A Different Summer Sausage

So I had cut some pork shoulder for a cured product but as I have stated before, I really don't like curing anything in the heat of summer.  I really doesn't matter as everything I have to make cured product is temperature and humidity controlled but it is just not the same to me.  So back to the topic at hand...I had 7 pounds of pork shoulder and it needed to be used.  I decided to make a cooked (smoked) product out of it.

I ground the meat, added salt, mustard seeds, white pepper, red chili flakes, black pepper, ginger powder, nutmeg, hot smoked paprika, pink salt and a couple of other simple ingredient's.  We stuffed it all in 80mm collagen casings and put them on the smoker for about 4 hours with peach wood.  After that, I put them in a 170 degree oven until the internal temperature reached 170.  They then get a dunk in ice water and into the refrigerator to rest for a day and here is the results:

This was a successful venture....this stuff is great!  Every recipe you read for summer sausage includes beef.  I really only have one thing to say about that....try pork only and make it spicy, it works and it is great.  This stuff won't last long and I will definitely do this again.  If you want the recipe, email me or send me a comment.  I can't guarantee that your will turn out like this did do to the variables with smoking and the species of the wood you may have available but it is worth the time if you are up to it and have the basic supplies needed for the simple preparation.

Scott

Something new

A couple of weeks ago I tried a great Calabrese and decided to see what I could do to make a product that in someways would be close to what I tried but have my own twist to it.

This is the product right after it was brought out of the fermentation chamber.  I stuffed them in 140mm casing (the size of bologna) and flattened them out for a few days in the fridge before putting them in the fermentation box.  They are now in the aging or maturation cooler where they will stay until they have lose 30% of their total weight which is now about three pounds each.  I also made some in smaller casings along with two and a half pounds of Genoa with extra garlic. 

Another waiting game....the hard part!

Scott

June note....these both turned out well.  It is really amazing the amount of heat (in the way of dried chili pepper) you can throw into the batch and just how mild it comes out when done.  I have yet to reach a point to where I think it is "spicy".  That demand another batch to experiment on this. 

As for the Genoa, the little extra bit of garlic was mild but nice.

Coppa

 

 

Here is a Coppa that I made in the past several weeks.  This is a particular cut off the shoulder and is pretty easy to see if you know what you are looking for when you look at a whole shoulder of the hog.

 

 

It was pretty simple to make and the results are pretty good.  It was salted and held in a plastic bag in the fridge for a few days to give the salt time to do it thing.  Then I spiced it with black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, ground fennel and a bit more salt.  Then I put it in a net to hold it together and it was hung in the cure box until it lost 30% of it's original weight.  That took about 4 weeks over, give or take a day or two.  The results are pretty good and really a bit salty but good non-the-less.

New Heat box

I have been using an old wooden box that I threw together years ago for a heating chamber.  It has served me well but is beginning to breakdown due to the moisture from both being used and being washed out.  So I have started on a new bigger, better unit. 

It looks a bit like a phone booth but that is intentional.  I want the heat to be consistent as well as the moisture so I am installing a heater in the bottom that has a small fan in it.  It will slowly circulate air and heat but the heat will "hopefully" be more consistent in the top half of the box.  That is also where I will measure the temperature for control.  Moisture will be provided by a small household humidifier that will be run on a humidistat.  The old box derived its heat from a 100 watt light bulb.  The humidity was from a water pan with an aquarium heater in it.  What?.....it worked! 

As you can see, there is a lot of work needed.  Insulation, power for an interior light, racks in the top for hanging, the outside skin and a door.  I will take a few more photo's as I go along but this thing needs to get done soon so keep checking back for more pictures in the near future.

Genoa week one update

Here is a picture of the development after the long Thanksgiving weekend.

Well on their way to perfection.  After weighing all of them, the loss is as expected and they seem to be progressing nicely. 

Cured Meats for Christmas

This past weekend, we produced a batch of Garlic heavy Genoa for Christmas gifts.  The batch started out at 12.5 lbs.  It made seven good sized salami's which should be done for Christmas.  I will probably cut these in half, vacuum seal them and send most of them out to family.

I just noticed today that a slight trace of white mold is starting to form on the casings which is exactly what  will help these become all that they can be.  This is the "beneficial" mold that helps slow moisture from escaping to quickly and prevents what is called "case hardening".  It will also protect the salumi from bad bacteria that may come into contact with it during the next several weeks of conditioning. 

Hoping you all have a Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow!

The Weekend Project

It has been a while since I have made any meat products and the weather is still a bit warm and dry to get me in the mood for that, but there is always things to do. Thus this past weekends project, cheese!
Cheese is easy to do with a few of the right ingredients, some basic kitchen equipment and an afternoon of commitment and care.  I always keep some starter and rennet on hand and usually make cheese several times a year but have not done so this year until this past weekend.

I was able to get my hands on some raw organic cows milk that is from cows that only eat grass hay and also some raw goats milk to try a new cheddar type cheese that I have been thinking about.  Due to this being made from raw un-pasteurized milk, I will age this for at least three months before we crack into it.  Also, this cheese will need that much time to mature and develop the flavor profile I am hoping for.  If it works the way I have planned, aging for longer would be more appropriate but patients has never been my strong suit! 

I will report on the experiment when the time comes.  That should be sometime around Thanksgiving.. Until then it will be pampered by flipping, rubbing and cleaning of the surface when and if necessary to do my part to give it what it will need to become something much enjoyed.  I will be rubbing the surface with salt for the first few days to protect it and to impart flavor leaving it at room temperature to form a "rind" of sorts on the outside prior to putting it in the cooler.  My cooler is not the fridge....it is my meat hanging cooler that stays at 55 degrees and at 80% RH.  A normal refrigerator will not do this without modification, just so you know.

This project was inspired by a visit to the Manwaring Cheese Factory in Rigby, Idaho a few days before.  We purchased some cheese there and looked briefly at their operation.  The cheese we sampled was very good and we were met by the owner with a warm welcome.  On their website, you can purchase their products.  The website is manwaringcheese.com and it is a very small family operation.  They do not ship during the warm months of the year so right now the shipping program is not operational.  They will ship as soon as the weather cools so the product will not be ruined due to the heat.

Scott