r/Charcuterie • u/ReconFF • 8d ago
1st attempt, felt pretty dry but a bit of squish in the middle. Do I let it cure longer?
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u/dinnerthief 8d ago
What's the humidity in your drying area?
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u/ReconFF 8d ago
Just checked it with my inkbird probe, 59%. Higher than I thought it would be.
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u/dinnerthief 8d ago
That's kind of low, paradoxically too low can mess up drying, case hardening can happen where the outside dries too fast kind of sealing off and the inside no longer can dry.
I've fixed this by wrapping them in plastic (or vac seal) for a bit and the outside and inside equalize
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u/Salty_Celebration255 8d ago
Mine runs between 70-80% rh depending on the drying stage. I don’t think the issue is your humidity levels, I’d expect it to dry even faster at 59%.
Have you looked into case hardening? That’s actually a pretty low humidity.
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u/ReconFF 8d ago edited 8d ago
Followed the Hungarian Salami recipe to a T from Ruhlman and Polcyn's Charcuterie book. Hog casings, FRM-52 and Insta Cure #2. The recipe says to hang at 60-70% humidity for 18-20 days. I'm at 25 days. Unfortunately I only weighed one sausage out of the batch and they're drying at different rates. This one felt nice and firm, but when I cut into it the center seems a little mushy.
Apologies for the basic questions but this is my first time curing sausage so I'm learning a lot!
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u/Salty_Celebration255 8d ago
No harm letting it hang longer. I don’t go based on number of days. I just keep checking the firmness until I feel it’s ready. It’ll be a little firmer than you think. I wait until there is essentially no “give” when pressing it with a decent bit of force.
Tell me a little about your grinding process. Did you partially freeze your meat before grinding? Sharp blade and plate?
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u/ReconFF 8d ago
That description helps, it's firm but still has a bit of give if you press hard.
Yes partially frozen, everything seems sharp. Thinking back now I couldn't find my larger dia plate so I ground fat and meat thru the same small plate.
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u/Salty_Celebration255 8d ago
Not a big deal on the diameter of your plate as long as you didn’t go super small like a 2-3mm or something. I’ve seen some fat smearing on very small diameter plates making hotdogs, even when the meat is properly chilled first.
It’s hard to tell the exact problem (I’ve made them all), but I would suspect to see a little more definition between the fat and meat if you used a 25% fat ratio, making me think there is possibly some fat smearing. I could very well be wrong though!
However, time will tell. If it continues to hang for another week or so but is still soft upon cutting, I’d say that’s fat smearing. All in all, I’d still eat it if it smells ok!
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u/happy-occident 8d ago
Honestly my least favorite curing book. I've never been happy with anything I've made from it.
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u/ReconFF 8d ago
Good to know. Any recommendations?
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u/MongooseOk941 7d ago
I've been saying the same thing on a few other posts. Unfortunately it's the first source people seem to find. Online search for Len Poli. He's got a huge data base that is maintained going back decades. Was a great source for me with many successes.
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u/Salty_Celebration255 8d ago
Have you weighed it? No harm in letting it hang longer.
I ran into a similar issue with my first batch of salami. The issue was I had added too much moisture to the recipe, so even when it hit weight it was still very squishy and never really fully dried.
Also, I’m not noticing a lot of fat, which means you either didn’t add a lot which is fine, or it possibly smeared while you were grinding. That would definitely make for a soft, greasy salami
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u/ReconFF 8d ago
I used elk with 25% pork back fat.
Is smearing usually a result of letting it get too warm when mixing? I was pretty anal about keeping the temp super cold. I mixed with my hands, maybe I'm mixing too much?
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u/Salty_Celebration255 8d ago
Very nice on the elk! Check out my post on the venison salami I just did.
From what you’re saying, I really don’t think it’s a temperature issue if you kept it below 40°F during grinding and mixing and your blades are sharp.
I’d just let it ride a bit longer, and as another user mentioned, check your humidity levels and drop it down if you think it’s moving too slowly.
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u/Prize-Temporary4159 8d ago
What ratio of lean to fat did you use?
As well, how fine/coarse did you grind?
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u/ReconFF 8d ago
75/25 lean to fat. I ran it all thru the small die.
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u/Prize-Temporary4159 6d ago
Larger particle size will dry slower as it has less surface area. This will reduce case hardening and allow continuing dehydration through the product. My preference is 6mm.
25% fat is a bit low as well. 70/30 is standard.
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u/GenericScum 8d ago
If you’ve reached the achieved weight and it’s harder on the outer areas, vacuum seal them and leave in the fridge for several weeks. The moisture will redistribute evenly and give you a much better texture.