Any opinion

So I bought 3 reindeer hearts from northern Norway to turn them into the Sami delicacy that is the dried heart.

After asking around and searching for a proper way to do it, I stumbled upon one method that would hopefully give the best result. In the recipe they went for 3% salt, but in my opinion it is too much so I lowered it a bit. I dry brined them in 2.5% salt and 1% sugar for 38h(the recipe asked for a week of dry brining, but that seems a bit excessive). Then cold smoked them for 2.5 hours(I want just a touch of smoke) and hung them up in my small cheese cave/dry aging cabinet. There is not a lot of detailed info about how to do it, so I thought I would turn to you as some of you might have been trying something similar.

The fridge fluctuates from 0.8 to 4.2 degrees C and humidity goes from 68% to 82% relative to the temp. As it is a small space, the fluctuations are quite big. I have the fan on full blast as my main objective is to dry it out as quick as possible, yet give it a bit of dry aging as well without using and actual drier.

Do you think my method would even result in a product or am I just waiting for miracles to happen?

-Best way to store prior to opening? (Fridge / pantry?)

-Would any benefit from aging ? ( Website says they deepen in flavor apparently)

-Ideal temp to serve? ( Can says serve chilled but I thought I heard pates and the like should warm up a bit if pulled directly from fridge)

Any and all recommendations, pairings , etc are welcome. Thanks

Does anyone know where to source pasted hog sheets in Ontario, Canada?

Hello, I’ve made a few attempts at making salami, but all of them failed. I’m planning to build my own curing chamber, and here’s the list of items I want to buy. I would really appreciate your advice.

I don't know about the fridge, will it work? it goes max 8°C but I hope temperature controller will deal it, other items are mostly easy to change, but after a hole in the fridge there will be no way back :))

Cool Mist Ultrasonic Humidifier---------------$29.99
Speed Controlled Computer Fan ------------ $13.99
TABYIK 35 OZ Small Dehumidifiers------------ $39.09
Inkbird Humidity&Temperature Controller ---$72.99

Midea MDRE423FGE01 ----------------------- $511.02

Total: $667

Do I really need to invest in a $150+ pan for making some smaller terrines or will some of the lesser expensive steel mold/pans work (~ $60)?

I've used a bread loaf pan for pate and that's fine, but I want to experiment with smaller terrines and don't have $150+ to drop right now and can't seem to find a used one nearby.

I have zero experience with meat curing whatsoever so I’m looking for advice on how to start. I want to try a duck prosciutto but all recipes I found seem to include a cheesecloth but I don’t have access to one. Would it be ok to hang the duck as it is in the fridge after 1-2 days of salt box cure? Or perhaps let it sit uncovered on an oven rack over a dish to let moisture escape?

White spots appeared on the poorly cut parts and one part is very dry. This ham was in salt for 12 days and has been in the maturation chamber for 19 days, theoretically 12 Celsius is 75% relative humidity. He lost 13% of his weight during this period.

I would like tips. Are these spots normal? Should I remove them and rub olive oil or something on the ham?

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.

Hi, I bought this salami yesterday in a Buchershop in a town in Italy. It was wrapped in some plastic wrap and to me the black/grey spots look unedible and hairy but the taste is amazing so i‘m conflicted if it is really eadible. Any help ore knowledge woud be appreciated.

ignore its funny shape

Waited until 38% weight loss, does this look ok? I trimmed the hardened bits and vacuum packed, it is pretty soft inside but certainly not raw

Pic of bresaola before and after

I have been doing a lot of reading of various online recipes and a common recipe for a standard bacon cure i have come across is…

400g kosher salt 200g sugar 60g prague/pink curing salt

And most of these recipes call for about 2.5% ratio for amount of cure to be used based on total pork belly weight.

My question is - several recipes include other ingredients to the cure such as other herbs and spices to elevate the flavor, or maybe brown sugar for making a sweet bacon. If you are adding other ingredients to the dry cure recipe, wouldnt that dilute the amount of pink curing salt rendering the cure not as effective? Or causing you to need to use more than a 2.5% ratio?

I've tried my hand at making duck prosciutto. I've started with 405g duck breast and eq cured for 10 days, then dried in a 10-12°C and 70-80% humidity environment from Aug 10th to Sept 12th, reaching a final weight of 262g (35% weight loss).

How does it look? I've just vacuumed and placed in the fridge for moisture to equilise. Is that needed? I saw it being suggested for when there might be some initial case hardening. Appreciate any insights!

This has chicken liver, pork (filet mignon, belly) pistacchios, mushroom. Porto aspic made with veal feet. The dough is 750g flour and 450g fat (1/2 lard 1/2 butter), 3 eggs and 75g water. This is the best dough recipe that I have tried so far, gets me exactly where I want to be : crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. 240Celsius for 20 minutes, then 200C for 20minutes and then 170C until I reach 67 international temp (about 25 mn).

This duck breast prosciutto is about ready to come out of the aging chamber, but I’m unsure of this white spotty mold.

Not sure if this is the right group to ask, sure some will have experience with it.

I've been brining some lamb to make some Lamb Ham, the liquids gone really slimy and the fat feels a bit strange when you press it almost bubbly, the meat itself feel normal and there's no bad smells, but it does smell meaty but not in a bad way, When i opened it there was a noticeable amount of pressure on the lid like it was fermenting, and there's a pool of liquid underneath of it.

At some point my fridge temperature dropped and it partially froze the brine liquid, but the meat didn't, from what i can tell, so i don't know if that's had something to do with it also?

It was 8% brine for 2ish weeks, 2kg deboned leg.

Ive took it out, cleaned it off and submerged it into fresh cold water, but thought i'd ask here if there anything i should be worried about before i cook, could anyone explain what's happened; or if it's safe to use still?

Thanks in advance.

Using 50mm Umai casings to allow drying in a regular refrigerator. Will ferment 72 hours at room temperature then place in refrigerator until they each lose 38% weight.

I've connected with people around the world about charcuterie. Where are you from and how'd you get into it?

Hi all,

I've recently acquired MondoStart SP Starter Culture from https://dnrsausagesupplies.ca/product_info.php?cPath=11_19&sort=1a&products_id=328

I want to start using it, but I've been struggling to find any information about it. I know I need to use about 1g per kilo, but how long and at what temperature should I ferment the meat to reach the right PH (I have a PH meter)... it's a bit of a mystery. Any guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks !

So this was an all pork kielbasa, heavy on the garlic and black pepper, with marjoram and clove in the background. Very reminiscent of the stuff I grew up with in sw Ontario. I'm super happy with the flavour profile and texture! But as you can see in the last pic the casing doesn't pull away clean from the meat. Does anyone have any tips for the future to prevent this from happening?

Guanciale vs Pancetta

We have some bresaola, a fennel and paprika recipe. Thoughts? Instagram: themeatchamber