Hygrovating!!! There just has to be something wrong....

[mrphilips]

(edited to correct the mis-use of Hygrostat)


My problem surrounds humidity, humidifiers, hygrometers, curing times and case hardening.

(I have posted several posts on the related topics, feel free to look through them for background info if it assists)

Currently I have a Danby DWC350BLP wine cooler for a curing chamber, with 3.2 cu ft capacity: http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadi ... 50BLP.html
It is generally too cold, so I have a timer that puts it on for 30min every 2h15min, providing an average temp of 57F
I have a small CPU case fan that turns on when the chamber turns on.
I have a small humidifier in the chamber than can come on when I see fit (or be put on a timer).
I gather excess moisture (run-off from the chill-panel at the back) into a container of salt and dump if it gets too full.

I have an electric thermometer/hygrometer and an analogue one.
I have performed many calibration tests with these devices and used multiple others with the same tests, and ultimately they have been calibrated using the wet salt/zip-lock bag over 24 hours.

I felt after so much trial and error, I had the perfect set up!
Here is the chamber:
<a href="http://s1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd408/mrphilips/?action=view&amp;current=chamber.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd408/mrphilips/chamber.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>


So I tested it using the Ruhlman/Polcyn recipe for pepperone.
The pepperone is to hang for 12-18 days at 60-70% humidity.

I found that the humidifier produced way too much humidity after it had run for a bit, so I turned it off and have allowed the humidity to ease off slowly over the 9 days the sausages have hung – it has gone from 95% down to 75%, today.

Today, I weigh my sausages and find they have lost an average of 41% humidity after only 9 days.
Here’s a pic
<a href="http://s1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd408/mrphilips/?action=view&amp;current=pepperone.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd408/mrphilips/pepperone.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>


I believe that pink centre and brown outside is case hardening. The texture is… chewy, but this is an all-beef, no fat recipe, so that’s not a big shock. But the texture is not consistent from edge to interior.

So… I have a well thought-out setup, a calibrated hygrometer, humidity to spare… and I still over-dry in less than half the time required.

I just don’t get it! What’s wrong?
I’ve engaged in so much debate over the calibration of the hygrometers, and no one is able to tell me I’m doing it wrong… why is my chamber not doing the job?

[wheels]

Lose the fan?

On a separate issue, how's the humidifier producing "way too much humidity" if it's on a hygrostat?

Phil

[mrphilips]

sorry, yes... that's my mistake.
for all the above i should state that it's a "hygrometer", not a hygostat.
(i edited the original post)

i adjust the humidity manually.
do you believe that small fan would truly be the cause?

[mrphilips]

so i guess i'm back to the drawing board...
i can try somethings different:

working with a new recipe makes a hard test. this Ruhlman/Polcyn one may not be my favourite pepperoni... (perhaps "too" authentic) and as it's a smoked product, a few more steps that i could exclude during the "test phase". i'll retry with sopressetta or tuscan salumi, something simpler.

i can try without the fan

i can assume that the hygrometer calibration is faulty and bump it up by 20% or so... but this comes with a deeper frustration:

i have previously debated the hygrometer calibration steps and looked for advice from the team out there, but as it stands - the large majority of people who have piped in for me seem to suggest i have calibrated it correctly.

i can re-try and adjust my own circumstances to fit the expected norm (60-70% for everyone else, 95-100% for me???), but i just don't understand what is wrong...
there's a freakin gremlin in my chamber.

note: when the chamber is up around 90-95%, it's almost raining in there and there is a fine mist on everything, like dew. is that what you guys get at 60-70%?

[wheels]

Hey, MrPhilips I've been there. I know your pain, as do many other forum members. These small fridge setups either seem to work first time or are an absolute pain in the neck.

You don't say how small the cpu fan is and I note that it's only on just under a fifth of the time but it needs very little to maintain the required 0.05 - 0.1 m/sec required in a 3.2cu ft box. Yes, I think it's a possibility it may be the fan.

You have all the elements required, it's just now that frustrating stage where you have to balance them all so that they work for you. Seems like a few cheap test projects are called for - maybe some chorizo or similar - a thin sausage for quick results.

HTH

Phil

[mrphilips]

thanks wheels... for the help and support.

yeah, i'll start something this weekend... i have found thin casings very difficult to locate in my part of the planet. the lamb ones are rare and expensive and the artificial ones... well, i just haven't played with artificial casings yet.

but i will disengage the fan and up the humidity by 10%... if i end up without adequate curing in 2 weeks, i'll reduce the humidity again and who knows... maybe it's just that fan after all

in the small space of a fridge i though the fan would help undo any "crowding" issues, but if it's agrivating the whole process then out it goes

[wheels]

...i have found thin casings very difficult to locate in my part of the planet. the lamb ones are rare and expensive and the artificial ones... well, i just haven't played with artificial casings yet.

You don't say where you are on your profile?

[mrphilips]

updated!

toronto

[SausageBoy]

I also think it's likely the fan.

You need air exchange and not appreciable air movement.

I've been able to accomplish that with an aquarium air pump.

[mrphilips]

hmm.... my unit is completely sealed, unless i open it - which i do every few days to check something or other out.

what does a mores systematic air exchange accomplish?

[vagreys]

...I've been able to accomplish that with an aquarium air pump.

So, do you pump it in with passive venting? From the top or bottom?

[SausageBoy]

I use Coleman coolers as curing chambers, stood up on end.
The air tube goes in the drain hole, air also vents out the same drain hole.

Hole on the bottom.

Air exchange, think of all the air exchange those salamis, etc. get hanging on those porches in Italy.

Anyway, the main reason I sought air exchange was/is to keep the beneficial mold from developing real thick on the sausages...it seems to have made a difference.

[wheels]

Sorry, I don't understand some of the terminology, what are Coleman coolers?

What are you suggesting that mrphilips should do?

Phil

[mrphilips]

as far as i can tell, he's talking about a camping cooler:
http://www.colemancanada.ca/catalog/COOLERS.en.products
though i know some of them have their own electric chill aspect... am i close?

i would love to see your set up - post some pics!

i have heard that air-flow is useful, and i can understand taht a good supply of fresh oxygen would be beneficial to the cultured aspects of the process, but i am unsure about just how effective it is, or whether it's a necessity or not.

[SausageBoy]

Yes, 120 quart Coleman coolers, 3 of them.



No cooling system, they reside on my enclosed unheated porch.
Humidity is just a damp towel.

I wouldn't say that constant air exchange is necessary, I added it to resolve an issue.

I used the coolers for quite some time without, just opening the door on occasion.

I'll have them set back up again sometime next month, I'll take some pics then.