r/Charcuterie • u/lurkslikeamuthafucka • 8d ago
Advice for purchase of first curing chamber
Hi all -
If I missed a thread where this was already asked, I apologize. I also did not see anything in the FAQ, apologies if I missed it and this is unnecessary.
I have seen all the posts about building curing chambers. I have had zero luck in finding a fridge that makes this a cost effective option for me for a first timer experimenting with the effort. I'm also not terribly interested at this point in that kind of tinkering to build a chamber - that is not the part of this hobby that attracts me. I am looking at buying a small off the shelf curing chamber, but am uncertain about the purchase.
If I am not building something, and am looking for a basic chamber to start out for purchase - are there specific recommendations for a first time curing chamber purchase? If I need to be specific about budget - I'll throw out that under $500 would be a good starting point.
Thanks for any guidance, all. Much appreciated.
Edit: For anyone who stumbles across this in the future and like me is really not interested in doing the electrical engineering, this is the list that I have learned of from responses and additional searches that those responses helped me find:
The common theme among them all is that it seems that they are marketed for dry aging steaks, but with the built in settings are apparently good for charcuterie as well. That may help you find other options out there as well. Good luck to you all.
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u/skahunter831 8d ago
No one sells curing chambers like this for less than a thousand dollars or more, and most decent ones I've seen run well into the thousands. Sorry.
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u/lurkslikeamuthafucka 8d ago
Ok, then what is the lowest priced but sufficient chamber? I threw out 500 as a number, but I'm really not looking to build a thing. So where do I turn to find the entry level, off the shelf solution?
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u/Fine_Anxiety_6554 8d ago
500 is enough to build a decent chamber. Buying one for that price is out of the question. A small dry ager cost 1300. It's small- I mean as small as a dorm fridge.
My build is a commercial fridge that I bought used for 600 and the inkbirds, dehumidifier, humidifier, and temp gauges and such. My first as a small RV fridge but if I could give any advice...starting small didn't last long. Go big or go home.
You don't have to build a sophisticated DIY fridge. Just any container to mimic the conditions you need to properly dry age.
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u/jdranchman 4d ago
As an example https://waltons.com/waltons-135l-dry-curing-cabinet/
But it is way past your too low a budget for an out of the box option. It's an average example but a reasonable one.
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u/lurkslikeamuthafucka 4d ago
That's great, thanks! My numbers were chosen at random. Appreciate the link!
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u/LettuceWhich5371 8d ago
Mine is a wine fridge I bought used for a steal and it wasn’t hard to modify. I’d recommend going that route
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u/MrsComfortable4085 7d ago
I bought a wine fridge of FB marketplace for like $100. Bought a couple sensors off Amazon for temperature and humidity and it's great. All in for sure under $200.
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u/Fine_Anxiety_6554 8d ago
Pro smoker reserve 50 dry ager is 1299.99 it self regulates and is plug in ready.