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View Full Version : Charcuterie Must haves.


Mikey063
08-20-2011, 08:22 PM
I am really into trying charcuterie, I just ordered "Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing." by Michael Ruhlman.

I am very much a novice/newbie. I have never done anything except my current bacon project.

What I would like to know is, what essential tools/items I have to have to do it right. I want to thank everybody ahead of time for the time and knowledge. :thumb:

Matt_A
08-20-2011, 08:28 PM
For starters: A quality, meaning NOT a "household" model, meat griinder with a large selection of face plates. A stand-alone sausage stuffer with several different sized stuffing tubes, a big sheet pan that you can put water or oil in so your sausage slides easily on it and doesn't stick/tear.

Mikey063
08-20-2011, 08:54 PM
For starters: A quality, meaning NOT a "household" model, meat griinder with a large selection of face plates. A stand-alone sausage stuffer with several different sized stuffing tubes, a big sheet pan that you can put water or oil in so your sausage slides easily on it and doesn't stick/tear.

Thank you for the info. Do you have models/brands that you recommend? I would like to not spend alot(read cheap as hell).

Matt_A
08-20-2011, 09:01 PM
Unfortunately the equipment isn't cheap. If you try to get off buying cheap equipment you'll probably hate charcuterie within a short period of time. Let me do some looking around and see what's new in the affordable department.

Mikey063
08-20-2011, 09:08 PM
Thanks again :-D. If I have to. I will buy one item at a time. I have put aside roughly $200 for the initial items.

pitbossJB
08-21-2011, 01:48 PM
Here are some pictures of a meat grinder I put together on the cheap. It won't do for commercial, but it's fine for home use.

Cabin Fever
08-21-2011, 04:45 PM
Unfortunately the equipment isn't cheap. If you try to get off buying cheap equipment you'll probably hate charcuterie within a short period of time.

Exactly.

While I haven't tried my hand with homemade sausages yet, I do grind my own hamburger from time to time as well as the trimmings from spare ribs. I use a kitchen aid with the grinder attachment, but before that I bought an ultra cheap grinder from Harbor Freight for $50. Well, you know that old saying “you get what you pay for”? It turns out to be 100% true which is why I took that piece of junk back the next day.

Just remember, when it comes to grinding meat or stuffing sausages, you want to work super fast so the fat won't melt and gum up the grinder. If I was serious about sausage making and had the money (and hopefully some day I will), I'd pick up a 15 pound stuffer and this grinder. Good luck which ever way you go bro.

Cabela's #42 meat grinder - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aqzms7D3Mk)

Matt_A
08-21-2011, 05:17 PM
The most important thing about sausage making is not letting the heat build up. If you're not actively doing something with the meat it should be in an ice bath. Keep everything sharp to reduce friction.

Capozzoli
08-21-2011, 05:20 PM
I practice the art and I dont have any equipment other then a food processor, a sausage stuffing funnel and some mortons tender quick.

Oh yeah and I use an old electric fan too.

JMSetzler
08-21-2011, 05:22 PM
I bought a "Kitchener" brand meat grinder from Northern Tool for about $119 and I'm totally happy with it. I can't imagine that spending more money on a meat grinder would make me happier.

Matt_A
08-21-2011, 05:23 PM
Cabela's #42 meat grinder - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aqzms7D3Mk)

22 lbs./minute $769.99 :thumb:

Capozzoli
08-21-2011, 05:24 PM
Good lord man! how much sausage are you guys makin??

Matt_A
08-21-2011, 05:28 PM
Good lord man! how much sausage are you guys makin??

never.enough.sausage :hungry::hungry::hungry:

bluetang
08-21-2011, 05:34 PM
I totally agree with the other folks. The best grinder you can get, a good stuffer(I have a five lb and typically grind 25 lb or more batches, wish I had a larger capacity), a large mixing vessel, and scales(one for grams for the spices and cure, and one larger for the meats), brushes to clean the stuffing horns, either "c" clips(hog rings) and pliers or a tape sealer for your bulk chubs, vacuum packager ain't bad, if not, freezer paper, butcher's twine, and one knife per sized plate, the knife "marrys" to the particular plate, injection apparatuses, hangers for sausages and bacon. That's all I can think of right now, I'm drinking wine and smoking ribs. I do know that $$$$$ come into play, it sure would be nice if we could have it all, but...
Here's a place that I deal with:
http://www.alliedkenco.com/index.aspx

There are several more, The Sausage maker, Butcher Packer to name a couple.
Please keep us posted, I love meat processing:-D

Mikey063
08-21-2011, 05:48 PM
Well I might get the grinder and sausage stuffer for my kitchenAid blender. That should cost under 100, I hope lol I would rather start off small, and if this works, then work up to the pricey items.

Capozzoli
08-21-2011, 05:58 PM
never.enough.sausage :hungry::hungry::hungry:

You sound just like my wife.

Thankfully she WASNT that way before we married. :roll:

I guess you need all that stuff if you make lots of sausage. I every now and then spend a Sunday afternoon stuffing some casings with my thumbs. We make klobasa mostly. Haven't tried my hand at soprasatta salami and the like, but it is on my list. I consider that advanced. When you are getting into fermenting the meat then it gets a bit complicated, I think? I just freeze some pre-cubed meat then pulse it in the food processor till I reach a good consistency. If I want meat dough for say bratworst I run the food processor and throw in some ice.

It might be important to note that sausage making is only one small part of charcuterrie. One might want to start with turning a pork loin into Canadian bacon, OR make some Irish back bacon. Corned beef etc.

Then graduate onto cured sausages and cold smoking.

That book is a good one though, that is where I learned.

The Foxfire books have some good info to on curing and preserving meats and building a smokehouse.

Have you seen cowgirls smoke house? Search for her blog.

jalon
08-21-2011, 06:19 PM
Mikey,

I'd read that book first before you buy anything. I have it, and it's awesome - I couldn't put it down for three hours once I got home with it! The author states that most of the recipes they present in the book were prepared with a kitchenaid mixer grinder attachment, so the average home cook could try things out; that's the route I also took so that I could follow the way they did it in the book.
I think it's a real eye opener too. I make fresh sausage, haven't stuffed any yet, but the breakfast patties I've done up were amazing. Because I cooked them right away, I didn't use any of of the pink salts, but they explain the whole purpose behind them, so I don't feel it's wrong to use them when the time comes, since it's far less than commercial quantities.

thirdeye
08-21-2011, 06:27 PM
I guess it depends on how fast and how far you are jumping into this hobby. Doing dry cured things like salami, coppa, prosciutto takes a lot more skill than making bacon and fresh sausages.

First I would recommend some good reading materials which have proven recipes. The Ruhlman book is excellent, and I cut my teeth on the Rytek Kutas book "Great sausage recipes and meat curing". The binding is not that great, but the content is excellent.

Next, you need a few food safety items, good thermometers, some meat tubs, meat buckets, gloves and the like. Tools like gloves, cutting boards, sharp knives you most likely have.

A grinder and stuffer are needed. I put more money in a good quality stuffer, mine is 25 years old and still works as good as the day I bought it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v377/thirdeye2/Cooking/IMG_0123a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v377/thirdeye2/Barbecue%209/DSC07260a.jpg

My grinder is a Kitchen Aid mixer attachment. I can grind meat at the rate of 1 pound per minute all day long if it is cubed and iced down first. You don't need a dedicated fridge, but will need the ability to utilize space in your beer fridge. Tubs and buckets take up a lot of room and when you equalize bacon, or dry sausage and things, you need plenty of room. It also has to be kept cold, so keep opening down to a minimum.

You will need top quality spices, curing salts and must select the freshest meats you can. Don't scrimp on any of these things. Also get good quality casings and learn how to clean them, also use the right casing for the job, they come in several sizes, and you can get sheep or hog casing. I don't care for the artificial ones.

Then you need wrapping material or equipment. I have a vacuum sealer and also buy good quality plastic wrap and freezer paper. I also make my own labels. You will usually be giving stuff away and the nicer the wrap job, the better.


Lastly, and most importantly you will need a journal for keeping all your notes. Your basic brining may only take a day or two, curing might be a week or 10 days and your hard cured stuff will take several weeks or months. A journal will insure that you can repeat a process, or know what you want to change.

gtr
08-21-2011, 06:35 PM
I love that Charcuterie book - I've made lots of the sausage recipes in there and they've all been good. I'm curing maple bacon as we speak. The Rytek Kutas book is great too - dude knows his stuff(ing)!

As mentioned, a dedicated stuffer is a great idea - the Kitchenaid attachment is ok for grinding (for me anyway - I only do 5# batches) but the stuffer for the KA totally blows. I normally don't buy stuff that only suits one purpose in a kitchen, but I did get one of those little sausage pricker thingees. I know toothpicks, knife tips, whatever else works fine, but I kept tearing the casings with those. It's also a good thing to measure your links with too.

I haven't bought commercially made sausage since I started making my own a couple years ago. You'll be amazed at how great even the simplest recipes are. And, as mentioned before, keep everything cold cold cold.

Mikey063
08-21-2011, 06:46 PM
Talk about info overload. Everybody has given me alot to think about. I will wait for the book to arrive before I go much further into the process, except I will get the meat grinder for my KitchenAid. I wanted that for awhile, mainly to make my own hamburger. As to the stuffer, I will look for a good quality one.

Matt_A
08-21-2011, 06:52 PM
The Foxfire books have some good info to on curing and preserving meats and building a smokehouse.

OMG!! :shocked: I thought I was the last remaining soul in the world that remembers and used the Foxfire books!! Coincidentally, I live on Foxfire St. in Moore, OK! :-D

thirdeye
08-21-2011, 07:08 PM
Talk about info overload. Everybody has given me alot to think about. I will wait for the book to arrive before I go much further into the process, except I will get the meat grinder for my KitchenAid. I wanted that for awhile, mainly to make my own hamburger. As to the stuffer, I will look for a good quality one.


I thought you had the Charcuterie book ordered already..[EDIT - I just looked at your first post, it is on order].. okay that's a good call to get if first. In the meantime, HERE (http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/) is a link to my favorite site for things like this. Start with the "Making Sausage" tab, it has sub-tabs that will walk you through the entire process. This is not a substitute for getting both the Ruhlman and the Kutas books, they are bibles..... but this site is dang good.

Hell Fire Grill
08-21-2011, 07:31 PM
I think for the most part, except for the meat grinder, Thirdeye has nailed it with the reading materials, meat lugs, space, thermos, link to the Marianski's web site etc. The Charcuterie book is a good start but possibly a bit advanced for a guy with no equipment in my opinion. You'll see that the dry cured products require more equipment and knowledge.

I'll add/reinforce the point made about the grinder plates by saying each plate should have its own knife. Realisticly you'll need a good grinder, sooner or later, and stuffer for top quality sausages. A meat mixer is a valuable tool since it substancially reduces the time the meat spends out of the fridge/handeling. Have everything you'll need to do the job lined up and ready to go so you dont have to drive back into town and get the one thing you thought you had but dident.

Personally I would reccomend picking up a small stuffer, and a larger one if you really like sausage, so you can make small batches (experimental recipies) and not have to clean a big stuffer for only a couple pounds of sausage.

Most importantly have a good time with the project so it dont seem like your working, drink lots of beer, take a bunch of pics and enjoy making your own cured meats.

pitbossJB
08-21-2011, 10:38 PM
I started out with the KitchenAid grinder and stuffer, but soon found that the holes are too small in the grinder plate. To make really good sausage you need a really coarse grind on the meat and other ingedients, thus that's why I got my grinder with the big holes( plus it heats the meat less). Just info i've learned the hard way. Also the tube style stuffer doesn't heat the meat either. Good luck! jb

gtr
08-22-2011, 12:34 AM
OMG!! :shocked: I thought I was the last remaining soul in the world that remembers and used the Foxfire books!! Coincidentally, I live on Foxfire St. in Moore, OK! :-D

Looking at my set of Foxfire books on the shelf right now! :thumb:

thirdeye
08-22-2011, 09:09 AM
I started out with the KitchenAid grinder and stuffer, but soon found that the holes are too small in the grinder plate. To make really good sausage you need a really coarse grind on the meat and other ingedients, thus that's why I got my grinder with the big holes( plus it heats the meat less). Just info i've learned the hard way. Also the tube style stuffer doesn't heat the meat either. Good luck! jb

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v377/thirdeye2/Cooking/IMG_0107.jpg


There should be 2 plates with the KA grinder, not sure on the size of the fine plate, but the coarse plate has 1/4" holes. Did your kit have both plates? I only grind my sausage meat once through the coarse plate. As far as heat goes, cube and chill your meat until it's icy before grinding.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v377/thirdeye2/Barbecue%209/DSC07294a.jpg

Smiter Q
08-22-2011, 11:27 AM
This is a very informative thread, thanks for starting it.

Here is the book mentioned several times in the thread on Amazon
Amazon.com: Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing (9780393058291): Michael Ruhlman, Brian Polcyn, Thomas Keller: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Ou38lyp5L.@@AMEPARAM@@51Ou38lyp5L (http://www.amazon.com/Charcuterie-Craft-Salting-Smoking-Curing/dp/0393058298/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314029787&sr=8-1)

Here is the Northern Tool Grinder.. presently on sale too
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200451267_200451267

Mikey063
08-22-2011, 11:40 AM
I have that book on the way now. I bought it last week. :)

Grabnabber
08-22-2011, 12:08 PM
I will second the thought that the Kitchenaid grinder is OK but the stuffer SUCKS.

I used it once and immediately went out and bought a 5# tube-type stuffer. You will want to pull your hair out trying to use that POS Kitchenaid stuffer. It truly blows. :crazy:

There, I feel better now. :laugh:

Wampus
08-22-2011, 12:42 PM
AWESOME thread. Lots of great info for us charcucherie noobs.
I also bought the Ruhlman book a couple of months ago and was immediately hooked. NOW....if I can only create my clone so I can have more time in my daily life.....:roll:

I've been looking at CL lately and have had some luck finding commercial grinders and stuffers from closing processors, restaurants, etc. It may be worth a search to see if there's something like that in your area.

I simply have a real hard time buying the KA mixer for what they want new. (CHEAPO TO THE MAX) I've seen those on CL as well for deals.


Personally, I can't wait to make my own sausage and bacon.:thumb:

mcoupe
08-22-2011, 03:57 PM
I too, bought the book. After reading it and further investigetion, I found that there are no retail dry curing chambers. The closest you get is a wine fridge. The problem is keeping the humidity, and the temperature exact. I saw some converted fridges, with humidifiers, and lightbulbs installed on the inside. These do the job of balancing the temp and humidity. Also , I've heard of using salt, in the bottom of the fridge. Most people didn't seem to have alot of luck this way tho.

It'll be great to see what results people on here have had, or get. I did some bacon, and it turned out spectacular! Plan on doing some canadian bacon, or proscuitto next!

Redfish1
08-22-2011, 04:41 PM
For sausage and bacon smoking the masterbuilt electric smoker does a outstanding job.I've
seen them on sale for $140 at Academy.They also do a good brisket.I leave out the thing where you put the wood chips and attached a smoke pistol,but I think if you use pellets
instead of chips you will get smoker results.Also a good dry smoker. We soaked pinto beans and smoked them,they came out incredible.When I do a brisket in my pit it is smokier,but they are equal in tenderness.The pellets come in a wide range of flavors. If your going to make sausage a smoker is almost a must.

Frankbbq
08-22-2011, 10:38 PM
Look up the Len Poli sausage site. It is the best sausage site on the internet.
The Kitchen Aid mixer will grind, but has small plate holes and plugs up a lot.
The Cabelas #42 grinder looked great. It was very quiet when grinding. My neighbor has 3-4 grinders and the $99 ones make an incredible amount of noise when grinding.

I have the northern Tool $299 model and it works well. Its main draw back is that the shaft that drives the cutter is oversized. I bought a second shaft and machined it down to be able to use standard #12 plates and cutters.

elchupahueso
08-22-2011, 10:46 PM
I too, bought the book. After reading it and further investigetion, I found that there are no retail dry curing chambers. The closest you get is a wine fridge. The problem is keeping the humidity, and the temperature exact. I saw some converted fridges, with humidifiers, and lightbulbs installed on the inside. These do the job of balancing the temp and humidity. Also , I've heard of using salt, in the bottom of the fridge. Most people didn't seem to have alot of luck this way tho.

It'll be great to see what results people on here have had, or get. I did some bacon, and it turned out spectacular! Plan on doing some canadian bacon, or proscuitto next!

DIY Cheese cave. (http://www.cheesemaking.com/includes/modules/jWallace/OnLineNews/NewsFiles/Cave/Cave1.html) Having actually gone through all trouble researching what it takes to build a cheese cave/ sausage ageing booth I can tell you, it's really not all that hard. That link will show you what you need to do to an old fridge to modify it for the right temp's and humidity. Plus there's all sorts of forums like this one dedicated to cheese that have people MacGuyvering their own. It's pretty awesome. Just work clean, and you should be just fine.

thirdeye
08-22-2011, 11:56 PM
I too, bought the book. After reading it and further investigetion, I found that there are no retail dry curing chambers. The closest you get is a wine fridge. The problem is keeping the humidity, and the temperature exact. I saw some converted fridges, with humidifiers, and lightbulbs installed on the inside. These do the job of balancing the temp and humidity. Also , I've heard of using salt, in the bottom of the fridge. Most people didn't seem to have alot of luck this way tho.

It'll be great to see what results people on here have had, or get. I did some bacon, and it turned out spectacular! Plan on doing some canadian bacon, or proscuitto next!

I think you meant to say "dry aging chambers". Dry aging is the method used on something like a quarter beef or a whole loin, and takes 20 to 40 days under controlled conditions, like temperature, humidity, air circulation etc. This is what's done in a special room, and most of the pro's discourage home aging. However.... a lot of the Eggers are doing it without special equipment (just a beer fridge). And there is a company that sells a system called a Dry Bag that can be used at home. It has special vents and a procedure to follow.

Dry curing is what is used on Buckboard bacon, some belly bacon, even pork chops. It only needs a non-reactive container or bag and your beer fridge. And all of these things are cooked at the end of the process. Dry cured items like hams, salami and proscuitto are not cooked that's why they need a different blend of curing agents.

Maybe you dry cured the bacon you did? I just sliced and packaged the dry cured bacon I smoked yesterday. Two of my buddies got enough for a king sized breakfast for their families.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v377/thirdeye2/Barbecue%2014/DSC02409aaa.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v377/thirdeye2/Barbecue%2014/DSC02416aaa.jpg

gtr
08-23-2011, 12:12 AM
^^^now that's beauty up there^^^ :clap2:

Mikey063
08-23-2011, 12:36 AM
I think after looking at that pron. I need some me time. That bacon looks great. I believe you used a meat slicer to get the nice cuts. Very nice.

TIMMAY
08-23-2011, 02:24 AM
I 100% agree with that statement about the KA attachments. I had my brother in law make me a plate with 3/8 holes. Him and I are pretty good with CAD, and after using a set of calipers took every bit of three minutes to draw up and he has access to a waterjet. Even then the suck factor was pretty high grinding and the stuffing operation was always ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE. I do not make all that much sausage (honestly cause how horrible the stuffing operation is with the KA) but I still am gonna get a vertical hand crank stuffer.

You can get electric motors from surpluscenter (even with washdown enclosures) for real cheap and you can put together a grinder like what Pitboss did for probably less than $200 depending on where you get your parts from. Nice rig BTW Pitboss.



I will second the thought that the Kitchenaid grinder is OK but the stuffer SUCKS.

I used it once and immediately went out and bought a 5# tube-type stuffer. You will want to pull your hair out trying to use that POS Kitchenaid stuffer. It truly blows. :crazy:

There, I feel better now. :laugh:

Mikey063
08-23-2011, 01:17 PM
Saw this on CL. I might get it. http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/spo/2552417231.html

For 60 dollars it might be worth it.

Mikey063
08-23-2011, 03:25 PM
Ok I was looking at sausage stuffers and came across this one. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Weston-Products-Stuffer/940413.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3D searchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProduc ts%26Ntt%3Dsausage%2Bstuffer%26x%3D0%26y%3D0%26WTz _l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=sausage+stuffer&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products

Is it worth the price?

Wampus
08-23-2011, 06:10 PM
^^^now that's beauty up there^^^ :clap2:

Hells yeah! I sure wish I could hang out with Thirdeye some and pick his brain.......AND his bacon!:becky::thumb:

Capozzoli
08-23-2011, 07:13 PM
Oh man that bacon looks awesome!

MMMM cured and cold smoked meats.


Slanina (Slovakian style bacon)
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll294/capozzoli_2008/bacon001.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll294/capozzoli_2008/Gulash2009007.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll294/capozzoli_2008/Gulash2009008.jpg

These are all feral hog from down South.

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll294/capozzoli_2008/Gulash2009012.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll294/capozzoli_2008/Gulash2009016.jpg

Cured and cold smoked venison.

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll294/capozzoli_2008/Gulash2009006.jpg

Cured and cold smoked domestic pork.

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll294/capozzoli_2008/Gulash2009005.jpg

Anybody ever make blood sausage? I love the Spanish Morcillia, I want to learn how to make that. but not so much the eastern European variety.

I am thinking about getting a small pig and breaking it down myself, never tried it.

Mikey063
08-23-2011, 08:39 PM
I just took my pork bellies out of the brine, and now inside of vacuum bags. That is after I did a coating of maple and curing blend, which I got out of my brand new Charcuterie book I got today :-D Now I let it rest until firm.

Mikey063
08-23-2011, 08:39 PM
Oh and I am looking at trying blood sausage when I get the hang of basic sausage lol

boatnut
08-23-2011, 09:00 PM
I think it is. I have the next size up and really love it. the 2 speed gears makes re-loading really easy.

Ok I was looking at sausage stuffers and came across this one. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Weston-Products-Stuffer/940413.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3D searchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProduc ts%26Ntt%3Dsausage%2Bstuffer%26x%3D0%26y%3D0%26WTz _l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=sausage+stuffer&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products

Is it worth the price?

SmokeOCD
08-23-2011, 09:09 PM
Hey Cap what the heck did you top the slanina with? I usually just chomp on it straight like you would with cheese cubes. Fresh bread and some green onions or garlic; wash it down with some slivo or something along those lines...

Capozzoli
08-23-2011, 09:16 PM
We top Slanina with green onions, white onions, horchitca and chren,

In the picture is diced white onion, horseradish and Slovakian mustard. The best mustard in the world BTW. :-D

SmokeOCD
08-23-2011, 09:37 PM
OK that sounds good - I was horrified that you might have topped it with some kind of cabbage concoction. :puke:

Mikey063
08-23-2011, 09:51 PM
Good thing. I just bought the sausage stuffer for 99 dollars plus 5 shipping.

thirdeye
08-23-2011, 09:52 PM
Oh man that bacon looks awesome!

MMMM cured and cold smoked meats.


Slanina (Slovakian style bacon)
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll294/capozzoli_2008/bacon001.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll294/capozzoli_2008/Gulash2009007.jpg



Now that is some serious color. It looks delicious. Now, what is the curing method and the seasonings?

Capozzoli
08-23-2011, 10:22 PM
Cabbage, yikes. Sounds like something my mother in law would do though, maybe some corn on there too.

The curing method is wet cure. Morton's tender quick with about one part sugar to 4 parts tender quick. The Slanina is cured for about three days I think. Then it went into a cleann water soak over night to pull some of the slats back out. Then I put it in front of a fan for about three hours to dry and form a pecicile (im sorry I cant remember that word for the film). Then into a cold smoker at 50 degrees light wisps of alderwood smoke for about six hours.

The game is cured in Morton's tenderquick, sugar, garlic, black pepper.
Wet cure also, cold smoked the same way but for about 20 hours. Same for the venison.

The sausage is ground feral hog with garlic, paprika, marjoram, caroway seeds, mortons tenderquick.

I think I got it all.

I think the most common mistake people amke with cold smoking other then letting the stuff get to hot is too much smoke. Light almost invisible wisps of smoke, is the key.

Mikey063
08-23-2011, 10:37 PM
Cabbage, yikes. Sounds like something my mother in law would do though, maybe some corn on there too.

The curing method is wet cure. Morton's tender quick with about one part sugar to 4 parts tender quick. The Slanina is cured for about three days I think. Then it went into a cleann water soak over night to pull some of the slats back out. Then I put it in front of a fan for about three hours to dry and form a pecicile (im sorry I cant remember that word for the film). Then into a cold smoker at 50 degrees light wisps of alderwood smoke for about six hours.

The game is cured in Morton's tenderquick, sugar, garlic, black pepper.
Wet cure also, cold smoked the same way but for about 20 hours. Same for the venison.

The sausage is ground feral hog with garlic, paprika, marjoram, caroway seeds, mortons tenderquick.

I think I got it all.

I think the most common mistake people amke with cold smoking other then letting the stuff get to hot is too much smoke. Light almost invisible wisps of smoke, is the key.

How long do you wet cure it? I am currently doing a wet and dry cure on some pork belly.

gbguy71
09-06-2011, 11:39 PM
I too, bought the book. After reading it and further investigetion, I found that there are no retail dry curing chambers. The closest you get is a wine fridge. The problem is keeping the humidity, and the temperature exact. I saw some converted fridges, with humidifiers, and lightbulbs installed on the inside. These do the job of balancing the temp and humidity. Also , I've heard of using salt, in the bottom of the fridge. Most people didn't seem to have alot of luck this way tho.

It'll be great to see what results people on here have had, or get. I did some bacon, and it turned out spectacular! Plan on doing some canadian bacon, or proscuitto next!

Check out this guy's site for a GREAT way to build a drying chamber/ (http://mattikaarts.com/blog/charcuterie-recipes/). It is more complicated/scientific than Ruhlman's book indicates. His site is a wonderful resource - good recipes and a good writer.

I've got some issues with Ruhlman's sausage making. Kutas is better. Another good book is Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages by the Marianski's (whose web site has been mentioned earlier - a WONDERFUL resource). Having said that Ruhlman's book is an absolute winner. I've made bresaola, duck prosciutto, duck confit, terrines, onion confit, tomato confit, and others. EVERYTHING has been wonderful!

My plan is to build a great hot smoker and then a high-tech drying chamber. I've got a cellar now that I can use, but the super high humidity needed to prevent case hardening is beyond my capabilities.

wildflower
09-07-2011, 10:04 AM
I practice the art and I dont have any equipment other then a food processor, a sausage stuffing funnel and some mortons tender quick.

Oh yeah and I use an old electric fan too.


so you hand stuff :confused: