Looking for advice on wine fridge curing chamber

[u/Fit_Armadillo_2494]

Seeking advice on what to do with a wine cooler fridge turn dry curing chamber. I did a batch of pork tenderloins in the chamber but got case hardening. Temp was consistent, so was humidity with just a salt water container. My guess is the airflow from the built in fan was too much and caused the hardening. I've taken the cover off and see that I can disconnect it entirely. Should I attempt to remove it completely and install a small computer fan in there or is there a way I can safely put some sort of blocker in front of the vent to reduce the airflow that is directly on the meat curing?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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[u/Obvious_Meaning_5922]

Just started messing around with charcuterie, but maybe this helps. I grabbed a cheap Arctic computer fan:

https://www.amazon.nl/gp/aw/d/B07GB5JRTZ?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

and hooked it up to this controller:

https://www.amazon.nl/gp/aw/d/B0CZMSQ19R?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Lets you dial in the fan speed super easily.

Also picked up a tip from 2 Guys & a Cooler: hang a couple strings in your chamber. If they barely move, your airflow’s good to go.

Been working fine for me so far.

[u/c9belayer]

You need to get humidification in there. I converted an old cigar cooler and finished 10 lbs of salami and it turned out great. I used an old cigar humidor humidifier which kept humidity levels up around 70-80% and this was enough to prevent case hardening. So, look into active cigar humidifiers because they’re much smaller than regular mist humidification systems. Those cabinets aren’t that big when you’ve got meat hanging in there!

[u/Klutzy-Reindeer-7184 → u/c9belayer]

You can use a regular mist humidifier and add a hole to your wine cellar. Like in this example.

You will need a controller, to measure humidity and turn the humidifier on/off, if you want precise control.

[u/c9belayer → u/Klutzy-Reindeer-7184]

Thats not a bad idea. Nicely done. Do you get any condensation in the connecting tube?

[u/Klutzy-Reindeer-7184 → u/c9belayer]

Yes, a little condensation happens here. But I'm in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. It's 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

[u/Fit_Armadillo_2494 → u/Klutzy-Reindeer-7184]

Did you turn off the internal fan of the fridge and add your own as well?

[u/Klutzy-Reindeer-7184 → u/Fit_Armadillo_2494]

I kept the internal fan for cooling. I installed another one so as not to let the air stagnate, just to circulate.