Quote:
Originally Posted by Rairdog
Interesting. I would be afraid to skip the curing salt and just use regular salt. He says "if it spoils....eff it...just throw it away" lol. He also handles the peppercorn and paprika containers after having his hands in raw meat. I'm am very paranoid and wash my hands constantly to avoid cross contamination.
The biggest issue I run into is finding fresh pork fat around here. When I do find it the price is around $3.50 lb.
If I buy fully cooked/smoked pork but or shoulder and cut it in with venison it turns rancid in the freezer.
When smoked immediately I use curing salts.
When freezing I eliminate curing salts.
You can tell that he knows what he's doing but it would seem risky to try this method for the inexperienced like me. Maybe you can shed some light on this. It is a grey area when searching internet methods and not having and experienced teacher.
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I will try to answer your questions as best I can but it will take a while to do it so bare with me if you wish.
First many years ago they didn't use potassium or sodium nitrate to preserve meat.
Another word for it is saltpeter the same stuff you use in making Black powder.
It is also the same thing as what they call tree stump remover.
What they did was pack meat like hams or fish in salt and use the salt to cure and dehydrate the meat.
They would remove the water logged salt repack with salt and repeat the process.
This is called overhauling.
Once the meat is dehydrated enough,(you can tell when no more water comes out) you then smoke the meat at a very low temperature for several days.
Most of the folks back then would just let it stay in the smokehouse until they used it.
I was raised on this type of cured meat that was done by a Spanish family from Spain (Not Mexico).
I went to school with their boy that was the same age as me.
They were wonderful folks.
One time some of our pigs they were curing when bad and they replaced every bit of it with their own pork.
I remember the first time my wife tried this type of bacon and she thought something was wrong with it.
Then she just had to have a country cured ham and didn't like it either or the homemade butter from a farm cow.
She said how could you eat this stuff?
I told her it was an acquired taste and you were either raised on it or you learned to like it.
As for spoilage, white mold good green mold bad.
I have a separate refrigerator just to keep cheese and meat in to dry age and store.
This refrigerator is kept squeaky clean.
If you are drying sausage and it becomes slimy and there is no white mold on it through it away.
The same goes for cheese.
I would suggest a book called Great sausage recipes and meat curing.
I have this book and use it as a guideline on what I do.
In my opinion and my opinion only I feel the amount of salt is a little heavy but to each his own.
http://www.sausagemaker.com/71200gre...ytekkutas.aspx
Through the years and experience I have learned to do as I need for my own tastes and knowing the meat is safe to eat.
As for sanitation the guy was making a video and probably got side tracked.
I always keep a sink full of hot soapy water anytime I cook or do anything in the kitchen.
One thing to keep in mind is there are no shortcuts in making sausage or curing meat.
At least not anything you would want to try either due to food safety or flavor.
That is why the Big Name products taste like salt or worse.
And the reason I buy locally from well established butcher shops and meat markets.
A good friend of mine born in Sicily brought me some hot soppressata that smelled like a wet dog and tasted like heaven.
One thing I want to add.
Many of these dry sausages are not cooked they are raw meat that has been cured by way of a fermentation process.
You have to be very careful when doing this.
I have never done it but know a guy that does.
He is retiring and moving to, of all places Italy.
The word cotto in cotto salami means cooked.
The word sal in salami means salt.
Worth