mold on it while gone. I made that sausage like the Hungarian salami in the book. This is my notes:

Started Aug 27 2007

1 tbsp whole white pepper (crushed)
1 tbsp chpped garlic

1 lb pork back fat
4 lbs pork butt cubed

2.5 oz kosher salt
20 grams dextrose

1 cup non-fat dry milk powder
1/4 tsp f-rm-52 in a small cup of water

made like in ruhlman book for hungarian sausage

cold smoked with oak for 3 hours and 20 minutes

Cured at 58F

I took the first ones out around October 3rd and the rest out Oct 10.

[Stickbowcrafter]

That's great Thomas. Please post some pics of your set up and your products when you get a chance. I'll be doing more experimentation.

-Brian

[ThomasMN]

This is right after going into the smoker to be cold smoked @ 65F.



This is after 3 hours and 20 minutes with oak. I'll take some pictures of how the sausage looks today.

I'll be starting two 5lb batches of chorizo tonight, one will be from the book with chipotle subbed for ancho, and a little aleppo pepper for some extra kick. The second one will be the same recipe with the procedure from the hungarian salami and smoked with oak. I think I'll try 5 hours like you did Brian.

Here is a picture of lamb "proscuitto" we made from a recipe posted on the egullet site. It's very good, but too "lamby" for me. Next to it is our sopresseta.



Have you tried the cured salmon from the book? It's great, I've tried smoking it and making it with some scotch too.

[iceman]

Your after my own heart!!! That is wondeful looking and I bet just as tasty. Wish I had some extra time to get the smokers fired back up. The only thing I see missing is SNOW in the background. Geez I hate shoveling this stuff anymore. >:( ;D
Thanks soooooo... much for posting the pictures for us. Ya done yer self proud buddy.  ;)

[coyote]

Great pic's................Make mine a double  ;D

Coyote

[ThomasMN]

I made the 10 lbs of chorizo the other day. I didn't really get a picture of the 'after' in the smoker since the red color from all the paprika made it not that big of a difference.



This is in the smoker getting ready to smoke.



This is a pic of an 'eye of round' that I made into a bresaola following the recipe from 'Charcuterie' with a little extra kick.

I put a 3 lb piece of pork loin in a cure to make it into dry cured lomo too. And for the hot smoking I prepared a 3 lb piece of pork loin that is sitting in a cure to make canadian bacon out of. Mmmmm MEAT!

[Duster]

Looks good ThomasMN I bet it all taste as good as it looks and sounds also.
Just wondering, whats the towel stuffed into the tower where the smoke generator supposed to be? Is this a new trick that I know nothing about or is it just due to your smoker not being all set up yet?

[ThomasMN]

Duster,

I used the towel in the hole to make sure that nothing got in there while my sausages were sitting at 80F to inoculate the bacteria. I just didn't want a stray fly or any bugs in there.

[Duster]

Thomas,
Boy I got a lot to learn before I start sausage making  ::)

[Stickbowcrafter]

Beautiful. I have some big plans for a new set up as my winter project. Keep us posted on your progress and I'll do the same.

-Brian

[levonen]

Hi, Kamanodental.

Start quote:
"I need some help with some dry curing sausage. Has any one on the forum dry cured sausage or salami?  (Dry curing is new to me)"
End quote:

You cannot 'dry cure' sausages. Curing sausage is done by the 'direct curing' method. You're probably thinking about how to make dry sausages or salamis.

1. Curing

You cure your sausages to 150 ppm of Sodium Nitrate and 5000 ppm of fermenter (10,000 ppm for genoa salami). Dried sausages must have ph between 4.6 and 5.3. If you're new to making dried sausages or salamis, you may want to use GDL (glucono-delta lactone) instead of fermenter. GDL does same thing as fermenter, but fermentation is done instantaneously. GDL is the stuff you get smoothies from - it's completely natural and you could eat it as is (it is not harmful in any way). And is cheaper than fermenter – it goes for about $11 per kilogram. Dried sausages and salamis have a high percentage of salt, usually 3-3.3%.

2. Stuffing

Stuff into 2.5 inch 'protein laced artificial casings' (salamis) and 32-35 caliber hog casings. Later, when you're more experienced you could use hog bungs and beef middles

3. Smoking

As a rule of thumb, Italian salamis are not smoked. For salamis and sausages that are smoked, it's important to cold smoke (as cold as you could produce). Smoke is the powerful antioxidant - as longer you smoke, drying process will be shorter and you could afford higher drying temperature. Try not to smoke less than 3 days. If you could smoke it for 7 days, do it. Some salamis and dried sausages are smoked up to 60 days. Remember, the longer you smoke, the drying conditions afterwards are less and less important.

4. Drying

Circulation of the air

Most important thing: It's not the temperature. It's not RH. It's the circulation of the air. If you could find a place where circulation of the air is happening naturally, dry your sausages there. If not, provide some air circulation via a very small fan (you don't want to provide the wind, you want to provide just a minimal but persistent circulation of the air.

Temperature

Ideal drying temperature is between 10C and 15C ( 50F – 60F). If your sausages and salamis are properly cured and smoked for a long time, the drying temperature could go up to 20C (68F). The lowest drying temperature would be 3C (37F) but try not to dry on temperatures lower than 7C (45F).

Relative humidity

Salamis, depending of formulation asks for RH between 55-70%. Sausages (caliber of casings up to 42) ask for RH between 65-75%. If the RH goes over 80%, you have to lessen the RH via some kind of dehumidifier or to provide a stronger air circulation.

Time

Drying time depends of the size of the casings and the conditions. As a rule, sausages are finished when they lose 30-40% of their green weight, or 40% for salamis. For sausages up to 35 caliber it will take between 16 and 21 day. For salamis (2.5 inch casings) it's anywhere from 30-60 days. For salamis (bungs and middles) from 90-180 days. Remember, the longer you smoke, the less drying time will be needed.

5. Conclusion

Properly cured sausages and salamis (150 ppm of Sodium Nitrate, ph less than 5.3 and ideally about or less than 4.9 and at least 3% of salt) are insurance that (opposite of popular opinion) dried sausages and salamis are one of the safest processing meats on the market.

Hope this will help. Good luck.

PS

As someone suggested before, I would agree of using a compound called Prague powder #2 as a source of both Sodium Nitrite and Sodium Nitrate. Advantage is that you calculate ppm just for Sodium Nitrite - Sodium Nitrate amounts are automatic.