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mdbasile

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    Curing and Cooking with Ruhlman & Polcyn's "Charcuterie" (Part 3)

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Hey all -- Got a little problem -- have my Pancetta hanging for 1 week now and I have found tiny fuzzy mold at the ends -- seems it just happened in the last couple of days.

    I have wiped it with the vinegar/water mixture.

    Should I just pull it down and slice those pieces off, or wait a couple of days? The book says 2 weeks hanging, and I am at 1. Or could I just stick it in the fridge for the next week?

    All help is appreciated...

    Curing and Cooking with Ruhlman & Polcyn's "Charcuterie" (Part 3)

    in Cooking

    Posted

    A quick question, and I'm sorry if it's been addressed - I couldn't find the Search within Topic button.  While I anxiously await the arrival of my book, can anyone tell me what ingredients are required for the salmon that seems to be the For Beginners Who Are Scared recipe from this book? A PM would be fine if copyright is an issue here. The book's scheduled to arrive on Wednesday, and I'd like to start curing that night when I get home from work (at 11:30pm), which means I should go shopping tomorrow.

    I do not like fennel at all and planned on leaving it out, which I may have already stated.  Mistake?  Perhaps I will just use the seeds, as Elie did on page 1 of this thread.

    Jeniac - I have made the salmon about 7 times and I am happy with the following:

    3 lb Costco Salmon

    3/4 cup koscher salt

    1.5 cups mixed light and dark brown sugar

    1/4 scotch

    zest of 1 lime.

    Comes out perfect everytime. Also let it sit at least 2 days after it is done - seems to get better that way....

    Curing and Cooking with Ruhlman & Polcyn's "Charcuterie" (Part 3)

    in Cooking

    Posted

    YUM !!!!!!!!!!

    Did you try the duck ham recipe yet? I've been curious about that recipe.

    Tried it today with the chicken and turkey, which turned out great:

    gallery_19804_437_46242.jpg

    Let me say that I didn't cure the duck for as long as I'd have liked; it was a muscovy duck breast, not pekin/long island (that's all Whole Paycheck had, at $15 a pound, too); I used ruby port instead of madeira.

    OK, having said that: this stuff is duck crack.

    gallery_19804_437_75722.jpg

    Here it is on a plate with the last of my peperone. The color isn't as good in the photo as the duck turned out; it's more pink than brown. You can get a better sense of the colors here:

    gallery_19804_437_56124.jpg

    I've had my doubts about adding flavorings to the brine of stuff I'm going to smoke, out of a sense that it's often hard to pick up the nuances. But I really could pick up the flavorings here, which played fantastically off the smoke.

    I really, really encourage you to make this recipe.

    Curing and Cooking with Ruhlman & Polcyn's "Charcuterie" (Part 3)

    in Cooking

    Posted · Edited by mdbasile (log)

    OK, you bunch of pushers.  I just spent the entire day (I'm at work, and it's slow, OK?) reading all fifty pages of this thread, and I finally just gave in and ordered the book on Amazon.  I asked for it for Christmas, and again for my birthday, didn't get it, and reading all your posts just pushed me over the edge.

    I got the KA grinder and stuffer attachment for Christmas, though; I made the same error as someone else, a-way upthread - the first time I used it I failed to put the KNIFE BLADE into the grinder, and then couldn't figure out why it was so hard to get the meat to come through.  I hate the plastic plunger and keep meaning to buy a dowel or something instead - meat gets stuck in the "cross" part of the plunger and comes back out.

    And I agree about the quality of the KA stuffer attachment... ugh.  But before I buy the Grizzly or other stuffer, I have to convince myself I'll have the time to make enough sausage to make it worthwhile.

    I'm sure my first foray will be with the salmon, because that seems nonthreatening.  Then on to air-cured whole meats.  Chris, I really like your curing box setup and will likely steal that idea.  I have to check the temp/humidity in my basement sometime soon.

    ETA: Susan, I also bought a Weber kettle this weekend and will be using it for all of my smoking needs - your posts have convinced me it will all work out.  Right?  Right.

    Trust me on this - I made a shit load of sausages(20lbs 80+ links) with the KA and it was a royal pain in the ass. If I had known just how bad the KA stuffer was, there is no way I would have used it. Not only is it difficult, but it ruins the sausage by smearing it. You need a piston stuffer - period!! Trust me.

    Curing and Cooking with Ruhlman & Polcyn's "Charcuterie" (Part 3)

    in Cooking

    Posted

    One of my pieces of Venison salami fell to the floor in my cellar... I am thinking it was there for about 1 week... with nice white mold - BTW... anyway the parts that were on the floor were still "soft and wet meat, while the exposed areas were pretty dry. Floor is a cellar floor - though I doubt any bugs...

    It looks and smells fine - Do I have to pitch it or should I continue to hang and wait?

    Hmmm. Would it be a worthwhile thing to vac-pack the non-uniformly dried sausage, and keep it thus, in the fridge for a week or two?

    I'd expect that sealing it in would be the best way to even out the moisture distribution.

    You should be well protected against big bad botulism, the worry would be whether any other moulds or other nasties are going to take advantage of the conditions... hence keeping it really cool, while it evens itself out.

    Actually that is what I did - wrapped in plastic for 2 days and now they are fine....

    Curing and Cooking with Ruhlman & Polcyn's "Charcuterie" (Part 3)

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Well, Mark, I can tell you what I'd do with it, which is toss it and start over.  But if you decide to re-hang it and live to tell the tale, I wouldn't be surprised!

    LOL! Mark, I'll say that I'd definitely just brush it off and eat it. After all, I ate that green jowl bacon. I guess that I'm up for just about anything. :biggrin:

    =R=

    Just think of the resistance your building up!

    I like it.... yes - well it is now hanging and lookin good... I'll post a photo

    Curing and Cooking with Ruhlman & Polcyn's "Charcuterie" (Part 3)

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Well, Mark, I can tell you what I'd do with it, which is toss it and start over.  But if you decide to re-hang it and live to tell the tale, I wouldn't be surprised!

    Thanks for the vote of confidence... I think...

    It is only 1 of a dozen links, and I am now hanging it under refridgeration... I'll decide in a week or so if I will freeze and then eat or toss..... or just slice em and have a nice day...

    Curing and Cooking with Ruhlman & Polcyn's "Charcuterie" (Part 3)

    in Cooking

    Posted · Edited by mdbasile (log)

    Ok - I have a nice one...

    One of my pieces of Venison salami fell to the floor in my cellar... I am thinking it was there for about 1 week... with nice white mold - BTW... anyway the parts that were on the floor were still "soft and wet meat, while the exposed areas were pretty dry. Floor is a cellar floor - though I doubt any bugs...

    It looks and smells fine - Do I have to pitch it or should I continue to hang and wait?

    Curing and Cooking with Ruhlman & Polcyn's "Charcuterie" (Part 3)

    in Cooking

    Posted · Edited by mdbasile (log)

    Hmm... I guess I will be living dangerously then. The Tuscan and the Chirizo were both done with ME-K "in" the salami and they are fine -- eaten a bunch and still here. The Venison I have hanging is the same - I'll keep my fingers crossed. It had been frozen very cold far a few months.

    I spoke with BP about it and I am pretty sure if it goes bad - I'll know it.

    I am thinking that getting a serious strain of deadly bacteria is not very likely...

    I am curing right @ 60 degrees

    Doesn't the curing salt DC #2 in my case help prevent deadly bacteria?

    Curing and Cooking with Ruhlman & Polcyn's "Charcuterie" (Part 3)

    in Cooking

    Posted

    bactoferm is the fermantation agent. It is bacteria that is added, rather than relying on natural flora in your basement...

    ... to acidify the sausage to the point that the deadly, but tasteless, odourless and not visually evident Botulinus bacteria can't tolerate.

    OK got it. What role does the sugar then play?

    Then I am back to my original question about the ME-K - does it do this job?

    Curing and Cooking with Ruhlman & Polcyn's "Charcuterie" (Part 3)

    in Cooking

    Posted · Edited by mdbasile (log)

    mark, i have used LHP and F-RM. I prefer the F-RM. The LHP seems to have a distinct sharp tang, and to my tastes an "off " flavor i couldn't quite place.

    I'll stick to the F-RM.

    The M-EK isn't for internal use, i think it is just for getting mold on the casing. Did you have nice heavy mold development when you used it?

    Hmm - well I put it in last Salami and got great mold.... but do I need another bactoferm product too - to keep bacteria from forming?

    Curing and Cooking with Ruhlman & Polcyn's "Charcuterie" (Part 3)

    in Cooking

    Posted

    I'm with Chris. Trying to stuff  with the KA is a waste of time. It smears the meat and is SUPER tough to do.

    Agreed - I made some Venison Salami (will post photos) Sunday and was using myn KA stuffer - I was getting all kind smearing - I was swearing a blue streak -- in serious frustration. Next thing I know my wife is staning next to be with a box... saying Happy Fathers' day a little early!!!

    Man was I thrilled with my new 5lb Grissly stuffer !!!! How the hell I have been able to use the KA is now beyond me -- The stuffer is sooo much easier - a fraction of the time and mostly NO SMEAR !!!!

    Thanks Honey!!!

    Curing and Cooking with Ruhlman & Polcyn's "Charcuterie" (Part 3)

    in Cooking

    Posted · Edited by mdbasile (log)

    This charcuterie business is like having a pet to take care of!

    YES! That's it exactly!

    Better in fact: you can't eat your pets! (Bourdain excluded, of course.)

    I dunno 'bout that. I've got an African Grey Parrot that has come extremely close to becoming a late night snack on more than one occasion. Usually when he interupts a conversation with a Bourdain like stream of profanity!

    well we used to have a basset hound...think fried ears..

    ..on a more serious note... started guiancale, pancetta, and hanging a lamb proscuitto...

    damn I love you guys.........

    Curing and Cooking with Ruhlman & Polcyn's "Charcuterie" (Part 3)

    in Cooking

    Posted

    I've not cured anything yet.  I'm leaving mid-week next week for almost a week, and as soon as I get home, I'm raring to go.  Where should I start?  Pepperone?  Or some whole piece of meat?  Or do both?  I think my family would appreciate a sausage-style more than a hunk-o-meat.

    I dont' see why you need to choose. I made Tuscan salame first along with bresaola. I'd do more than one salame if I was you. Your family can clean you out if they like it....and then you are sitting there waiting for another batch to cure.

    Agreed. It is just a little more effort to make the 2nd one. Tuscan is a good start, and Chirizo/Pepperone would be a good 2nd....

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