No Rolling Back

[TAFKAP]

Have you tried to straighten the leg? It would probably make slicing off the meat a little easier.

 

[TAFKAP]

Here's a picture of one....since it's a hog leg, it might be a whole lot more feasible because of its stubbiness...it was just a thought. Obviously, it's not critical to the cure.

 

[TAFKAP]

As Alton Brown says, "There's only room for ONE uni-tasker in my kitchen!"

But seriously, given the way Italians leave the leg on the counter and slice towards their body, it'd be worth considering some sort of stainless apparatus to anchor the thing down.

 

[TAFKAP]

Interesting......I just asked an Italian buddy. They call it a portaproscuitto.

 

[BamaProud]

Very cool.

 

[Deck78]

sounds like a good plan. where are you storing it during the 7-10 day flippin process?

 

[BamaProud]

In my second fridge that I use for curing. Though it is not actually set up as curing chamber other than putting it on its highest setting, a bowl of salt water and a fan, it does seem to work fine.

It is a pretty simple/cheep conversion if you choose to do it:

http://www.tndeer.com/tndeertalk/ubbthr ... w=1#UNREAD

 

[Deck78]

Rohan from Whole Larder Love wrote a blog post recently about his experiments and he leaves his in a salt box during the initial curing phase which he indicated left last season's ham a little too salty so i think you're doing it right now leaving it in the full on salt bath

 

[Deck78]

If I start one in late october I am wondering if I could leave it hanging in a screened box on the porch through the spring like rohan does

 

[TAFKAP]

Interesting point about adding the lard layer at a later point in the drying period. It seems that adding it immediately might not be ideal.

 

[Deck78]

That link just got bookmarked. Excellent resource

 

[TAFKAP]

Even though it seems to be contained only to the silverskin areas?

 

[TAFKAP]

Looking at the first picture, it almost appears like the green hue was starting to show before your drying period. Does it pass the smell test?

I would keep on with the salting route.....not far enough along to consider it a loss yet.

 

[BamaProud]

I don't know much at all about curing although I have wanted to get started doing it for about a year or so.

Just a thought about sanitation, I use a no rinse(consumable) acid sanitizer called Star San when brewing. Would a light mist of sanitizer on the meat before adding anything else help kill off bacteria and help prevent things going down hill? Or are there good bacteria/enzymes on the surface of the meat that need to survive to cure properly? I don't think the Sanitizer would kill anything not almost directly on the surface.

 

[BamaProud]

Thought so...oh well.

 

[TAFKAP]

That's a relief. I'm glad it didn't become a mad scientist experiment.

 

[Deck78]

hmmm, so maybe Rohan was onto something with the salt pack???

 

[BamaProud]

Cool.

 

[WMAn]

Lesson learned: large muscles must be packed in salt. Next time, I'll will but some high quality sea salt in bulk. I also may salt it in a turkey bag instead of a tub.

Try http://bulknaturalfoods.com/ for salt and other bulk foods. They have pick-up locations across the state including Memphis.

 

[BlountArrow]

Thanks for the update. Agree, nothing makes me feel better about the food I'm preparing to eat than a little or a lot of white mold.
I do think it's awesome in all seriousness.

 

[TAFKAP]

What is the benefit of white mold? Is it edible? Does it go away?

 

[BamaProud]

What is the benefit of white mold? Is it edible? Does it go away?

The white mold is indeed edible and does not go away. In a curing culture, you have have 2 kinds of mold: good (white) and bad (green, black or any other color). Once white mold takes root, it will prevent the other kinds from forming. If you get green mold, it is not the end of the world. You can save sausages by washing them with vinegar solution and then scrubbing your chamber with the same. Generally speaking, once white mold has taken hold of your sausage, it is "safe" and could be carried around with your in fluctuating environments until ready to eat. (This is one of the reasons that the Romans were able to concur so much of the world)

Some folks use starter cultures to achieve white molds, but, an artisan charcuterists will allow for indigenous molds to form. Once you have white mold in your curing chamber, you simply keep feeding it meat as your are removing meats that are fully cured. A guy told me that he had a pancetta covered in white mold after one day in his chamber. I have some white mold in mine, but not a whole lot and it only seems to be growing on certain sausages.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... CFQQ9QEwBA

Good info. That image is intense though!

 

[Inkstainz]

What is the benefit of white mold? Is it edible? Does it go away?

The white mold is indeed edible and does not go away. In a curing culture, you have have 2 kinds of mold: good (white) and bad (green, black or any other color). Once white mold takes root, it will prevent the other kinds from forming. If you get green mold, it is not the end of the world. You can save sausages by washing them with vinegar solution and then scrubbing your chamber with the same. Generally speaking, once white mold has taken hold of your sausage, it is "safe" and could be carried around with your in fluctuating environments until ready to eat. (This is one of the reasons that the Romans were able to concur so much of the world)

Some folks use starter cultures to achieve white molds, but, an artisan charcuterists will allow for indigenous molds to form. Once you have white mold in your curing chamber, you simply keep feeding it meat as your are removing meats that are fully cured. A guy told me that he had a pancetta covered in white mold after one day in his chamber. I have some white mold in mine, but not a whole lot and it only seems to be growing on certain sausages.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... CFQQ9QEwBA

Good info. That image is intense though!

Is that even edible still?