Mold on dry cured salami

[ExpatCanadian]

Hey all,

Spent last weekend making up a batch of Len Poli's "favourite" salami recipe.  I had made this about a year ago and enjoyed it so I thought I'd use up a bunch of frozen meat to clear up some freezer space.  Last year I actually sprayed the finished stuffed salami with a mold culture to kick-start the white mold on the outside.  This year I decided to go natural...  and as of yesterday some spots of white mold have started to grow on the casings (protein lined fibrous).  This is where my paranoia starts to kick in and I start to second guess whether it is "good" mold or "nasty" mold.  It's most definately white, so that's a good sign...  but I can't decide if it's "powdery" or "fuzzy"  :-\

Anyone with dry curing experience care to offer an opinion?  The photo was taken with my iPhone...  so it's not great.  I might get out the real camera tonight and take a proper shot if this isn't good enough...

[3rensho]

Not being a mycologist I can't help.  I always dip/spray mine to get the mold jump started.  If it were mine I'd wipe them down with a vinegar rag, then rinse well and spray with a good mold.   

[ArnieM]

Certainly not an expert but the mold starting in spots would make me nervous, maybe for no reason.  I'd agree with the vinegar wipe down.

[Habanero Smoker]

I agree with 3rensho. Wipe the sausage down with either white vinegar or a salt/water solutions. If you have any of the mold culture I would spray it on after you wipe it down.

White mold is usually a good sign, but not all white mold is good. Any fussy mold is generally bad mold, and from the looks of this photo it looks fuzzy.

[ExpatCanadian]

Thanks guys... I diluted a bit of 5% white vinegar and wiped it all off. I had a packet of Bactoferm Mold 600 (m-ek-4) in my freezer... It's opened and about a year old so I'm not sure if it's still viable, but I doubled the recommended concentration (6g/litre water instead of 3g) just in case it's got some life in it yet. It's in a warm place for overnight and I'll do a "salami-dipping" session tomorrow! If it doesn't do the trick I'll just keep wiping it down to keep all mold away until it's aw is low enough to prevent it naturally....

Hey... just found this little honey here when I was looking for more fresh culture.... jeez, if only I was a rich man!!!

http://www.weschenfelder.co.uk/content/stagionello-salami-cabinet-stg100-mtf


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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=51.544506,-0.033898

[3rensho]

That is one sweet salami cabinet.  Bit out of my price range though  ;D ;D

[Habanero Smoker]

That is a nice cabinet, but I still rather have your setup.  :)

[ExpatCanadian]

I am pretty happy with my setup...  but I must admit I am really struggling with humidity control.  I think the main issue is the RH in general at this time of year is around 75%....  so add meat into the equation in a closed space and it very quickly shoots up to 100%.  I bought a small dehumidifier now to run in the fridge and it is just about managing to keep the humidity at 75%....  but only just.  That's still about 10% higher that I'd like...  but we'll just have to see how it goes.

[Stickbowcrafter]

That is an awesome salami cabinet, would love to have one. After a few failed attempts at building a reliable dry-curing set up, I started semi-dry curing smoked products with great results. Smoking the products gives them a preserved quality and it keeps mold at bay while they hang in my basement to lose some moisture. One of these days I will pick up the dry-cure experimentation again. Thanks for the inspiration and good luck with your mold.

-Brian

[ExpatCanadian]

Thought I'd resurrect this thread briefly just to follow up and show you all the end results.  As I posted previously I ended up spraying the salami with a mold culture.  I got reasonable results and every few days I was also pretty diligent at wiping any little suspect areas with a vinegar solution.  It's given them some bare patches, but at least I know they're safe.  They've now completed drying, lost around 40% which has given it a very nice texture.  I tried it at around 25% loss, and it wasn't quite to my taste.

The money shots:



Decided to vac seal them to keep them from getting any drier:



And the taste test...  with some cold-smoked sharp cheddar thats JUST hit 4 weeks post-smoke:

[SamuelG]

Speechless!

What an  amazing product you have there. Wish I could pass by and give it a try.




SamuelG

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[NePaSmoKer]

Ditto

Looks fantastic

[Keymaster]

Looks exactly what I'll be aiming for in the near future. looks awesome!!! I have the cabinet, the heater, the humidity controller and just need a humidifier and figure out the venting :) Can't wait!!!

[Mr Walleye]

Expat

Wow!

Looks fantastic to say the least!  :P

Mike

[Habanero Smoker]

Excellent!!!