Seasons just keep ending

[tod osier]

Thanks Tod. That's a slick setup. I typically do 10lb batches and have considered converting my minifridge. I was always under the impression that a humidifier was required as well to keep it from case hardening. Not being a chest I don't think cracking the door is a good idea. The minifridge is used for aging ducks during the season and keeping corny's of my cider cold the rest of the year so it would be great if I can make it work. I have been wanting to do dried sausages for a long time. I find it interesting that you do not use a humidifier like I have seen in all my research and use the freezer as just an insulated box. Now you have me thinking with the environmental conditions we have here in the Northwest this time of year I may have some other options to make something work with what I have on hand.

10 pounds would generate plenty of humidity in a minifridge. I've done 20 pounds in a 12 cubic foot freezer in the middle of our dry winter (30% in my basement now) and the humidity will go as high as you want if you close it tight, then crack it to bring it down to what you want. I feel like a humidifier is only needed if you are doing small amounts. You see guys with 3 sausages in a mini fridge - they need extra humidity.

Case hardening is a struggle for me because I get gray fuzzy mold if I maintain humidity in the ideal range of 80% early on when the casings are still soft. I rush to get down to the 70% range and then bring it back up after I get some hardening (that keeps the mold at bay). I end up wiping the sausages down with salt water to keep the mold at bay too. I get a great product, IMO, it is just a little fussy. Needs to be watched.

Just an interesting note, with that 40 pounds this year I got a lot of evaporative chilling (new fan moves more air) and when the sausages still had a lot of water in them it brought the temp inside the chamber down 10 degrees F. I could have actually used some heating since inside the chamber it was 55F, when I'd have liked it a bit warmer.

Good luck if you try it, it sounds like you know a lot more about it then I did when I started. Happy to answer any questions, but it seems like you are in a good spot.

 

[Eric Patterson]

I learned something. I didn't know goose season, other than the nuisance season, went past Jan 31. I bet you nearly have the entire area to yourself. Excellent!

Eric

 

[tod osier]

I learned something. I didn't know goose season, other than the nuisance season, went past Jan 31. I bet you nearly have the entire area to yourself. Excellent!

Eric

It is nice to be able to get out and to shoot any birds is a bonus - it is very hit or miss as far as spots and the birds can be very educated after many years and a long season. I'm usually pretty tired at the end of waterfowl season, but having Beaver around this year kept my interest level up.

Lot of ducks show up after duck season closes and it can be quite the show with a lot of ducks I consider rarities in season being common during late goose - wigeon, spoonies, pintails, for example.

I'd love to hunt the states that have youth season later after waterfowl close, that would be pretty spectacular in the right area.

 

[Joseph Sarno]

HELLO, Todd all looks great can i please get the salami recipe .

 

[MIKE-SID]

I'm going to give a few things a try.
Looks like a great book Tod. Thanks

 

[Tony N.]

Looks good. Is that a convert chest freezer? Are you using a thermostate to drop the temp to specified temp while you dry or age the sausage?

 

[tod osier]

HELLO, Todd all looks great can i please get the salami recipe .

Hi Joseph, recipe is in the book that Mike posted a link to. More important than the recipe is the technique, which the book details well and is more than I could type in a week! Check it out.

 

[tod osier]

I'm going to give a few things a try.
Looks like a great book Tod. Thanks

Awesome that you got it. Everything has been awesome from the book. The only concern I've has is a couple of their sausage recipes call for vinegar and that screws up the ability to get a good bind and wrecks the texture. For example the Italian sausage calls for vinegar (and is messed up when you add it), but great is you substitute wine. Those guys know what they are doing, but I've seen a lot of chatter about that one issue on the web and experienced it myself - DON'T PUT VINEGAR IN SAUGASE IF YOU WANT GOOD TEXTURE. .

 

[tod osier]

Looks good. Is that a convert chest freezer? Are you using a thermostate to drop the temp to specified temp while you dry or age the sausage?

Thanks Tony, the freezer is just a convenient airtight box in this situation. I don't have any need for chilling in my basement in the winter. I use it because it is in a convenient place and just works really well. I went back-and-forth with Neal above about how I manage the humidity and such above. There is a lot of ways to hang sausages, but having a humid place where you can manage humidity is key.

 

[MIKE-SID]

I'm going to give a few things a try.
Looks like a great book Tod. Thanks

Awesome that you got it. Everything has been awesome from the book. The only concern I've has is a couple of their sausage recipes call for vinegar and that screws up the ability to get a good bind and wrecks the texture. For example the Italian sausage calls for vinegar (and is messed up when you add it), but great is you substitute wine. Those guys know what they are doing, but I've seen a lot of chatter about that one issue on the web and experienced it myself - DON'T PUT VINEGAR IN SAUGASE IF YOU WANT GOOD TEXTURE. .

Thanks for the tip. I would never have known about the vinegar, as I'm green with the sausage making. I've never made any salami, pepperoni or the like.
Now I need to read and get to work!

 

[Kenmorris]

I'm going to give a few things a try.
Looks like a great book Tod. Thanks

Awesome that you got it. Everything has been awesome from the book. The only concern I've has is a couple of their sausage recipes call for vinegar and that screws up the ability to get a good bind and wrecks the texture. For example the Italian sausage calls for vinegar (and is messed up when you add it), but great is you substitute wine. Those guys know what they are doing, but I've seen a lot of chatter about that one issue on the web and experienced it myself - DON'T PUT VINEGAR IN SAUGASE IF YOU WANT GOOD TEXTURE. .

Thanks for the tip. I would never have known about the vinegar, as I'm green with the sausage making. I've never made any salami, pepperoni or the like.
Now I need to read and get to work!

If you need a taste-tester, just let me know. I?ll put myself under that bus[cool]

 

[Neal Haarberg]

Tod,
I order the book and it just arrived. From just flipping through it looks much better than Rytek Kutas's book. It's not a matter of if I try making salami its more a matter of when. I have some reading to do but want get on it soon before it starts to warm up. I like to do my sausage making in the garage when its still cold. You have a good point on the humidifier and batch size. Bringing up mold, one concern I have with converting my mini fridge is I can't clean behind the cooling plate and have had mold in it in the past. (unplugged and not cleaned for a couple months NOTGOOD!) There have to be spores back in there that would get on the salamis. I already have some ideas. Cured meats make the world go round!