dansch

So, about 36 hours ago I applied M-EK-4 (from Butcher-Packer) to the outside of my peperone by dunking them in to the innoculate solution (as-directed). As expected, I've now got mold... only, it's not quite what I though it'd be. I expected dusty/chalky mold (as so many on the forum here have posted) not this white fuzzy stuff. For those of you that have used M-EK-4, could you take a look at these pictures and let me know what you think? Does it seem odd that it's not even coverage? I'm a little worried not just by the texture, but also by the tiny black dots at the end of the fuzz (sorry for the bad close-up shot): Thanks for the advice. I knew that intentionally growing mold on raw meat would feel odd, I just didn't expect to be this concerned over the texture and color of the mold... Cheers, -Dan (assuming the sun ever comes out again, I can also take some better pics)

I bet brining would 'work' with pork belly too, although I'd be curious about the texture of the finished product. ← That was my thought as well, that brining might introduce too much moisture and leave you with bacon that doesn't crisp right and splatters a lot when you cook it. Once I make it through this batch (which tastes fine if I pre-salt the slices a bit before frying), I'll try brining. Well, I've simply found that once I give away a little bit to a handful of friends, I'm suddenly out. I will say that between the bacon and pastrami, the Hobart slicer I got off of eBay is paying off... slicing all that bacon by hand was always a huge pain.... Cheers, -Dan

Oh, good golly that's some tasty pastrami! Between myself and a couple of friends that I promised some to, I can't see this 6-lb brisket lasting more than 2 days. Tomorrow's Jewish Rye day at the local bakery... On the same day that I smoked the pastrami, I also smoked three slabs of bacon - which were all rather disappointing. Each time I make bacon I keep going back and forth between too salty and not salty enough. I just can't seem to get a hang of the right amount of cure for a given slab of belly. This got me thinking about the pastrami - which is perfectly salted - why not use a brine for bacon? Theoretically, meat left in a brine will reach an equilibrium of salt with the surrounding solution, right? So as long as I start out with the right salt concentration in the brine, everything should be more-or-less foolproof... Has anyone on the board played around with brining bellies for bacon? Is there a reason that recipes in the book for beef (pastrami, corned beef, etc.) call for brining and pork (pancetta, bacon, hams) for dry-curing? Cheers, -Dan

I have a quick question about various sugars for the fermentation of dry-cured salami. In recipes that use powdered milk, do I really need to add dextrose too? When I made my tuscan salame, I found it to be a bit more sour than I prefer. My thought is that the powdered milk has enough sugar (granted, lactose - are bacteria lactose-intolerant?) that I'm not sure I want to add more food for the bacteria (I'm using F-RM-52). As an aside, I'm not really sure what the powdered milk is for. Any clues? -Dan

I haven't had the lomo yet (my local shop didn't order it), but I had the chorizo and it's awesome. Chunks of fat that melt instantly on your tongue. They also had another flavor (fennel, perhaps) of the Iberico salami that I tried that was similarly fantastic. $36/lb at "Feast!" in Charlottesville, VA (great meat/cheese shop - super nice folks run it) -Dan

To all you cilantro haters, Are you all aware of I Hate Cilantro - an anti-cilantro community ? I love the stuff, but a close friend and food buddy can't stand it. Cheers, -Dan

I'm a huge coffee fan (roast my own beans, worked as a barista for years, etc.), but like my coffee sans-sugar. So, for me, all of the coffee liqeurs I've tasted are just too sweet ... until I was in Costa Rica and tried Cafe Brit's Liqueur. It's still sweet mind you, just not sickly sweet. Unfortunately, we can't get it here in Virginia, and I haven't checked out-of-state booze shops while traveling. Anyway, keep an eye out for it. -Dan

My better half and I just went there a few months ago for the first time (we live south of Charlottesville, so we planned our visit around flying out of Dulles). The duck was fantastic! We also tried the shrimp with garlic sprouts and were completely underwhelmed. We'll definitely be back. The other thing I would mention is that the portion sizes were obscene. We ordered the duck, the shrimp with garlic sprouts, and sir fried green beans. We knew that three things would be too much for the two of us, but we wanted to try some variety, and also get some sort of vegetable component. It was enough food to feed a *hungry* family of six. Next time we'll either order just a duck, or come with a starving group of compatriots. Cheers, -Dan

For those who used to live in/frequent the Charlottesville area, but have been gone for a while: The Blue Moon Diner is reopening in a matter of weeks. Mark and Gus are now partnering with a couple who'll be running things more day-to-day. I walk past the renovation work every other day, and it's looking good. And on the topic of Guadalajara, Yuck! Genuine junk as far as I'm concerned. Check out Aqui Es Mexico - *far* better food. Sopes to die for. It's off of Carlton Rd. in the same shopping center as Cville Market/Kathy's Produce. Cheers, -Dan

Michael, I wonder if during the excitment of making batches of salame I forgot to add the culture, or if it just didn't grow. Well, of all the things I've tried making from the book (bacon, pancetta, numerous fresh sausages, etc.), this'll be the first one in to the trash basket... Oh well. I'll console myself with more delicious tuscane salame... Thanks for the help - having you participate in this forum is fantastic. -Dan

Ok, a bit odd to be quoting my own posting, but I've got an update. When I came home tonight I went to check the chorizo again, and there was still no noticable progress. I pulled one down and sliced in to it to get a closer look. It's definitely not dry - it's evenly moist (no noticable case hardening). The meat and fat come apart if you manipulate a slice in any way which seems rather odd. Here's the *really* bizzare part: there's liquid fat. Underneath the casing, there are definitely pools of light brown oozing fat - it's really as unattractive as it sounds. Squeezing a thick slice, fat definitely seeps out inbetween the bits of meat. Something's not right. This is made from the same piece of meat and same backfat as my tuscan salame which came out just dandy. I can post pictures if anyone is interested, though perhaps I'll email them outside of the thread as not to disturb anyone. Any ideas? Thanks, -Dan

So, I've been munching on the first of my dry-cured salamis, the basic tuscan sausage from the book. I'm definitely pleased with both the texture and taste, although I may try the alternative starter culture from Butcher-Packer next time to get a slightly less sour taste. I am a bit worried about the chorizo I have hanging, as I put it up at the same time as the tuscan and it's not near as dry. I made them the same day, packed them in to the same size casings, and hung them up side-by-side. Any idea why the tuscan would dry more quickly than the chorizo? Should I be concerned? Also, it looks like I'm going to be getting a slaughtered goat in the next week or two (friends of mine are starting a goat cheese operation and are sending some of the boys to the slaughter house). Anyone ever tried/made/heard of goat salami? Any recipes or advice? Thanks, -Dan

Ok, yet another reason I should keep my copy of On Food and Cooking on hand at all times. Harold McGee has a nice sidebar (page 174) on the "Enigma of Hams Cured Without Nitrite". To summarize, Parma and San Daniele hams are cured without nitrate or nitrite, and aquire their rosy color from some "ripening bacteria". He goes on to remark that the lack of protection afforded to the pork fat due to the absense of nitrite may actually increase the delicious hammy nature of the prosciutto. Apparently French and Spanish hams do have nitrites. I tell you, I do not know what I'd do without this book. So, with that said, who around here is using nitrates and who's isn't? Cheers, -Dan

Glad to be here! I may have come to the party late, but I plan on making up for lost time... Sure thing. Here you'll see my very sophisticated modifications of foil and masking tape (fwiw, I plan on upgrading to duct tape soonly). Bascially, I just wanted to box in the coil with the fridge's temp sensor... It was working a bit too well and staying too warm, so I up'd the fridge's setting from the absolute lowest, to just a bit higher. Cheers, -Dan

Everyone, First off, I've got to admit that I've been lurking in this thread for quite some time and am just now posting for the first time. My only real projects from the book so far have been bacon and fresh sausages, both of which have been fantastic revelations in home-processed porky goodness. Just recently (past week or so), I've built a small curing chamber out of a tall dorm fridge. By modifying the interior a bit, I've been able to stabilize the temperature to right at 60F, and have a remote thermo/hygro sensor in there just to keep an eye on things. This past Sunday, I rolled up and hung a pancetta, and am patiently (read: taking progress photos every 24 hours and comparing) awaiting the results. So, here's my question. The hot-smoked items calls for pink salt (nitrite), which makes perfect sense. Salamis call for cure #2 (nitrate), which also makes sense. Now, here's where I'm confused: the pancetta (to be hung for a long period and not heated in to the unsafe food zone) uses pink salt, and the cured ham calls for no curing salt. What's the scoop? Jmolinari and others talk about hanging pancetta for months at a time. Are you guys using the curing salt #2/nitrate as a substitution? I just feel like I'm missing something. Maybe it's obvious, but I just can't seem to figure it out. Thanks, -Dan