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Ok so after wondering for some time how is it that Chorizo is soft, I discover some is semi-cured!

One recipe for the cure was 2.3% salt and 0.25% cure#1 dry for 7-10 days then cook or freeze. Great, this is just what I have been looking for, if this is correct?

If so then I guess the same could be done with any fresh sausage, breakfast for eg or Cumberland. Has anyone tried this? I am guessing that most sausage could possibly benefit from a good old maturing for 7-10 days before cooking.

You can do this but that level of cure #1 and salt, which are necessary, will change the taste of fresh sausage quite a bit.

Yes I would guess that the extra salt n cure would effect the flavour of, say Cumberland,
got to be worth a try though.
As cumberland is one of my favourites, I think I will, Has any one else?

I wouldn't dry a sausage with a filler in it like rusk or breadcrumb.

If you're asking if you can make a dry cured sausage using 2.3% salt and 0.25% Cure #1 and use the same spices as in a Cumberland, then yes, of course you can. Just adapt a Chorizo recipe (or similar).

Technically, it will no longer be a Cumberland sausage, but as long as you enjoy it, so what.

Phil

Fingers wrote:As cumberland is one of my favourites, I think I will, Has any one else?

If you really want to av a go use the following

Per 1000gm
0.90% Salt
0.25% Cure #1
0.152% Black pepper
0.152% White pepper
0.021% Cayenne pepper
0.155% Ground Coriander
0.155% Ground Nutmeg
0.078 Ground Mace

Pork shoulder 70/30

Course grind three times -- add spices and mix well then re-grind with medium plate

Stuff into 29mm/32mm hog casings

What might the max drying time be for these, semi cured chorizo using cure#1? I ask as I thought cure#2 was used for cured sausage so a longer curing time can be achieved.

After 6 days my semi cured chorizo has not firmed up anywhere near what I am wanting.

I would use 2-3 weeks as a limit, but remember that temperature is a factor as well.

Ah champion thanks.

The temps at the mo have been well under 15deg, 1-4 deg over the last few days and certainly no chance of getting up over 15deg this side of March now. I think another 10 days would bring it to the sort of texture I am after.

Update

This semi cured chorizo did not turn out as I hoped. Gave it 2 weeks to where spots of white mold had just started to bloom. The flavour is too "cured meat", its a like eating big chunks of cured sausage, quite unpleasant to my taste. Very little chorizo flavour at all.

So, back to the drawing board with this one?

Salt---------------- 2.3%
Cure#1------------ 0.25
Sugar-------------- 0.30
Paprika------------ 3.15
Chilli powder----- 0.25
Fresh Garlic------ 1.00
Oregano ---------- 0.20
Dry white wine--- 2.50

You might want a bit less paprika or maybe split it between sweet and hot. I find making a paste with the cold wine makes it easier to mix with the mince.

I do a recipe with very similar ingredients, but no wine.

What paprika did you use?

Phil

I used a mix of smoked and spanish, if anything I thought there was not enough, nowhere near enough. When frying there was not enough of the usual leaching out of the spice.

I recall a Rick Stein program where he watched a small Spanish manufacture mixing, there was tons of Paprika. Just dried garlic, salt and paprika, lots of each it looks.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2svmdt starts at 28.25

You also don't seem to get that cured meat taste with chorzo..?? Notice also the texture, very loose and not looking overly cured at all.

Mmm... Odd.

I use the spanish smoked Pimentón de la Vera and don't use anywhere near the amount you did - I use 2%. Jeffrey Weiss, in what I consider the definitive guide to Spanish Charcuterie - 'Charcuteria - The Soul of Spain', quotes typical amounts of 2 - 2½%. It's difficult to judge from the Rick Stein programme as it's hard to see the quantity of meat. From the amount of salt, I'm guessing that it's a lot.

However, don't let that stop you - make it to your taste.

The texture of it sounds as if you didn't get a good bind. You need to mix it well to develop the myosin in the meat, or salt the meat overnight to achieve the same thing.

HTH

Phil

I feel I mix it and knead it, but maybe not enough. Are you saying if its not kneaded enough it goes tuff?

Regardless, the amount of paprika at 2% would indicate more a problem with my situation. Geographically I am some way north of Spain. It might be as simple as that. When I made fresh chorizo along the same recipe there was way more "chorizo" taste. If that makes sense?

The bind is difficult to describe. It should be mixed until the meat mass is sticky and really sticks to your hand - we'd call it claggy around here!

It also seems to smell different - more like sausage than meat.

Phil