Ruhlman & Polcyn on Fermento and What is "Semi-

[anderson5420]

I have two books, Kutas's Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing, and Ruhlman and Polcyn's Charcuterie.  Kutas is pretty clear on fresh sausage, smoked and cooked sausage and dry cured sausage but he is really vague on semi-dry cured sausage.  He lumps semi-dry sausage with dry cured sausage, but all the recipes more resemble smoked and cooked sausage with the addition of Fermento.

I have read all the threads on here about Fermento, what it is, and what it does.  Is it a starter culture of some kind, or is it just a flavoring?  Here is what Ruhlman and Polcyn have to say:

"Fermento, a dairy-based flavoring used here [in a summer sausage recipe], gives the sausage the same tangy flavor, distinct from other acids such as citric acide or a vinegar, but it does not actually ferment."  Anybody want to dispute Ruhlman and Polcyn on this?

Not once does Kutas talk about hanging semi-dry sausages the way you hang true dry cured sausages.  They get cured in a tub for hours or days, reground, mixed with Fermento and spices, stuffed, cold smoked and cooked to a lower temperature than smoked and cooked sausages - but they are still cooked and smoked - so what is "semi-dry" about these sausages? 

This is a practical question, not a metaphysical inquiry, but it is the one area where I feel my knowledge is behind the curve!  Thanks for any insights!

[devo]

From what I understand fermento or soy protein, milk solids all do the same thing. Act like a binder. Fermento will give you that tang flavor. They will also give you a moisture that you might be trying to get to in your sausage.

[Habanero Smoker]

I would have do dispute  Ruhlman and Polcyn. The operative phrase is "but it does not actually ferment". I use to take the same position as them, until I did an experiment. Though it is not a starter culture, and does not ferment like starter cultures; Fermento is powdered cultured buttermilk, and it does have some live culture left in it. I used some tempid water, dextrose and added some fermento, and some culture activity occurred. That experiment was done when another member posted a recipe that contained Fermento stated "to increase the tang, ferment the sausage for 4 hours at 100?F.  If you have Kutas book, he give a good description of Fermento. 

All semi dried sausage recipes I have seen are always fully cooked. The semi dry arrives from after cooking they are hung for a period of time to further reduce their moisture content. Most if not all semi dry recipes I have seen in Kutas book always included the drying period.

[anderson5420]

Well, I am going to have a run at some semi-dry sausage, right after the Tuscan salami.  I was thinking of 8 hours at 90 - 100 degrees.

I would have do dispute  Ruhlman and Polcyn. The operative phrase is "but it does not actually ferment". I use to take the same position as them, until I did an experiment. Though it is not a starter culture, and does not ferment like starter cultures; Fermento is powdered cultured buttermilk, and it does have some live culture left in it. I used some tempid water, dextrose and added some fermento, and some culture activity occurred. That experiment was done when another member posted a recipe that contained Fermento stated "to increase the tang, ferment the sausage for 4 hours at 100?F.  If you have Kutas book, he give a good description of Fermento. 

All semi dried sausage recipes I have seen are always fully cooked. The semi dry arrives from after cooking they are hung for a period of time to further reduce their moisture content. Most if not all semi dry recipes I have seen in Kutas book always included the drying period.

[Habanero Smoker]

If you have the time it won't hurt anything to try. Since you brew your own beer, you may want to run your own test on the Fermento you have to see if it will grow.

[anderson5420]

Whether it is the Fermento or just stray bacteria, SOMETHING is going to ferment meat with dextrose in it in a warm environment for a day - it would be hard to prevent it!

If you have the time it won't hurt anything to try. Since you brew your own beer, you may want to run your own test on the Fermento you have to see if it will grow.

[Habanero Smoker]

Whether it is the Fermento or just stray bacteria, SOMETHING is going to ferment meat with dextrose in it in a warm environment for a day - it would be hard to prevent it!

If you have the time it won't hurt anything to try. Since you brew your own beer, you may want to run your own test on the Fermento you have to see if it will grow.

That is true.