Trying some cured meats:

[SmokinAussie]

G'Day Bruces :becky:

Since it's getting bloody cold in downside up land, I booked in for a Salami course at a place close to me for a bit of a refresher. The last one I did was several years ago.

Well, I didn't learn much but went home fairly inspired to do some curing "old style". That is without Cure #2. I figured the bloke teaching the course was not dead yet, so why not!

Started with a pork neck and a belly which I coated in plain old salt for 48 hours... as you can see here with the fluid running out to the bottom of the tray.

After 2 days it looked like this:

I made a simple rub to coat: NO SALT! The salting is already done.

Nicely mixed up:

For the pork neck, which is to be copocollo I soaked collagen sheeting in red wine.

Wrapped it up.

Got my netting on the "bazooka" (Much harder than I thought).

Fed it through.

The pancetta, I just rubbed and hang it with one of my Chinese chicken hooks with a length of dowel to push the hooks apart. Pretty handy.
Both look pretty good hanging now in the shed.

I got a thermometer / hygrometer as well just to check how it's gonna go. This is a 3 month exercise by the looks of it with daily monitoring for the wrong kind of mould. Never quite done anything like this before so I really don't know how it's going to go.

Anyway, I'll keep you updated.

Cheers!

Bill

 

[Badjak]

Nice!
I need to start working on things like that again
But winter is almost over (I'm also south of the equator)!

 

[Stingerhook]

You have a good start going Bill.

 

[kevinstaggs]

That's cool. Keep us updated.

 

[AussieMatt]

My ex's family always did salami in the winter in Sydney and never used cure, just old school Italian. Never had a bad batch.

 

[sudsandswine]

Good luck! I made some copocollo for the first time a few months back and was pleased with how it came out.

 

[16Adams]

A talent I do not possess

Looks like fun and bet it tastes great

 

[snadamo]

oh man...not only does that look fun to do, it looks delicious!

 

[SmokeOCD]

Are you just going by feel "old school" as to when it's ready?
A lot of people take starting weight and expect to lose XX% weight and call it done.

Looks good - good luck!

 

[Fatback Joe]

I like that chicken hook and dowel idea. Every so often I struggle with the best way to hang something. :thumb:

 

[SmokinAussie]

Are you just going by feel "old school" as to when it's ready?
A lot of people take starting weight and expect to lose XX% weight and call it done.

Looks good - good luck!

Pretty much that's it. I weighed them after the cure. Probably should have weighed them before. In any case I will be able to tell by feel and I'm looking for approx 30-35% weight loss.

I like that chicken hook and dowel idea. Every so often I struggle with the best way to hang something. :thumb:

Had those chicken hangers forever. Was a no brainer.:idea:

Bill

 

[cowgirl]

Looking good, Bill!