Mold 600 on Spalla

[rangerbw3]

New to curing meat. I'm nervous I'm going to give myself botulism. I've been reading the book Salumi...

I've got my first spalla hanging in a fridge turned off at 95.1 F and 85% humidity, I sprayed them with Bactoferm 600 seven to eight times. I see no sign of mold though it's only been 16hrs. Does this mold even grown on actual meat?

[Wunderdave]

It will grow on the meat, give it a few days. If you're using a solid piece of shoulder for your spalla the risk of botulism is very low compared to what you would see with ground salumi.

[rangerbw3]

Thank you Wunderdave, but do I need to keep it at the fermenting temp of 80-110F after 24hrs or can I bring it back down to 50-60F?

[JerBear]

Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!!

I think you're confusing two processes and might want to consider tossing the spalla. There is no fermentation for whole muscles, after curing you just place the meat in the drying chamber and away you go. You're temperature is way too high and are risking case/exterior hardening. The fermentation is for salamis - ground meat in a casing.

According to pg. 78 of Salumi you want your fridge at 55-65ºF (12-18ºC), 70% RH and some air circulation. Then all you do is wait for 30% weight loss.

If you're using the recipe on page 93 of Salumi there's no mention of fermentation, just curing and drying (i.e. controlled dehydration). Botulism could be a concern if you deboned and rolled the spalla but is unlikely if you left it bone in and left it in its natural state. But with those high temperatures, who knows what's growing on there.

[rangerbw3]

Thanks jerbear, better safe than sorry. But the spalla has been cured in salt for the required time. I wasn't intending to ferment the meat but just provide the 24hr fermentation temp and humidity to inoculate the beneficial bactoferm 600 mold. My drying fridge is normally at 55-65ºF.

[JerBear]

whew...you freaked me out there for a minute!