Just finished an experiment and wanted to get some outside opinions. I'm looking at how grind size affects appearance, binding, and texture. Made 6 batches of the same salami recipe and varied how I grinded both the lean meat and fat before mixing/stuffing. Which slices look the most appealing? Apologize that the slices are out of order and the picture quality sucks. From left to right it's 4, 1, 3, 2.

Doing some research on the charcuterie market - filling up spots for next week. I have a series of questions to ask about charcuterie - this is a research study so I can't tell you why, but it is something that might help the community here. I love charcuterie and if you do too, hopefully we can chat, maybe make a like-minded friend and perhaps it'll help the betterment of charcuterie everywhere.

Who's up for it?

Hey everyone,

I recently decided to make guanciale for the first time and went to my local butcher to get some curing salt (coloroso, 0.6 % nitrate). For a pork cheek weighing 1 kilogram, the butcher gave me 20 grams of coloroso (2%). Following that, I sealed the pork cheek with the coloroso and some herbs in a vacuum bag and left it in the fridge for 8 days. After curing, I rinsed it off, coated it with pepper, and hung it to dry.

Now here’s where my concern comes in: After doing some research online about food safety (I’m based in Europe), I noticed that many recipes recommend 2.5%–3% curing salt. This has made me question if 2% was sufficient.

My main questions are: 1. Is the percentage of curing salt/nitrate to be calculated after drying or before 2. If I’ve achieved a 30% weight loss during drying, can I safely assume the guanciale has enough nitrates/nitrites to be safe to eat?

I’d really appreciate any input from experienced charcuterie makers or anyone with knowledge of curing and food safety. Thanks in advance!

Hi all

Do you all know if it is possible to cure meat in sugar? To create something similar to sweet spoon preserves or jam but with red meat? What is the most sweet charcuterie out there?

I am trying to make a recipe for an Nduja salami that's NOT spreadable. It's basically just the incorporation of the pepper paste, which is a liquid.

I am coming to you, Oh Powerful and Mighty Reddit Charcuterie community, to help me figure out how much binder (nonfat dry milk powder, potato starch, etc.) I am going to have to use and how much Calabrian Pepper paste would be acceptable before there is too much liquid. Is there a general rule?

Notes: I plan on denaturing the pepper paste and achieving a lower Ph by fermenting with a culture

A regular Nduja salami would call for equal parts meat, fat, and pepper paste, but obviously, to make a more traditional salami, I am dialing back the fat content and upping the lean. Below is my working recipe, absent the amount of pepper paste and nonfat dry milk.

1,500 g lean pork

1,000 g pork fat

62.5 g salt

6.25 g Insta cure #2

5 g black pepper

10 g garlic powder

15 g Calabrian Pepper Powder

5 g cayenne pepper

2.5 g fennel seed

7 g fennel seed

150 ml red wine

2 g dextrose

Any suggestions/ ideas would be helpful.

Hi there. I'm new to wet curing, and curing in general. I'm after some solid information about making corned beef.

I have a 1.312kg joint of brisket. I am planning on using 1 litre of water (for simplicity of calculations) and sealing it in a vacuum bag.

I have seen calculators and articles suggesting I'd need:

• anything from 2.5g to 7g of Prague Powder #1.
• anything from 20g to 40g of Sugar.
• anything from 30g to 70g of Salt.

It's quite a wide margin. I am assuming that the salt and sugar levels would be personal preference - but what is a good starting point?

I am also assuming that the amount of prague powder #1 is not personal preference, and there will be a proper amount. What is that amount?

I hope that all makes sense!

Before getting this batch of Bresaola in my curing chamber, I sprayed mold culture. Less than a week after, snow white mold started talking over the piece as expected. My humidy was high on the 85, and 90 s and I think that contributed to green mold developing in some areas. 2 days ago I bought a dehumidifier and in less than a day, the humidity stabilized in mid 70s. It seems the green mold stop growing. Should I remove it or the white mold will take over?

Hey all,

How long did it take you to biuld your curing chamber from start to finish and how much did it cost you?

For those who haven't yet, what's holding you back? I have a mini fridge which works for some stuff, but it's janky and doesn't work on larger pieces.

P.S. what's the cheapest one you could buy anyway? I know there aren't really any around. I've looked but if you've found something let me know.

I had a shower thought this morning and I need answers!!

Have you ever tried fish salami? What fish and what was your experience?

Anyone here control for airflow in their curing chamber/room? Are airflow targets explicitly for air exchange (i.e. new air in, old air out) or can it be closed system airflow (e.g. fan(s) to circulate air). I'm currently controlling temp and humidity in a closed system (modified freezer with custom temp/humidity controller) and would like to add some kind airflow control.

A minute before trashing this lonzino. Cured in a bung, 2 months in chamber, it develop white mold, then turned green chalk. After taking from bung, I rinsed the mold with pilot grigio and left it in the fridge for a day. It had a taste I didn't like from the first slice. Like garlic, hard to say with certainty. I ate a couple of times but the taste threw me off everytime. I was about to make a sandwich today, made courage, and it went to the trash. The darker part was acceptable taste. It cured during the time I was adjusting and learning to keep humidity on 75 80 %. Taste your taste buds.

I bought good quality salami, peeled off the casing, soaked it in water with a touch of sugar, and sprayed the water into my cabinet, as bactoferm 600 is expensive in my area. Wasn't sure if this would work but it seems to have done the job just fine. The cabinet smells delicious, and very much more like charcuterie since the mould appeared.

Only 6+ months to go, but will have some interim guanciale a bit sooner 😅😁

Hi all, I am making the 2 guys and cooler calabrian pork tenderloin recipe in my home fridge with the dry age steak wraps however I just weighed 1 of the 2 loins and it has lost almost 30% weight in less than 3 weeks when the recipe says 5 weeks. I am thinking that I definitely have dry ring/case hardening and am wondering if there is anything I can do to help save this project in the meantime otherwise i plan on vac sealing for 1-2 months to equalize once they hit target weight.

I have about ten pounds of salami Calabrese drying. Inoculated with mold600 a week ago and it has colonized the outside thoroughly. I’ll let it ride a few days longer but plan to remove it before it’s too thick. Last batch, I wiped with wine, but it left a weird, slightly slimy texture on the outside. Anyone else experienced this before? Are y’all just wiping mold off as I did, or do you have another technique?

What’s up everybody? I just opened this account to share some food and ideas. I’ve got a small sandwich & charcuterie shop in Orlando, FL. I’ll be dropping in from time to time with mostly terrines and pâtés. Catch us on Netflix for Season 7 of Somebody Feed Phil. Happy Holidays!

Hi all, I'm new to salami making and I was wondering what the largest casing people have used for dry-aged salami is? I used 32-38mm natural hog casing and it was a real pain to work with and stuff 5 lbs of meat. Links to order what you guys use would be super appreciated! Thanks all.

Just got done making German Lachsschinken which is literally translated as lox ham.

I took a pork loin from the grocery store and froze it for 2 days then thawed it out in the fridge.

Next, I followed a youtube recipe that included pickling salt, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika and let it cure in fridge for 10 days in a plastic food storage container.

Then I let it air cure another 24 hours in the kitchen and then cold smoked it a total of 3 hours with Whiskey Apple Wood pellets.

https://preview.redd.it/qgdmhyrdda4e1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4bce77fbd4e7c086c63969eac553fda242b6bfeb

It smells and tastes sooooooooooooooo goood. Omg, it tastes even better than what I would get back home at the German grocery and Metzger.

I bought a portable cold smoker to use with any grill and just put my meat on the grill to cold smoke. But I could have literally done this in a cardboard box.

Anyway- this is my very first time and I am thinking of doing some grav lox soon.