My Dry Cure Cabinet Build

[jjmoney]

Dude! Wow. Feel free to send some bresaola up to Saskatoon. :)

P.S. the RH swing is to be expected as the compressor runs since the air will increase in RH as it cools. You can try and massage that out in your control scheme if you want to. You could also try and restrict refrigerant flow if the freezer is fancy enough to handle it. Or you could do nothing and send me some bresaola :)

Good work man

[Caneyscud]

Wow, Saskatoon!  I was in your fair city 3 years ago on my my up to near Stanley Mission to catch my first Northern - had a blast. 

[Mr Walleye]

Thanks guys!

I'll be sure to keep you posted when I get a load hanging in there.

jjmoney

The RH actually drops when the compressor is running. Mind you the compressor only runs maybe 30 to 40 seconds every 15 to 20 minutes and the RH recovers in under a minute. I think, as Devo pointed out, once you get a load in there you can have trouble getting the RH down. This was why I designed the fan the way I did. Our humidity is typically low so this should work well. I guess if you live in a high humidity environment it might be different. I guess I don't need to tell you about our climate when your only a couple of ours away. You guys getting the storm we're getting hit with right now?

Mike

[carnie1]

Thats one good looking cabinet, can't wait to see you get started, I really like dry cure, only problem is the waiting

[jjmoney]

Hmm, interesting that RH drops when compressor is on. Maybe the cold condenses some moisture? What's the fan doing while the frig kicks on?

Not much storm action here, pretty quiet, just skiffs of snow and a bit of wind.

@Caneyscud: You probably came up through La Ronge. My folks have a cabin near there. Stanley is a great jumpoff point for the Churchill River...did you go downstream through rapids or upstream into Mountain Lake? That whole area is incredible in the summer.

[Mr Walleye]

Your right, the cold condenses some of the moisture in the cabinet. I don't think you can get away from this but on the positive side the recovery is very quick at under a minute or so. The Fan (the large one inside) comes on when the compressor does and off with it as well. It gently moves air through the condenser and down the back of the cabinet. It should provide a nice gentle air turn over in the cabinet. At least that's the plan. In the original wiring it wouldn't cut in until the condenser reached freezing temperatures so I rewired it to come on with the compressor.

Mike

[devo]

Its kinda of hard to tell in this picture but near the end of this graph you can see as the temp goes up and down so does the R/H.
Mine is set for 76% R/H and this shows its not that far off most of the time. This is from when I but the tester in and took it out.

[Caneyscud]

@Caneyscud: You probably came up through La Ronge. My folks have a cabin near there. Stanley is a great jumpoff point for the Churchill River...did you go downstream through rapids or upstream into Mountain Lake? That whole area is incredible in the summer.

Yep, caught a float plane in LaRonge.  We were on the Churchill at Potters Rapids - lodge called Anglers Rapids.  Some guys from Nashville owned it then.  Fished downstream from the rapids at Drinking Lake and Keg Lake.  Incredible fishing for Northerns - I'm probably scarred far life.  It would be hard to beat!  First time out for Northern and I'm catching 40+"ers.  Everything I had read about them for years was true.  Big, toothy mean, aggressive, will bite right at the boat, etc....  Took a fly rod with me, but I was in the hunt for the big fish pot - so stayed with spinning gear.  But next time, it is fly rod serious time.   Shore lunch of walleye fried in lard was memorable.  Black bears on the shore.  We were there during THE mayfly hatch of all time.  Not just mayflies, but also some caddis and of all things some salmon flies.  Incredible biomass.  When they died, floating rafts of dead spinners for miles up and down the river/lake.  And no trout to eat them!   Incredible wilderness - wide open spaces with no sign of man - I'd like to stay up there for an extended stay and learn what the area has to offer!  Bound to be some good lake trout somewhere.  Oh, and got to see the petroglyphs coming into Stanley Mission. 

[jjmoney]

Sounds like a good time Caney. That's very close to my part time stomping grounds. I've been from Stanley downstream as far as Potter but not over Potter. If you ever return, check out Nistowiak falls on your way through. They're well worth seeing.

I like to go around the Churchill best in June to get walleye and sauger. Pike are fun to catch and all but I don't care for the eating as much as walleye or lake trout.

Sorry to threadjack Mr. Walleye. :) Have fun with your cabinet!

[Mr Walleye]

Hey!... No problem when your talking fishing!  ;)  ;D

Devo

Based on your graph that's very similar to what I'm seeing. Although mine is empty... Still waiting for an order to come in!  ::)

Just our of curiosity... Have you tried this recipe?
http://lpoli.50webs.com/index_files/Salami%20Hot.pdf

I'm kinda partial to a little kick and I buy a product that I think would be similar. This may be my trial run, I'll see.

Mike

[devo]

I have never tried it Mike. You can't go wrong with Len Poli Recipes. You will find after a while looking at salami recipes there is a base recipe and then different cultures just add a few spices here and there. Its all good  ;D
By the way I liked your way of mounting the thermocouple and humidity sensors that I did it that way also.  ;)



Good luck

[jjmoney]

Do you have a copy of Ruhlman's Charcuterie? Lots of good stuff in it.

[Mr Walleye]

jjmoney

I do have that book. I'll have to have another look through it and see if anything else tickles my fancy.  :D


Devo

Your right, it's very similar to smoked sausage, once you have the basics down you can change the predominant spices and you have another type of sausage. Your absolutely right, it's all good!  ;)

How did you have your TC and humidity sensor mounted before?

Mike

[devo]

Just through the door and hanging off a rack, not very tidy that way. I like your way much better  ;)