[ronnie_suburban]

A Patric, on Nov 4 2006, 12:25 AM, said:

It's only been 2 days so far.  I dredged it too, and it was evenly coated, but I could still see some meat through the cure, though not a lot.

How's it looking now?

=R=

[A Patric]

ronnie_suburban, on Nov 7 2006, 08:33 PM, said:

A Patric, on Nov 4 2006, 12:25 AM, said:

It's only been 2 days so far.  I dredged it too, and it was evenly coated, but I could still see some meat through the cure, though not a lot.

How's it looking now?

=R=

Well, today it looks even drier than it did before. In fact, the liquid seems to all but have disappeared. I'm smoking it Thursday morning. That will make about 7.5 days. I'm sure it will be fine, but I just don't know if it will have that cured bacon flavor than I am expecting. Either way, no loss. I'll update when I find out how it tastes.

This post has been edited by A Patric: 07 November 2006 - 08:36 PM

[jmolinari]

smoked bresaola? Interesting!

[A Patric]

An update:

The bacon turned out perfectly after all. It certainly was cured, and actually was the best bacon I've ever had.

At the same time I also made the chicken and garlic sausages and smoked those. They are definitely the best chicken sausages that I've ever eaten My brother couldn't even tell that they were chicken sausages.

I'm looking forward to the next two things on the list which will both be for Christmas:

The American-style glazed ham, and the sopressata (sp?)

[Abra]

A Patric, that's a great idea to make sopressata for Christmas. I've been away from the thread for a bit - have you started yours already? I've never made it before, - got the beef middles a while ago so I could, then got distracted by summer. If you haven't already made yours, let's do it together. Cyber-together, that is.

[A Patric]

Abra,

Sounds great. The only problem, though, is that I need to freeze my fat for about another 9 days. At that point, I'd be ready to get moving, but I am going to be out of town for a week from Dec 3rd to the 10th, and I won't have anyone who I can trust to know when to pull the sausage at the right moment. Since the recipe calls for 2-3 weeks of drying, that could cause some problems. So, I'll probably wait to make it until right before I leave as I can at least count on someone to wipe it with brine if any odd mold begins to show. That will be on the 30th or the 1st (somewhere in there). If you are willing to wait, great; if not, completely understood.

Best,

AP

[piperdown]

Well you guys were right, this stuff is acctictive. I got the book over the summer, but since all I ever saw of the summer was the restaurant and bed, I couldn't start some projects until now. I started with the Duck Procuitto, and after that decided to start on sausages. Even without making a single sausage I still felt compelled to buy the Grizzly stuffer. It's like a weird compulsion

I just finished making some of the breakfast sausage for my Mom's B&B, and was almost reluctant to let her guests eat them since they came out so well, and I just wanted to keep them all for myself.

The first thing I wanted to do after making the first batch was to make another one. I wanted to make the Chicken and basil one's but my buther didn't have any back fat, so he had to order it. Instead I think I'm going to try the garlic sausage. Has anyone tried that one yet?

I'm a little nervous to start working with the casings, as I can see that going horribly wrong, but I'm still excited to try.

[ronnie_suburban]

piperdown, on Nov 12 2006, 11:30 AM, said:

Well you guys were right, this stuff is acctictive. I got the book over the summer, but since all I ever saw of the summer was the restaurant and bed, I couldn't start some projects until now. I started with the Duck Procuitto, and after that decided to start on sausages. Even without making a single sausage I still felt compelled to buy the Grizzly stuffer. It's like a weird compulsion

Welcome to the club!

piperdown, on Nov 12 2006, 11:30 AM, said:

I just finished making some of the breakfast sausage for my Mom's B&B, and was almost reluctant to let her guests eat them since they came out so well, and I just wanted to keep them all for myself.

LOL! I know the feeling. Happily, the fact that most of these items are perishable keeps me from hoarding them.

piperdown, on Nov 12 2006, 11:30 AM, said:

The first thing I wanted to do after making the first batch was to make another one.

That's exactly how I felt and still feel. It's absolutely the best way to learn and improve your skills.

piperdown, on Nov 12 2006, 11:30 AM, said:

I'm a little nervous to start working with the casings, as I can see that going horribly wrong, but I'm still excited to try.

Every once in a while, casings misbehave. But again, the more you work with them, the more familiar you'll become with the variables. I've probably made 75 batches of sausage since I started with this work and even now, the outcomes sometimes surprise. I often compare it to bread-baking. Both it and charcuterie are such rewarding types of cooking.

Please keep us updated on your projects.

=R=

[Bombdog]

Well, it's been 8 months since I started my first curing project, the salt cured ham.

I prepared it just like the book instructed; covered in lard and cracked peppercorns, wrapped in cheese cloth, and then left it to hang in the back of my chamber through many, many other projects. I pulled it at 6 months to check the wt. Then again at 8. Last week it finally seemed to have the right combination of wt loss and firmness.



Here it is after unwrapping and wiping off the majority of the lard. I was a bit concerned, as it just didn't look very appetizing.



But then I began to slice of some thin pieces from the large end. MMMMMM, yummy!

Very pleased with the results. Of course, now I need to be starting another if I want more by next August!

[jmolinari]

Looks very nice. How is the flavor? Prosciutto like? or different entirely

[Bombdog]

jmolinari, on Nov 13 2006, 12:36 PM, said:

Looks very nice. How is the flavor? Prosciutto like? or different entirely

Well, I guess it's proscuitto like, in a general way. It doesn't have the depth of flavor you would get in a good proscuitto. Then again, it's not from any kind of special pork.

I've discovered a local producer of free range heirloom pork. Hopefully next week I'll have a new supply of shoulder, etc for the next batch of products. My intention is to do the next ham with one from these folks.

I'll let you know late next summer what kind of difference there is

[Abra]

Wow, you rule, Dave. Eight months! Now that is patience. Beautiful.

[ronnie_suburban]

All the best country hams I've enjoyed looked pretty gnarly on the outside too. That meat looks absolutely beautiful, Dave.

As for depth of flavor, you may want to try a longer cure. From what I've read in a few other books lately (Pig Perfect by Peter Kaminsky being one of them), 12-18 months is the ideal cure time for a ham. Apparently, that's when the complex and tasty funkiness really begins to develop.

=R=

[Bombdog]

ronnie_suburban, on Nov 13 2006, 01:37 PM, said:

All the best country hams I've enjoyed looked pretty gnarly on the outside too.  That meat looks absolutely beautiful, Dave.

As for depth of flavor, you may want to try a longer cure.  From what I've read in a few other books lately (Pig Perfect by Peter Kaminsky being one of them), 12-18 months is the ideal cure time for a ham.  Apparently, that's when the complex and tasty funkiness really begins to develop.

=R=

Thanks Ron. That's a good idea. I've hung it back in the curing chamber and will just go back to it when I want/need some. It should get several more months in there before it's gone.

[jmolinari]

The reason some hams can go to 12-18 months cure is because of their fat content. With regular pig hanging 12-18 months may render some pork jerky:)

Just recently i took out my pancetta made from Ossabaw pig belly, aged 12 months. It is incredibly tasty.

[Michael Ruhlman]

in response to a post higher up, about flavor of a not-special hog that's dry cured. this makes a huge difference. doing any kind of dry-cured pig, especially whole muscles, the quality of the pig is the most important attribute.

[jmolinari]

Can anyone tell me with certainty if the pig/shoulder at whole foods is considerably better than regular pig? I mean in flavor and fat content.

when i cook pork at home, i normally cook an heirloom pig i get from a farmer, and the flavor is night and day. I'm wondering if the whole foods pork is that different from regular, and if it is worth getting for charcuterie.

Are whole foods pigs just regular pigs raised without hormones, but still confined in factories? If so, i can't immagine the flavor/fat content will be much different.

jason

[Bombdog]

jmolinari, on Nov 14 2006, 11:17 AM, said:

Can anyone tell me with certainty if the pig/shoulder at whole foods is considerably better than regular pig? I mean in flavor and fat content.

when i cook pork at home, i normally cook an heirloom pig i get from a farmer, and the flavor is night and day. I'm wondering if the whole foods pork is that different from regular, and if it is worth getting for charcuterie.

Are whole foods pigs just regular pigs raised without hormones, but still confined in factories? If so, i can't immagine the flavor/fat content will be much different.

jason

I can't imagine, with the prices Whole Foods charge, that they are special pigs. I could be wrong, but this new place I found charges prices that are way above what I've seen at Whole Foods.

This post has been edited by Bombdog: 14 November 2006 - 03:46 PM

[ronnie_suburban]

Bombdog, on Nov 14 2006, 03:38 PM, said:

jmolinari, on Nov 14 2006, 11:17 AM, said:

Can anyone tell me with certainty if the pig/shoulder at whole foods is considerably better than regular pig? I mean in flavor and fat content.

when i cook pork at home, i normally cook an heirloom pig i get from a farmer, and the flavor is night and day. I'm wondering if the whole foods pork is that different from regular, and if it is worth getting for charcuterie.

Are whole foods pigs just regular pigs raised without hormones, but still confined in factories? If so, i can't immagine the flavor/fat content will be much different.

jason

I can't imagine, with the prices Whole Foods charge, that they are special pigs. I could be wreong, but this new place I found charges prices that are way above what I've seen at Whole Foods.

I'd have to agree -- especially when compared to Niman, for example.

=R=

[jmolinari]

so i won't waste my money on whole foods pork, and just save up to spend it on my farmer supplier:)

[Michael Ruhlman]

better to stick with a supplier you know. but ask the meat dept at whole foods. i'd like to know. and don't take their word for it. they'll tell you whatever they;ve been told. ask how they know, verify what they say. and let us know what you find out!

[piperdown]

So I tried my second batch of sausages yesterday, and it all went well, up until the stuffing. There were a few problems, so I'm going to ask some really stupid questions to try and solve this.

1. I'm using a Grizzly 5lb. stuffer, and 32/35mm hog casings. I was using the mid-sized stuffer tube. Is this right? Also are there better casings to use?

2. After putting the casings on the tube, I tied off the one end, and started filling, it took a bit to get right, but occasionally air seemed to back up, and cause a balloning effect on the tube, which I think caused one of the ruptures. Is there a way to stop this? was I forcing the casing to stay on the tube too long as it was filling?

3. I got a few ruptures when twisting the sausage into links. Any tips for doing this. Also after the links are made I plan on poaching the garlic sausage, can I thne cut then into individual links, and have them hold?

So over all, it was a bit of a disaster, but as long as I learn form it, I'll be fine with it. So any tips on proper stuffing technique would be reallt great.

Oh one other thing, the instuctions on the stuffer say to sanitze the parts, would the didhwasher do this, or are there products you guys use for this?

[jmolinari]

don't tie the end off before they are stuffed. Just leave a little excess open casing, and tie it off after you're done. Also if they are ruputuring while twisiting them, you've stuffing them too full.

I wash my stuffer with soap and water, and then put it through the dishwasher. I thikn it should be fine. I've seen people recommend soaking the parts BEFORE use in some clorinated water.


jason

[FoodMan]

Quote

don't tie the end off before they are stuffed. Just leave a little excess open casing, and tie it off after you're done. Also if they are ruputuring while twisiting them, you've stuffing them too full.

Right. See what you did by tying the end off before stuffing is create a sealed "baloon" with air at the end, the more meat you stuff in the more that air pocket is getting pushed and pressure created. So like Jason said, leave a good 2 inches or so at the end without filling or tying so that the air is not trapped there, and only seal it when you are done.

[Bombdog]

I keep a toothpick handy when stuffing salami. Just a poke in those pesky air pockets eliminates them.

[Pallee]

I've found that if I twist the links as I stuff, one turned toward me and the next twisted away from me, that I never have a rupture. It does slow down the process a bit until you get the hang of it but worth it in the end. Also soaking the casings overnight has helped as well.

My neighbour, the duck hunter, graced me with 8 wild ducks, so yesterday was sausage day. Again I used the base recipe from the book with the roasted garlic, but also added cherries and dates. It will go in the cornbread stuffing for Thanksgiving and we wanted a bit of sweetness.

[Joisey]

I just started going through this thread (though I've had the book for a while now) and I have to say that the stuff you guys are producing is unbelievable. I've been mostly playing with the terrine side of the book, but I'm going to jump into the cured meat part this winter.

I notice that people are having a hard time keeping their temps down for cold smoking. I did a search and found a guy with an ingenous solution using a charcoal lighter and a garbage can, based on a technique Jacques Pepin used with an old refrigerator. The fridge idea was my moment of inspiration. With the availability of cheap fridges on Craigslist, do you think it's feasible to hook up a dryer tube from your smoker to one of those half size (or even full size) fridges and use THAT as your cold box? Do you think that the smoke residue would have a negative effect on the operation of the fridge? You could obviously keep your temperature way down. I also am toying with the idea of a large coleman cooler with a similar hose hookup, using ice packs to keep things cool. Any thoughts on these ideas?

[piperdown]

jmolinari, on Nov 15 2006, 03:53 PM, said:

don't tie the end off before they are stuffed. Just leave a little excess open casing, and tie it off after you're done. Also if they are ruputuring while twisiting them, you've stuffing them too full.


jason

Do you mean both ends? I didn't tie off the last bit, just the bit at the start. Was this wrong? I thought that if I didn't tie it offthe sausage would pour out when I started filling. I did have the wherewithall to not tie off both ends ( although I almost did) figuring that would trap in the air.

I think you're right about over stuffing though. I think I was over zealous to not get too many air pockets, not realizing that twisting off the sausage into links would probably do that job for me.

Thanks everyone for your help, I know I'd be a lot more afraid to try this stuff if I didn't have you guys here for help.

[jmolinari]

piper, don't tie off any ends until you are done. It won't squirt out the end if you just gently let it fill and come off the stuffing horn at the start, but it'll let the air out. Just gently hold the casing end and guide if off the horn as the meat is stuffed into it.

jason

[piperdown]

That makes sense, thanks jason.

Has any one made the garlic sausage before? After teh stuffing the book says to cook to 150, but in other recipes the book says to freeze or refrigerate until ready to cook. Does that mena these whould be cooked right away, and then kept? I don't think it's right to grill or roast all these sausage and then store them. Or would poaching be proper.

I did grill some up today though and served them with the staff meal, and they were mighty tasty. Also I jsut got the call that my fat back is in, so I think the next project will be the chicken and basil sausage. Damn ths suff is too fun to make, even when I'm making it a disaster, I still just want to make more.