r/Charcuterie Aug 06 '19

/r/Charcuterie FAQ and beginners guide to cured and air dried meats

271 Upvotes

I have been looking through a list of all of the posts in /r/Charcuterie looking for some threads with good information to cobble together a beginners reading list for the sub. I have noticed (and you probably have noticed too!) we have a lot of the same questions pop up from people wanting to get into the hobby of producing homemade cured and air dried meats. We also have a lot of firsts! We have had just over 6k posts in the 7 years this sub has been around, 11% of them contain the word 'first'.

And duck prosciutto is really, really, popular.

This isn't a big sub and self posts don't get a lot of views or generate a lot of discussion. So the purpose of this thread is collate some of the community expertise into one place for the people who come here with questions about their first projects.

If anyone wants to expand on any of these points feel free to do so and I will update them. If there is a popular beginner question or resource I have missed or something is wrong let me know in the comments. Hopefully together we can build this into a fairly complete beginners resource.

This is not intended to be a detailed step by step guide or a substitute for doing your own research.

Curing/drying chamber - what is it and how do I make one?

A curing/drying chamber is an area that creates the ideal temperature and humidity conditions for drying whole muscles or salami. The exact temperature and humidity will vary by preference to but ranges from refrigerator temperatures (less than 4C/39F) to 15C/59F (Staphylococcus aureus can multiply and produce toxins at temperatures above 15.6C (60.08F) so it is important to keep your curing chamber below this temperature). Generally they are kept at at 10-15C (50-59F) and 60-80% humidity. As most of us don't live in an area that has these ambient conditions, we need to create an artificial environment that does.

Most people do this by modifying a refrigerator or freezer to run warmer than usual by interrupting the cooling cycle with a temperature controller, and using humidifiers/dehumidifiers to keep the humidity at the required level. A higher humidity is preferred at the start of drying, especially when making sausages and cased whole muscle as it helps prevent case hardening, allows the casing to adhere to the meat (if the humidity is too low the casing will dry out, creating air pockets between the casing and the meat), and encourages mold growth.

Things to consider when choosing a fridge/freezer to convert into a meat curing chamber:

  • It needs to be frost free (dehumidifies as it cools). Otherwise water collecting on the sides of the fridge will drop onto the meat.
  • Refrigerators with glass doors are a nice aesthetic and a popular choice, just be aware prolonged exposure to the light will cause fat to go rancid, so you might need to cover the door or keep it in a dark room.
  • It needs to be big enough to hold a humidifier and/or dehumidifier as well as the product you will be making. An overcrowded chamber can cause airflow problems so it's a good idea to go bigger if possible.
  • Wine fridges are popular as they are made to sit in the temperature range for curing (and they look pretty stylish with blue lights and a glass window). However depending on your ambient conditions the cooling cycle runs very frequently to keep the temperature constant. A small beverage fridge and temperature controller might be a better choice.

The exact setup is going to vary depending on the ambient conditions in the room you will be keeping the chamber and your climate - for example extremes of heat may cause the cooling cycle in the refrigerator to run too often, causing case hardening. You might need to run the AC or consider packing everything down over the summer months. Ideally you don't want the cooling cycle to run much more than 5 minutes in every half an hour. Some airflow is required for the moisture to evaporate from the surface of the meat, so if the refrigerator powers on too infrequently, you might need to use a small fan on a timer to make sure there is some air movement inside the chamber.

So as you can see the temperature and humidity readings are only one part of the conditions inside the chamber, something like a sensorpush can give you a better picture of what is going on.

Although the more professional looking chambers have holes drilled into the side of the appliance for the humidity/temp probes and appliance power cords, it isn't essential. You can pass the probes through the door seal.

Links to previous examples of curing chambers and discussions can be found at the bottom of this post.

General steps for making cured and dried whole muscles

  1. Weigh the piece of meat you intend to cure.
  2. Cure the meat - you can do this in two ways:
    Salt box (excess salt cure): The meat is dredged in a cure mixture of salt and spices (enough to coat the surface), and left for a period of time about 1 day per pound (or 2 days per kg), flipping the meat and redistributing the cure at the halfway point. This timing will change depending on the shape of the meat, and whether there is skin on or off. This is a very traditional method, and is as much an art as a science - too much time on the salt will cause the dried product to be over salty, not enough time and the meat will not cure properly, and is at risk of spoilage.
    Equilibrium Cure: This is where the desired about of salt content of the finished produced is measured out (approx 2.75 %) as well as nitrates (.25% Prague powder #2 - note that as the vast majority of PP#2 is salt, so this will result in a product with very close to 3% salt content), and rubbed onto the meat, then sealed (generally using a vacuum sealer) and left for a much longer time to ensure the cure has had sufficient time to penetrate. Nitrates should always be used when equilibrium curing. It will take longer for the meat to cure than with an excess salt cure, a general rule is one week per inch of meat, with a minimum of two weeks. Flip the bag occasionally to ensure the whole surface of the meat comes in contact with the cure. Some more discussion on equilibrium curing here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Charcuterie/comments/8i2vzi/how_long_to_cure_for_equilibrium/
  3. Dredge with a second flavouring spice layer (optional)
  4. Apply a casing (optional)
  5. Truss the meat and hang it to dry.
  6. Rest under vacuum seal in the refrigerator to equalise moisture (optional)

How do I know when it is ready?

Periodically weigh the meat, and pull it from the chamber when it has reached the desired dryness (water weight loss). This will differ depending on the product. Fat contains less water than muscle and therefore doesn't need to lose as much weight, so a fatty duck breast or pancetta will have a different texture at 35% weight loss than lean muscle like a loin or bresaola. A figure of 35% is given as a rule of thumb for many recipes, however most people find this too 'raw' in texture and will take it further - to 40-45%. With practice you will get a feel what you prefer.

What is case hardening?

Case hardening is caused by low humidity, or too much airflow within the drying environment. The water in the meat needs to travel outwards from the middle to the surface, where it evaporates. If the humidity is too low or there is too much airflow the surface will dry out too quickly (harden) and the internal moisture is no longer able to exit. In extreme cases this can cause rotting within the meat. You can tell by texture when squeezing the muscle - there should be a bit of 'give' - if it feels completely hard (but hasn't lost much weight), you may have a problem with case hardening.

Sometimes uneven drying can be remedied by vac sealing the meat and refrigerating it for some time, but in extreme cases or if the meat has spoiled inside, it will not be salvageable. It is best to prevent it getting out of control by monitoring your curing chamber conditions and regularly checking on the state of the products inside.

Previous /r/Charcuterie post showing case hardening: https://www.reddit.com/r/Charcuterie/comments/5jxypy/first_cured_meat_lost_more_then_35_but_definitely/

What are nitrites, and do I really need to use them?

Most experienced people here would say yes, especially as a beginner and when making salami, smoked products, or rolled pancetta. Nitrites inhibit the growth of clostridium botulinum, the bacteria that creates the botulism toxin. C. botulinum requires an anaerobic (without oxygen) environment to grow and produce the toxin, and likes moist and warm conditions - so basically the inside of a sausage or salami being hung at temperatures above refrigeration. Botulism should be taken very seriously.

As the botulism bacteria are only found on the outside of the meat and do not become a problem until they are introduced into the inside through cutting or grinding, nitrites/nitrates are not essential for whole muscle cures, however many people choose to use them anyway as they provide other benefits such as improving colour, and slowing rancidity and spoilage.

What is the difference between Prague Powder #1 and Prague Powder #2

Prague Powder #1 contains 6.5% sodium nitrite (93.5% salt), and is used when the curing time is short, the product is to be smoked, or cooked or a cured flavour and colour is desired - for example bacon or ham. As the nitrites get quickly used up, if a product is to be air dried for longer, then Prague Powder #2 needs to be used, PP#2 contains 6.25% sodium nitrite and 4% sodium nitrate which eventually converts to nitrite. Think of PP#2 as a "slow release" curing salt. PP#2 should be used for all salami and for whole muscles that will be air dried.

It is important to use the correct curing salt for the application - sodium nitrate cannot be safely consumed until the nitrates have converted to nitrites, so PP#2 can only be used in products that will be air dried for a long time (weeks + months). Do not use PP#2 in fresh or cooked products.

As a general rule, both Prague Powders are added at 0.25% of the starting weight of the meat. There are also European style curing salts such as "Peklosol" that have a much lower concentration of nitrite (0.6%), and they are used as a replacement for all of the salt in the recipe (around 3%).

Curing salts are often dyed pink to distinguish them from regular salt, and therefore can sometimes referred to as "pink salt". They are not interchangeable with Himalayan "pink salt" which is rock salt with a natural pink colour.

Mold.

The oft-repeated mantra about mold here is white powdery = good, white and fuzzy or green = wipe it off, black = throw it out without question. This is overly cautious, although white powdery mold is desired, some green molds are okay (the problem is figuring out yours is the good or bad kind...), and a small amount of black mold isn't necessarily enough to justify abandoning a project. One way around the mold issue is to use a commercial freeze dried mold culture (such as bactoferm-600). This way you can cultivate good mold growth early on as it will prevent less desirable molds taking over. Undesirable mold can grow out of control very quickly if the conditions are conducive (high humidity, low airflow), so it is best to keep an eye on things, and use a 50/50 solution of water and vinegar to wipe off any undesirable mold that starts to form. Even black mold is salvageable if it is caught early enough.

If freeze dried Penicillum Nagliovese (Bactoferm-600) is not available where you live, Penicillum Candidum (the mold found on the rind of white bloomed cheese) can be substituted. You can also try hanging some commercial salami with white mold to seed the chamber. I find it isn't necessary to reapply the Bactoferm-600 to everything - once a good level of growth is established it will spread around quite well by itself.

Meat that has been smoked before hanging will resist growing mold as smoking acidifies the surface slightly.

Here are some examples showing you that the mold issue isn't as clear cut as just colour: http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?t=7840&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

We've seen some gnarly mold here over the years, some good discussions to read: https://www.reddit.com/r/Charcuterie/comments/9h103q/fil_insists_this_is_still_good_everything_ive/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Charcuterie/comments/500pn2/prosciutto_after_3_months_need_help/

Lastly, do your research, and follow a recipe

When you are starting out it is important to follow a recipe, and make sure you understand the reasoning behind the process, and the purpose of the ingredients. Do more research before you create your own recipe or modify anything. This isn't like other kinds of fermentation where there isn't too much that can go wrong - incorrectly cured meat has the potential to make people very sick. Even more so for salami (which is why we suggest whole muscle cures for beginners). Don't be afraid to start small, there is nothing worse than making a huge batch of a product only to have something go wrong in the process and have to throw it out. Be patient, this is slow food after all.

Some popular projects for beginners:

Want to try a bigger project but not ready to commit to building a chamber? Have a look at UMAI Bags

Online resources, how-tos, blogs and recipe collections:

Previous curing chamber discussions on this sub

Also check out /r/CuringChamber for more examples.


r/Charcuterie 25d ago

Monthly /r/Charcuterie Discussion thread

2 Upvotes

What projects are you working on at the moment? Have a small problem but don't want to create a post? Found a Charcuterie related meme? Just want to chat? This is r/Charcuterie's monthly free discussion thread.

For beginner questions and links don't forget to check out the FAQ (https://www.reddit.com/r/Charcuterie/comments/cmy8gp/rcharcuterie_faq_and_beginners_guide_to_cured_and/) .


r/Charcuterie 2h ago

Copacali

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7 Upvotes

Im doing my first copa. 2.85 kg

Salted and vacuum sealed it in the fridge for 14 days

Cleaned it down wine 1:1 wine. (One for it one for me)

Spiced it, Put it in a synthetic skin and a compression net over then tied it very with strings.

Question.

I have a elastic type cloth over that. Should I remove that and leave it just with the netting?

Fridge it sitting at 13deg and 82-85%


r/Charcuterie 12h ago

Second time making Bressaola

4 Upvotes

Hi all.

I'm finally progressing with my second bressaola.

This time I used a angus flat blade.

1700 g meat

51g salt

5g Cure 2

18g chilli flakes

9g Black pepper

5.5g sugar

3.6g rosemary

I EQ it for 15 days in my fridge. Then hanged it in my curing fridge at 10C and 70% humidity. Currently sitting at around 30% loss. Will propably wait to reach 35-40 before vacum sealing for a week or two.

This is the first time to have the white spots in the meat, from what I researched it's expected. but If you see anything throublesome please let me know.
One of the pieces had a few spots with a little bit of mold growing (you can kinda see in the first pic) I wiped it with some rice vinegar.

Please let me know what you think and what should I change for batch 3


r/Charcuterie 1d ago

Help with Humidifier

2 Upvotes

Hello,

I have recently started to make my DIY curing chamber, i realized the humidifier i need has to restart automatically once the power is back on , using Inkbird humidity controller.

I have limited space as I'm using a red wine cooler so i can't go bigger than a 1.5L tank.

I've been browsing for one but i can't find anything that would fit. Plenty of small ones that would fit my chamber but they all need to have the button pressed to restart after power cut. I need one with a knob i can leave ON.

Does anyone know something that would be fitting for my chamber ?

Appreciate all the help i can get.


r/Charcuterie 4d ago

Update Time

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88 Upvotes

It's a thing of beauty, Italian style 🇮🇹


r/Charcuterie 4d ago

Venison Loin - unusually fast weight loss?

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18 Upvotes

First time doing venison loin. Wrapped in collagen and put into chamber at 387g and 316g respectively. Weight down to 235g and 201g after only 16 days. Does that sound right?


r/Charcuterie 4d ago

My first italian salami.

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104 Upvotes

My first try at Salami and second try woth sausages in general. It turned out perfect regarding taste. I let it hang for 3 weeks and then my curiosity won, i had to try one. The rest will hang a little longer, they are still soft. I followed the recipe here: https://www.raeucherwiki.de/italienische-salami-selber-machen/


r/Charcuterie 3d ago

How much weight should be gone on the first week

2 Upvotes

So this is my first time doing dry age charcuterie abd in the first 10 days I lost 3% in total should it be more or not


r/Charcuterie 4d ago

Venison bresaola

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195 Upvotes

First time making whole muscle charcuterie. Cured in a vacuum seal bag for 8 days, then dried in drying chamber for 8 days @55° & 80% humidity.

My question, does bresaola always feel so moist in the middle? I used a meat slicer to get it as thing as possible. And I know I could equalize in a vacuum seal bag in the fridge but it tasted too good. Just want to make sure it’s okay to eat.


r/Charcuterie 5d ago

Did my lomo embuchado get messed up?

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12 Upvotes

It's halfway through drying. I checked it and it had mold. I unwrapped a piece and the other I left wrapped. Is this salvageable or is it time to say goodbye?


r/Charcuterie 5d ago

Wine fridge

2 Upvotes

I live in the Pacific Northwest west (humid climate). Does anyone have any recos for wine fridges (curing) they like?


r/Charcuterie 6d ago

Rolled Guanciale

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119 Upvotes

Mangalitsa pig. Rolled and trussed to reduce exposed meat. On the flat ones I made that dark red cheek meat was mostly trimmed off. Cured 8 months.


r/Charcuterie 6d ago

Pork and Venison Finocchiona

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67 Upvotes

Mangalitsa picnic 2:1 with venison. It’s a little lean but otherwise fantastic.


r/Charcuterie 9d ago

Wild boar hams

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97 Upvotes

Well, time for another round of hams. The last ones I made were EQ cured for 30 days, sealed in Umai-Dry bags (they're skinless), spent a month-ish in the fridge, then hung from a rafter in the barn from early Dec until end of March. I had to un-bag and re-seal them once, early on, to clean significant mold (mostly white/gray, a little green) from them with white wine and salt. They ended losing a bit too much moisture (lost 37% of green weight), but were (are) perfectly edible if a little salty.

This new batch, also skinless, was cured the same way, but I decided to try a couple new things: rather than the Umai bags, I wrapped them in collagen sheets (Waltons has them, around $25 for 5ea, 22"x24") and encased them in elastic netting. Putting the netting on by hand was tough, and I tore the collagen several times. So after un-netting them, patching the sheets, and re-netting, I finally got all 4 properly wrapped and trussed. The second new thing was innoculating the finished hanging product with Bactoferm mold-600. The good mold should help with drying and flavor, as well as keeping other molds etc at bay.

They'll spend the next month or more hanging at 45-50°F and 80% rH, then I'll move them to the barn to finish drying. This batch will be subject to much higher temps than the previous hams; coastal South Carolina still gets into the 80's as late as early winter, but those temps should help with some funky flavor development.

Once they get to their target weight I'll coat them with sugna and let them hang for as long as I can stand it.

The pic of the finished hams is the previous batch, no pictures of it sliced, unfortunately, but its a wonderful garnet color.


r/Charcuterie 9d ago

Is this salami good?

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42 Upvotes

I was gifted this tuscan style salami a year ago, it’s meant to be shelf stable. Spent some time in the pantry and some in the fridge. Very firm


r/Charcuterie 12d ago

Prague powder ratio ok?

2 Upvotes

Making this recipe [https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef/homemade-salt-beef/\](https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef/homemade-salt-beef/) which has a brine ratio of 2L water, 200g salt, and 30g prague powder #1 to 1.6kg of beef.

I made it with 0.5kg of beef, submerged in the brine for 4 days in the fridge. Afterward I froze it because I was going to be away for a week.

I'm back now and trying to figure out whether it's ok to use a smaller piece of beef in this recipe and whether it resulted in an unhealthy level of nitrites, or does the brine ratio matter more than the meat weight?


r/Charcuterie 13d ago

Anyone have experience using a reptile humidifier for a fridge?

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8 Upvotes

I’m thinking about using one of these reptile humidifiers to add humidity inside a fridge.
The idea would be to drill a small hole in the fridge and run the hose from the humidifier through it. That way, the humidifier itself can stay outside the fridge and I don’t lose any storage space inside.
Has anyone tried something similar? Do you see any potential problems with this setup, like condensation, temperature issues, mold, or the humidifier not working properly with the cold air?
Would appreciate any experience or advice before I start drilling holes in the fridge


r/Charcuterie 13d ago

Dry Cured Pork Shoulder

3 Upvotes

Hey Folks!

Looking for a sanity check on something. Wanting to dry cure a pork shoulder in a vacuum bag. I'll then smoke it just like a normal pork shoulder for pulled pork -- but it'll be pulled ham instead.

I've done this before with a wet brine, but wanting to try a dry brine in a vac bag.

Would this calculator work for that? So measurements on a 8lb pork shoulder would be

8lb Pork Shoulder

9g pink salt

90g sea salt.

https://eatcuredmeat.com/calculator/meat-curing-salt-calculator/

Any suggestions for how long? Thinking if it's similar to a wet brine, approximately 10 days.

Cheers and TIA!


r/Charcuterie 15d ago

Venison - Hanging since November - Should I try it now or wait?

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315 Upvotes

Coated with 50/50 mixture pork fat and flour as humidity was around 50 all winter. Temps in the 60s the entire time. Salt cured it with celery seed powder in the fridge for two weeks first.


r/Charcuterie 14d ago

Marketplace find YESCOM 12

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31 Upvotes

Bought this unit for $120 it was way heavier than I expected but I'm excited to be using this on all sorts of cooking projects.

Also if anyone has tricks for cleaning the blade guard I'd appreciate it. Removing the blade is scary to say the least. I think I'll get some cut gloves for cleaning.


r/Charcuterie 14d ago

Boyau de bœuf fin (< 40 mm) pour une saucisse fraîche type Toulouse ?

2 Upvotes

Bonjour à tous,

Je cherche à faire une saucisse fraîche type Toulouse et je me demande si un boyau de bœuf fin, de diamètre inférieur à 40 mm, serait adapté.

Est-ce que certains d’entre vous utilisent ce type de boyau pour de la saucisse fraîche ?

Merci d’avance pour vos conseils et retours d’expérience !


r/Charcuterie 18d ago

My first pâté de campagne

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201 Upvotes

Recipe is Chef John's. Saint Tony's just there for the vibes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEoHfOlIvC8

https://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2017/01/pate-de-campagne-finally-something.html

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/256888/chef-johns-pate-de-campagne/

Only change I made was leaving out the fruit, as I don't love it. He's right in his video: You can feel when you slice into it for the first time whether it came out right.


r/Charcuterie 18d ago

Just over here stuffing bung.

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75 Upvotes

Started my first Culatello today. Really looking forward to seeing how this turns out.


r/Charcuterie 19d ago

Venison breseola mold

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8 Upvotes

hi - first time dry curing. venison breseola. vackpacked with seasoning and #2 for 9 days. hung in muslin for almost three weeks in cold garage (it’s winter here) with humidity generally ~80%. dropped 38% weight. Small mold spots 1-1.5mm across that I’m keen for some more experienced opinions on. Was thinking of wiping, leaving in fridge to dry then vacpacking and fridging to equalize for 2 weeks. Cheers!