So now I have 6lbs of pork left and I’ve given up on chorizo for cooking.  It’s time to break away from Charcuterie and develop my own process.  I adjusted the recipe for the amount of pork I had and (since the recipe doesn’t have any fat) the amount of fat I was adding.  Remembering the Chorizo in Spain, I hand-cut the fat to give me big chunks.  When I looked at the drawing in Charcuterie (pg. 133), it has fat in it even though if the recipe doesn’t call for it.  Not sure how that happens.

Used my new batch-mixing method, and everything seemed to go fine.  Now we just have to wait to see how it turns out.

Sopressata came out of the bathroom fermenting closet and is hung in the curing cabinet.  Now that we know how many BTUs the old  humidifier was pumping out, it’s a wonder we ever got anything to cure in there.

Another diversion - Charlotte’s lacrosse team was going for a hike and needed another parent/driver.  But, before I left I went to check on the Fuet and… OH NO!  The humidifier bumped up the temperature to at least 90 degrees, and the fuet had little puddles of fat under them.  I unplugged the humidifier and went hiking.

When I got back I went to work on the Sopressata.  It went well - I love using the beef middles and loved how they looked hanging next to the dripping Fuet in the cooler and dryer fermenting closet.

The plan was to make the Fuet in the morning and cooking chorizo in the afternoon, but plans often don’t work out.  Kate wanted me to work on automating marketing letters for SES, so I didn’t get to the kitchen until 2:00.

I focused on Fuet because it had to ferment longer - three days.  I used the large hog casings and didn’t pack them too tightly - the Fuet in Spain is long and thin (Fuet means “whip” in Catalan).  I put them in the “fermenting” closet (the downstairs bathroom) with the space heater set on low.  I also set up the humidifier - I”m wondering if the “good” white mold dies off because it’s not humid enough in there (it should be 90%+ or so according Wedliny, where I got the recipe).

Flush with confidence after getting two consecutive batches (Chorizo and Tuscan Salami) to turn out, I’ve decided to go for four batches this weekend: Another cured Chorizo, a Spanish cooking Chorizo, Sopressata (a spicer salami from around Rome) and Fuet - the Catalan sausage I’ve been dying to make since Spain.

I’m entering my post-Charcuterie phase, and starting to question a lot of their advice.  Realizing I shouldn’t be using the hog casings for my salami was definitely a nudge in this direction, as was the need to change my approach to accomodate the size of my mixer, which is too small for a 5-lb batch.  So for now I’m still using Charcuterie as a base, but definitely adapting it as I go.

My general plan going forward is:

1. Cut up the pork early and weight it, then adjust the recipe for the amount of pork I have.  I’ve been using whatever the recipe called for, then cooking up the rest and feeding it to the dogs.  Sorry Max and Mae, the glory days are over.
2. Mix all the ingredients while the meat and fat are still cubed.  This allows me to work with as much as 10lbs at a time.
3. After that, I can grind all of the ingredients together, mix it in the mixer in smaller batches (say, 3lbs at a time) and keep refilling the stuffer until the stuffing is gone.

Still need to figure out when the starter culture should go in - I’ve got some research to do.

Still have plenty of fat back from Crisfields, but knew I was going to need three pork shoulders (each one produces about 5-6 pounds of usable meat, and the Fuet uses a lot of fat and some picnic shoulder) and decided to call a day early to make sure they had it.

When I called, they asked me when I could pick it up.  I said “anytime”, and he said, “How about in an hour?”

I wasn’t really planning on getting it until Friday, but got flustered and said “OK”, and found myself fighting the rush hour traffic going to Rye to pick up my meat.  Nice that they bone it for me though.  Won’t have time to work on it tonight - have to make dinner.

The chorizo came out of the cabinet a couple of days ago, after losing about 45% of it’s weight.  It’s delicious, firmly packed and with just the right amout of spice.  It’s been going fast.

Although some mold grew on the outside, we didn’t get a lot.  I’d assume it had something to do with how I prepared it, but there’s NO mold on the salami after a week, and I prepared that according to the directions.

Something is definitely wrong with the Saucisson Sec - it’s like a bag of mush.  There’s no firmness to it at all.  The salami is looking good though (even without mold).  Humidity has been holding up OK, except for the day Kate and Maria were cleaning around the cabinet and knocked the humidifier plug loose.  We were suddenly down at 40%.

Later this week I’m hoping to make some more chorizo and some other salami, like a Sopressatta.  I’m trying to plan it to co-incide with the pork loin that’s curing for Lonzino, maybe Friday.

Was planning to start first thing this morning, but didn’t get going early enough and had to take JJ to the airport at 11:00.  As a reault, the salami didn’t get started until after 1:00 or so.

I hit a few snags.  For one, you may remember I mixed the meat and 2/3 of the fat with the garlic, fennel, pepper and wine overnight, as I’ve seen some recipes call for.  It might cause them to meld together nicely, or it might mean my fennel has a soggy, wine-garlic flavor.  Time will tell.

The problem came up in that the recipe calls for the fat to be ground through the large die, and the meat through the small die.  Oops.  I went with the large die for both, I think it’ll be OK.

I had enough extra pork to make 1 1/2 recipes, but had only kept out 1lb of the fat when I froze the rest.  I decided to cut the other 1/2 lb by hand.  However when it was all mixed together, I didn’t have a bowl the right size to allow me to put it back in the freezer.  I went on mixing, first by hand in a big salad bowl, then in batches in the mixer.

I got a good mix having less in the mixer at one time, but I’m not sure if the fat fell apart on me or not.  It may have, although there will still be the chunks I cut by hand.

How is it that farmers in Italy 100 years ago could make this without freezing their fat solid before mixing?

The beef middles turned out to be smaller than I expected.  I was thinking 3 to 3 1/2 inches in diameter, but I think they’re only 2 1/2 or so.  I like the size though, and I really like the thickness of the casing.  I’m wondering if it will slow down the drying, which continues to be a problem.

I weighted one of the chorizos today, and after 7 days it’s already lost the target 30% of its weight, even though it’s probably nowhere near done (it should take 18 days).  I’ve struggled to get the humidity up past 65% (especially since the rh at the moment is 23% in the house, and that’s after it warmed up), and am wondering if the cold-mist humidifier creates too much circulation.  I may try an ultrasonic one instead.

Despite the possibility of broken fat and questions about the cut of pork, the salamis look teriffic.  Even if they’re not edible, I’m hoping to learn something about drying them.

In the beginning was the plan: 1) Cut the fat into 1lb chunks and freeze what I don’t need, 2) Cut up the meat, 3) Make 5lbs of Saucisson Sec, then 4) Mix the rest of the meat with garlic, fennel, pepper and wine for the Tuscan Salami to sit in the fridge overnight, adjusting the recipe to use ALL the remaining meat.

And that’s pretty much how it went.  The fat was great - no smearing.  My only concern was about the cut of the meat.  I’d asked for pork shoulder BUTT, but judging from the bones and my limited pig-anatomy skills I think they gave me the lower part - the picnic or Boston butt.

Too bad - everything else went very smoothly.  I started around 10:00 and finished around 4:00, with a few long breaks in the middle.  Still, I was pretty exhausted when JJ came in and asked what was for dinner.  His choice was entrecote with bernaise sauce, potatoes and the mozzerella/tomatoe/avocado salad, so off to the store I went.  Had a great meal with JJ, Charlotte, Beau and Doug.

Afterward I still had two jobs to do.  First I got out one of the beef middles to soak overnight.  They look just like hog casings, only bigger.  I have no idea what those ugly, smelly hog middles are about, but they’re getting tossed.

Second was mixing the M-EK-4 biological weapon mold spores so they could equalibriate (what does that mean?) overnight.  I wore a mask this time, but even thinking about it made my sinuses ache.

Wearing My Bio-Haz Gear

I got a call first thing this morning telling me my order was in, then asking me if I wanted the shoulders skinned and boned.  Sounded like less work for me, and a couple hours later I made the 10 minute drive to Rye.  I was a bit disappointed to find they didn’t cure their own sausage, but very nice people.  The fatback looks great.  I also picked up a lamb roast to put on the rotisserie.

My beef middles from Butcher and Packer arrived yesterday.  I haven’t opened them up, but they look a lot more like the hog casings I’ve been using then those ugly hog middles did.  Looking forward to trying them out.

I’ll get my chance this weekend.  After the fat from ShopRite disintigrated on me last weekend I decided not to try anything else without getting some real fatback.  I called Greenwich Prime Meats and they were no help.  Told me I’d have to buy an entire case - 40 lbs.  I might have considered it, but he pretty much hung up on me before I could give it a thought.

Looking around I found some references to Crisfield’s Market in Rye.  They told me “No problem”!  I ordered 10 lbs and two pork butt shoulders - I figure I’ll make a batch of Saucisson Sec in the large hog casings I have, and try out some Salami in the new beef middles.  They also make their own sausage - I’m interested to see if they cure sausage too.

The curing cabinet is holding at 58 degrees and 62% humidity.  I added water to the humidifier and bumped up both the temperature and humidity a little.

The Chorizo is looking good - dark, but only tiny, tiny specks of mold so far.  It should bloom soon, or I’ll have to go back to following the recipe.

Looking good.  Temperature at 60 degrees, with 65% humidity.