Curing and Cooking with Ruhlman & Polcyn's "Charcuterie" (Part 6)

[dougal]

...

I ground and stuffed this with my KitchenAid mixer, and I think the screw in the grinder/stuffer kind of smooshed things up a bit. I'd like a bit better definition between the meat and the fat. Since stuffing this batch, I've upgraded the mixer to another 5 quart model with a bigger motor, and I think that may do a better job of pushing the meat through cleanly.

I doubt that a bigger motor behind the plastic-bodied grinder will make a discernible difference to the grinding.

And it won't make any difference at all to the stuffing.

However, a piston stuffer would make a massive difference.

Any screw-feed stuffer is going to mix up (probably mess up) your forcemeat.

When using the KA grinder, some suggestions: -- cut the meat into strips rather than cubes, then lower in one end of a strip until its caught, strips do feed much better -- for the best 'definition' grind the fat separately, not attached to and ground with lean meat -- and don't expect the little grinder to deal with anything difficult, removing tough stuff at the time of cutting the meat will stop that chewy stuff clogging your grinder plate (which then turns the output to mush).

[David A. Goldfarb]

Okay, I think I discovered part of my definition problem. The salami I cut into for the photo was probably the last one in the batch, because it was a short one, which means that the meat would have included some that went twice through the stuffer from casings that tore open on previous attempts. Didn't think of that. The ones from earlier in the session that only passed through the stuffer once don't look quite as neat as Chris Amirault's but they're better.

[abadoozy]

I started my first-ever batch of cured sausage last weekend - Spanish Chorizo from Charcuterie - and today found my first mold spots. They were definitely white, no bit of green at all, but I'm new at this and couldn't really tell if they were fuzzy or not. Looking through old posts on this thread, it seems the good mold shows up as a film - like the sausages were sprayed with snow. My mold was in clumps, tiny spots maybe 1/8th inch across at the most. Is that an indication that it's the bad mold? Or does the good mold show up first in spots as well?

Even looking closely, I couldn't really say for certain if it was fuzzy or not fuzzy. To be safe, I wiped them all down with a 50/50 vinegar solution.

From everything I read, the vinegar solution works well, if you catch the mold early enough. Mine definitely was only on the surface, and I check the sausages every day, so it can't be more than 24 hours old. I know that the good mold will prevent the bad mold from growing, but aside from that, I've never read that it helps with anything else (flavor, preservation, etc). Given that, why would you not just continue to wipe down the sausages with vinegar solution every couple days, to prevent any mold at all?

I figure if that was a real solution, I'd've read it somewhere, and I haven't, but I'm still not quite sure why it wouldn't work. Anyone?

[Chris Amirault]

I say go for it.

[Mallet]

Constantly wiping down with vinegar might prevent proper drying, but then again if your chamber is too dry it could also prevent case hardening.

[jmolinari]

I've read, and agree, that GOOD mold on salame actually penetrates the meat and reduces the pH by breaking down lactic acid. That's why i spray my salami with good molds. You can purchase these or even wipe them with a piece of Camembert cheese crust

[abadoozy]

My Chorizo turned out great, as did the second round - this time, I made my own recipe of oregano, green peppercorns, and lemon zest. We just tried it over the weekend and it's great.

Next question - what kind of casings do I get if I want a finished product around 1.5-2" around? I've been using 32-38MM casings, and though they work, the finished, dried sausage is smaller than I'd like. I can get 38-42MM hog casings, but that's not that much larger. Anything bigger, you get into middles, which in my experience are thick. Are they OK to use for curing? It seems like they might be problematic.

I called sausage-maker.com, and they recommend synthetic casings, but I'd much rather use natural.

[Chris Hennes]

I regularly use middles as casing for larger dry-cured sausages: their thickness is no problem. The curing takes longer, of course, but part of that is the thickness of the salume itself.

[abadoozy]

Hog middles or beef middles? And do they thin out, like they do when they're cooked?

[Chris Hennes]

I've used both, though for the size you are looking for you would use hog middles, I think. I've never cooked them, so I'm not sure what you mean by "thin out." I don't generally eat the casing unless the finished salume is sliced very thin, I peel it off before slicing (it comes off quite easily).

[abadoozy]

Thanks for the answer.

By "thin out" I mean that the middles start out pretty thick and not very appetizing, but I've found with cooked sausages, they shrink and get very thin when heat is applied. Even so, I think I was removing them before eating (it's been a few months since I did anything with middles, I can't really remember.)

It makes sense that you'd just remove the casing before eating dry-cured sausages. I've only used the 35-38 hog casings, and they are thin enough to eat so that's what I've been doing.

[jmolinari]

I think you're looking for beef or hog middles. Beef middles are easy to you, hog middles from what i'm told are fatty and smell very strong. You should soak them in a water/vinegar mix overnight.

that said, i'm gravitating towards artificial (not really artificial, since they are made from collagen...not plastic). They are shelf stable, come in any size you want, and are all the same size. It's very convenient. I did a side by side taste test, and there was no discernible difference between artificial and natural casings.

[thirtyoneknots]

I think you're looking for beef or hog middles. Beef middles are easy to you, hog middles from what i'm told are fatty and smell very strong. You should soak them in a water/vinegar mix overnight.

that said, i'm gravitating towards artificial (not really artificial, since they are made from collagen...not plastic). They are shelf stable, come in any size you want, and are all the same size. It's very convenient. I did a side by side taste test, and there was no discernible difference between artificial and natural casings.

Are you referring just to their use in dry-cured items? I find synthetic casing to be rather off-putting both appearance and texture for fresh sausage.

[jmolinari]

I think you're looking for beef or hog middles. Beef middles are easy to you, hog middles from what i'm told are fatty and smell very strong. You should soak them in a water/vinegar mix overnight.

that said, i'm gravitating towards artificial (not really artificial, since they are made from collagen...not plastic). They are shelf stable, come in any size you want, and are all the same size. It's very convenient. I did a side by side taste test, and there was no discernible difference between artificial and natural casings.

Are you referring just to their use in dry-cured items? I find synthetic casing to be rather off-putting both appearance and texture for fresh sausage.

Yes, dry cured stuff.

[Sharon Skelton]

Last winter I ordered a bunch of pork jowls with the plan to make Guanciale. Well the jowls arrived frozen solid and were cut into small chunks. Then it was too freakin' cold, and immediately too warm to hang anywhere. Soooo they've been in the freezer ever since.

Now we are getting ready to move into our motorhome and I have to empty a 25 cf freezer and get it down to where it will fit in a 4 cf. freezer that we can take with us. I'm making venison sausage from Charcuterie with most of the venison I have. I'm going to corn 1 piece and cook and slice it. Now I'm wondering if I can use the basic bacon cure on the pork jowl chunks and smoke them - perhaps using some thyme in the cure?????

I amazed our friends here in North Dakota with our home cured and double smoked bacon. They thought, for sure, that I was taking credit bacon we purchased because it was sliced so perfectly. I sure love our slicer!

[ElsieD]

Sharon, what kind of slicer do you have? I make the bacon from the same book but I'm not happy with the way my slicer slices. Folks do go nuts over that bacon, don't they?

[Sharon Skelton]

It's just a Chef's Choice electric slicer - I think I got it at Cooking or Chefs.com We do cut the bacon in half so that it will fit on the slicer. It works great, and the slices fit in the pan better.

That bacon is so good that I just cannot imagine eating anything else. Our big problem was getting really good pork bellies here in ND. On one trip to CA we took our cure with us, bought a huge beautiful belly, cut it into 2 pieces that would fit in ziplock bags, rubbed it in the cure and bagged it. We brought it all the way home packed in ice in a cooler. Worked perfectly.

Living in an RV will mean that we are refrigeration challenged - but we will figure this out!

Edited August 19, 2010 by Sharon Skelton (log)

[Chris Hennes]

Now I'm wondering if I can use the basic bacon cure on the pork jowl chunks and smoke them - perhaps using some thyme in the cure?????

You can, but remember that the cure time will be significantly shorter since the chunks are small. The jowls are a bit fattier than bacon, and are also excellent used in sausages: the fat has a nice texture there.

[dougal]

... I'm not happy with the way my slicer slices. ...

It helps if the bacon is well chilled to harden it up significantly.

That said, I'd like a bigger/better slicer, but realistically have nowhere to put it. However, I'd really like one.

Not that I could be said to need one, but I'd still like one. Its a definite problem ....

[Sharon Skelton]

Thanks Chris. I think I'll smoke some of them and use some in the venison sausage. Since the venison has be frozen and thawed I thinking it should be smoked. I've got the chips in the freezer - cherry, merlot, they were soaked in apple cider as I recall - have to remember to thaw them out.

We're towing a 5 x 9 trailer behind us. It will have clothes, my extra cookbooks that wouldn't fit in the coach itself, some A/V projects, and the smoker, slicer, and as much of my kitchen as I can cram in there. Not sure how - but we're wondering how to build a curing chamber - perhaps in one of the "basement" compartments. Living in a motorhome will NOT stop our passion - and being on a visit in CA means we can get good bellies and pork parts to smoke.

[Chris Amirault]

I'm getting ready for the fall's stuffing, curing, and smoking, and I was wondering where people are getting their supplies lately.

I had been using some eBay suppliers for Bradley pucks, but this Amazon deal is as good as I can find -- plus the link makes a donation to the eGullet Society (at no cost to you). Should be getting those any day now.

As for sausage makings, I have consistently used Butcher Packer, but I'm interested to know what other sources there are out there these days, particularly for casings.

[BRM]

Maybe a couple of months ago there was an Iron Chef episode where a product was used that was called (I think) peratto or something like that. It definitely stared with a "p". Anyway, I had never heard of it but of course Alton had. My guess is that is was pork belly, cured with black pepper, dried but not rolled or smoked. Has anyone ever heard of this? And am I right about the method?

Edited September 30, 2010 by BRM (log)

[nolnacs]

As for sausage makings, I have consistently used Butcher Packer, but I'm interested to know what other sources there are out there these days, particularly for casings.

I haven't found a better source for casings than Butcher-Packer although I must say the way that they handle shipping costs is extremely annoying as it is based on the value of your order instead of how much it would actually cost to ship.

[Chris Amirault]

Got all my stuff from B-P this week, so I'm set to go.

[cpl55]

Hello, all -

I am curing my first bresaola (I've applied the remaining half of the spice cure, and it's in the fridge for its second 7 day stint before going to the curing chamber). I am using the recipe from Charcuterie. My question is this; while Ruhlman & Polcyn do not specify a casing in their recipe, I notice that many others do. What are the differences in outcomes between cased (in collagen) and uncased? What do most of you do?

Thanks!

Edited October 10, 2010 by cpl55 (log)