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Hi,
Made a few posts so far and I've just recently finished my curing chamber so i'd thought i would show it off and maybe you could give me any pointers if you think slight changes might help. Any questions please fire away i would be happy to help!

Temp is set at 12.7c and im getting a nice close steady temp. Humidity is set to 65% and again im within 5% pretty much constant for the last week. I've also got a 40w bar heater in the bottom fridge shelf on the door mouted which i think is really helping.

Edit:
Sorry forgot to add whats in there.
There is one small Bresola and one large(Ruhlman book)
Coppa x 3 again from the Ruhlman book
and two duck breasts form a recipe off the internet.
I just have to add my Pancetta which is curing now after my last ditched attemp(if in doubt chuck it out), this one will not be smoked.

I would bring the humidity up to 80 % to help the salami.

NCPaul,

Thanks for the tip Paul. I followed the recipe in The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing, which says 60 to 70 percent for 3 to 4 weeks. I am already guessing it’s going to take longer than that maybe 10 weeks? They're in 65mm beef middles. Would this work for the other meats in the chamber too?
I have read quite a bit about info in the book on the internet and have read quite a few differing opinions and people saying a lot of the recipes are too salty? I have just bought the book Home Production of Meats and Sausages that so far I am finding a great wealth of wisdom. In this book it talks of you curing chamber being no higher than 15c as this is bad for bacteria but preferably around 10c, quite big difference from Rhulams 15c.
What’s your thought?

IIRC 15.6°C is the temp at which Staph. Aureus start to multiply faster - it seems sensible to be below this.

I find I'm more successful around 10 - 12°C.

Phil

Speaking of curing chamber temperatures, is accuracy really important? And will different ambient temperatures allow me to cure different things, or is there only one choice?

Because I was thinking of buying this house in Greece and relocate there later on, and of course I wanted to do my own sausages and cured meats there. However, the hot weather and the salty air from the sea might well mess up that project if I don't invest in a dedicated room with a top of the line temperature control system, which isn't at the top of my priority list for said house... Or could I at least do that during winter?

Thanks!

Nice house. Forum member Sundodger did a lot of sausage making in Greece. The link below will take you to his posts:

search.php?keywords=&terms=all&author=sundodger&sc=1&sf=all&sr=posts&sk=t&sd=d&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search

Hope this helps

Phil

YakForger38 wrote:Speaking of curing chamber temperatures, is accuracy really important? And will different ambient temperatures allow me to cure different things, or is there only one choice?...the hot weather and the salty air from the sea might well mess up that project if I don't invest in a dedicated room with a top of the line temperature control system, which isn't at the top of my priority list for said house... Or could I at least do that during winter?

Good questions and fundamental points. Accuracy is important for reproducible results and safer products. Will ambient weather allow you to cure different things? Absolutely. Ambient temperatures and weather are what allow certain places to be famous for certain products, like Prosciutto di Parma, Jamon de Serrano, Surry sausages, and Lebanon bologna. The climate made it possible for certain places to do certain things very well, without curing chambers, whether in the subtropical climate of Parma, the airy mountains of Spain, the particular humidity and winters of coastal Virginia, or the hilly farmland of Pennsylvania. That said, not all seasons are good for all things, which is why each place has its seasons and styles for curing. A well-controlled curing chamber frees you from the vagaries of the weather, allows you to produce the product you intend, and to minimize the risk of contamination and spoilage.

In my home, we don't have air-conditioning. We have hot, humid summers, and in July or August, there are days where it doesn't get below 29.4°C in the house until after midnight, humidity may be 50% in high heat during the day and 90%+ at night. June and September aren't much better. Curing and sausagemaking are generally just too difficult to do without a cold room, in the summer, where I live; so here, it's a fall/winter/spring thing. You may want to learn what the local curing and charcuterie traditions are in that part of Greece, and start from there. A lot of cultures around the Mediterranean forego ambient curing in the summer.

Thanks for the detailed answers and for the advice, that's more than I could ask for!
So, yes, I should look first in what kind of cured meat is done in this region... Now I feel stupid for not thinking of it, it's not like I've never heard of Italian, Spanish or Turkish meat delicacies.

Thanks for the tips, I adjusted the temp and changed the humidity, ramp it down 5% week by week down to 60% right?
Mold pics update and paranoia.. Hanging for two weeks this Monday.







What maybe looking like three different tpes of mold?
It's the Coppa recipe as mention above in Ruhlmans book in 65mm beef middles, wish i would of hung the whole muscle now after seeing other recipes. They were hand stuffed in 7cm chunks and then hung at room temp for 24hours before placing in the chamber. All air pockets were well pricked with a sterile pin, is it ok to pin again if the shrinkage isn't happening in some parts?
Pic one I’m guessing is normal white mold?
Pic 2 black spots possibly on inside, i'm guessing not good?
pic three maybe white mold developing or maybe green?
Its quite stressful this cured sausage making but I must say I’m proper hooked! This is my second attempt my first was around 7yrs ago had a few successes and a bad ham and that’s when I stopped.