jmolinari

Alex: nitrates take time to break down into nitrites and other components and are used in long cured. How long is long? I don't know, i'm not a chemist. I don't think you're supposed to eat foods with nitrAtes. I don't know the effects or the consequences though.

The problem with using "curing salt with sugar added" is that you know have no idea of the % of nitrates or nitrites in it, which means you risk over or under curing your foods.

I know morton's tenderquick is not pink, but it could be called a type of "curing salt"... Personally i would rather be safe than sorry and i'd want to be sure i know what i'm adding to my cured meats.

BRM: i have 2 hygrostats described in my blog: http://curedmeats.blogspot.com/2007/07/key...ng-chamber.html

slkinsey, you cna pick up a PID on ebay for $50, a crock pot for $20, thermocouple, and wires and random parts, MAYBE $50. It will take a little knowledge, but def. cheaper than a water bath on ebay...isn't it? But it doesn't circulate.

Marlene, you gotta do what you gotta do for pizza:) Restorer: that's a good idea. I'm interested to see how that works....hrm.. thats a really good idea. The only pain in the butt part is putt in the dome on and off. Let me know how that works.

Vietnamese Chili sate sauce This recipe was given to me by a local Vietnamese restaurant chef after i told him how much i loved the chili sauce they serve at the table. It goes on EVERYTHING! 25g garlic 30g shallots 80g lemon grass 8g fresh thai bird chilis ~1 cup peanut oil 2.5tsp sugar 3T fish sauce 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1/2 tsp MSG 2-3T Sriracha chili sauce 30g crushed red thai chilis, the dry red ones about 3-4" long Food process the garlic, shallots and lemon grass separately. Get the garlic and shallots to a fine mince size, and the lemon grass well processed, but not to powder. Mince the fresh bird chilis by hand Put 1/4 cup oil in small sauce pan, add garlic. Let fry on low low heat for 5 minutes. Add shallots and 2 T. oil, keep frying on low heat for 10 minutes more. It should just sizzle and cook gently, no browning. Add lemon grass, and 1/4 cup oil. Let fry on low for another 10-15 minutes. Add minced bird chilis, fry for 5 minutes Add crushed red pepper, fry for 5-10 minutes, and 1/4 cup oil Add sriracha to achieve the desired color, about 3-4T., and the rest of the ingredients. Let cook another minute or 2. Add more oil as needed to barely cover the top. ( I added about 3 or 4 more Tbl.) I also buzzed it with a hand blender, for just a little to make it a touch smoother. Not much. Keywords: Easy, Condiment, Vietnamese ( RG2018 )

Restorer, last time i made pizza i used a hybrid method. Grill with stone for the bottom for about 3 minutes, then oven inside with the broiler, really really close for about 30-45 seconds...

ahahah Charles...that's why you open 2 and quickly pour 1 in:) Alex, sounds like that fridge functions like my small dorm size fridge, which has cooling coils inside the fridge which just cool the air by conduction, but since they are inside the fridge, the humidity doesn't get pulled out of the air and condensed outside.

No, i think you could easily clean it out, just some bleach spray and letting it air out and you SHOULD be good to go...but i don't know. I'd also like to know how it keeps humidity levels.

guanciale and pancetta can be dried in a regular fridge without ill effects. I did a head to head of a pancetta cured in my chamber at 55/65% rh and my fridge, and they were basically the same. The fridge one comes out a little mummified, but wrap it in a damp paper towel and put in a ziplock bag for a few days, and it'll be great. I imagine this is b/c they are relatively thin pieces of meat, and overdrying isn't a problem given the fat content.

Juniper is a must on guanciale and on pancetta.

Dougal, yes, which is why i said a "saturated salt solution with extra salt in it", which would leave you with wet salt Alex, if it maintains those levels that would be perfect. But remember when you introduct wet meats into it, the RH % with rise, and hopefully the fridge will bring it back to 60-70. Wine bottles don't give off humidity like meat does. I wonder how it controls humidity...i can't imagine it has a humidity generator if it is low...

Salt water pan works, it is just slow to react to changes. It will work even to keep humidity down, not just to raise it. It absorbs excess moisture in the air if you have a saturated salt solution with extra salt in it.

Alex, a wine cellar would work, as long as you have some control over humidity levels. As far as quality...it is generally better or on par with stuff available in the US, and far far cheaper, but not as good as stuff in Italy. If i still lived in Italy, it wouldn't even cross my mind to make my own cured meats.

Then again, the people who claim to have invented the burger, Louis' Lunch in new haven, CT, serve their burgers on sliced white bread...... which i find gives the perfect ratio of bread to meat.

I got this recipe from a sausage mailing list. They were good, but so blazingly hot that i couldn't eat much more than 1/2 in a sitting. IT is pretty famous on the web, as Bigwheel's hotlinks. Give it a try. 6-7 lbs. Boston Butt 1 bottle beer (a dark ale is best) 2 T. coarse ground black pepper 2 T. crushed red pepper 2 T. Cayenne 2 T. Hungarian Paprika 3 T. Morton's Tender Quick 2 T. Whole Mustard Seeds 1/4 cup minced fresh garlic 1 T. granulated garlic 1 T. MSG 1 t. ground bay leaves 1 t. whole anise seeds 1 t. coriander 1 t. ground thyme Mix all the spices, cure, and garlic into the beer and place in refrigerator while you cut up the meat to fit in the grinder. Pour the spiced water over the meat and mix well. Run meat and spice mixture through the fine plate and mix again. Stuff into medium hog casings. Smoke or slow grill till they are done. jason

Doodad, Restaurant Eugene has a good seared fois.

michael_g : linking collagen casings wont work. They won't stay twisted on their own like natural casings. You'll have to tie each link with a string or a hog ring clip. jason

oh, sorry, i'm referring to pancetta tesa, or flat, not the rolled kind. I have no idea of the rolled kind can be successfully dried in a regular fridge.

dhut, once you've aged it in the fridge for 30-60 days, it will appear somewhat mummefied on the surface. Wrap it in a damp paper towel and put it in a zip lock back for a day, it will soften up a little bit.

Wow, 70 deg. for curing meat, is in my opinion asking for trouble. If you don't have a cool place to cure meat, it is probably safer not to do it in the summer. Pancetta, unlike other cured meats can also by dried in the fridge, uncovered. Let's remember folks that the reason a pig was butchered in years past at the start of winter, was so that they could cure the meats over the cooler winter months with less fear of spoiling.

Yes, look at the threads on charcuterie and the actual book, and for God's sake, throw away the KA stuffer attachment. It is so useless it isn't worth the plastic it is made out of. Take a look at my blog in my signature for details on various stuffer types and which you might want to consider (the grizzly if you can or a push stuffer). You can also look on Len Poli's page for tons of recipes: home.pacbell.net/lpoli

wow, that seems like a good deal Mukki. I'm going to try calling and seeing if they can extend my current sub. for 3 years for the price of 1.

Muichoi, i don't know what the equivalent, but there is a good shop in the UK online: http://www.sausagemaking.org/ give that a shot, they have everything you need.