Dry curing/hanging without a fridge

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Dry curing/hanging without a fridge

Postby Okawari » Tue Nov 27, 2012 2:35 pm

I've read up on a few of the fridge conversions people do to get a curing chamber, but don't have the house space and spare electric socket to try it myself at this point. But I've got an alcove area between rooms where the winter temperature (early December to early March) is very regular, about 12 degrees Celsius and 50 percent humidity. (I also have some Curing Salt No. 2 which I have never used.)

Are there any sausages or cured cuts that can be made and hung in this environment? I think the Saucisson Sec recipe in Charcuterie is close, though it suggests 60 to 70 percent humidity. I'd like to hear any other interesting suggestions, the easier the better.

The only thing I've cured and hung so far is duck breast, which I liked very much, but would also like to try some new ideas. Pancetta seems like an obvious start, but an actual sausage would be nice if it can be done safely.
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Postby the chorizo kid » Tue Nov 27, 2012 3:38 pm

off the top of my head:
the temp [54F] seems ok, but...
the marianski fermentation recipes usually require a much higher initial temperature for 24-36 hours depending on the starter culture used... ergo, u might have trouble with fermented sausages of any type if u follow the recipe and use a commercial starter culture.
that being said, i have on many occasions hung sausages exclusively at that low temperature [in my basement] using acidophilus powder and have achieved a very tasty result. nice tang. so i am not convinced that a high initital temperature is necessary.
what bothers me more is the low RH of about 50%. u really would be better off at about 75%. is there no way u can create a small space using plastic vapor barrier and a small humidifier?? perhaps staple the plastic to the ceiling and let it drape to the floor. with a small space, it would not take much of a humidifier.
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Postby Wunderdave » Tue Nov 27, 2012 6:07 pm

You could probably get away with hanging some very small sausages like snack sticks to dry. Fatter than that and you will certainly have some problems at 50% RH
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Postby onewheeler » Tue Nov 27, 2012 8:27 pm

You could experiment with a plastic box with lid on, or partly on, with a tray of wet salt in it, or wet tea towels. Some air flow is needed so sealing it completely isn't a good idea.

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Postby Headonis » Wed Nov 28, 2012 4:36 am

I would buy yourself a double adapter for your electircal socket (allowing an extra applliance to be plugged in), purchase a cheap second hand fridge, and put it outside - that is if you have no room in your house!
You could run an extension cord to the fridge - then away you go.
:wink:
I love Meat
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Postby DiggingDogFarm » Wed Nov 28, 2012 5:27 am

If you do want to fuss over things, do as Wunderdave suggested, try a small diameter sausage such as kabanosy, they're very forgiving in such an environment.


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Postby Okawari » Wed Nov 28, 2012 12:53 pm

Thanks for the advice so far (please don't stop). I like the kabanosy suggestion.

I may have to avoid the idea of the outdoor fridge, but will work out a way to make space one day from the very limited amount I have available to me, and keep a curing fridge indoors.

I've measured the humidity for the last 24 hours, and it's actually at 55 (lowest) and 60 (highest), with temperature at 11 degrees and humidity more often at the lower end of the measured range. This is very close to what I remember from last year, where I measured the same area many times, and throughout the winter, it changed very little.

Hanging sheeting and a humidifier is not a good option in the space unfortunately; it's already partially in family use for other things, and the best I can do is hang some things up and out of the way - duck and pancetta would be no problem, but as soon as I try to grab some floor space, I will be evicted from that area.
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Postby vondugan26 » Mon Dec 03, 2012 1:23 pm

somewhere in this forum i found a post that recommended making a cylindrical type cone thingy with parchment paper and wrapping it around the sausage - then using a spray bottle to spray some water on them from time to time - inside the "cone" you would have a pretty decent level of humidity.

Before i got my curing fridge set up i had a similar environment and this worked quite well for me ... I did also make small diameter sausages so they were done drying in about 2-3 weeks.

- if i remember correctly it was a pain in the butt to actually "tape" the parchment paper together ... but it did work for me ...

Good Luck
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Postby Okawari » Tue Dec 11, 2012 11:48 am

It's an interesting method...
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Postby vondugan26 » Tue Dec 11, 2012 9:52 pm

definitely a pain to stay on top of - needed a good spraying 2-3 times a day -- not ideal when you have a job ... I would spray once in the morning, once when i got home ... and then once before going to sleep - - sometimes i would get my wife to spray them during the day ... if our kids were not driving her up the wall ... :roll:
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