Charcutapalooza (long)

nolaegghead

Hey now!  What happens in John's garage stays in John's garage....

The Cen-Tex Smoker

nolaegghead said:

Hey now!  What happens in John's garage stays in John's garage....

Right? I thought we were in the tree of trust. Amongst brothers. That kind of thing. 

Sea2Ski

20stone said:

Sea2Ski said:

This. Is. Awesome!
And I am envious. I am so ready to dive into the true art of charcuterie, but want to learn from someone by standing beside them to learn as you have done.

A skilled hand is key, though this is a great start:
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Making-Fermented-Sausages/dp/0982426712

You might find the best local guy and hire him for a day.  Being a butcher isn't super-remunerative and it is a niche enough that experts seem to be happy to find new interested folks

I have access to a traditional butcher that has offered to come break down a hog for/with us. He was more than interested as you indicated. Not sure if it was the price he wanted ($240 for up to 6 hrs) or the fact that someone wanted to learn the craft. Finding a specialty butcher may prove to be a bit more difficult, but I have not honestly look that hard.

When I say that I wish someone was beside me, I was referring to the actual methods and techniques of preparing and curing of the meats. I only know one other person around me that has made bacon, yet alone cure other cuts and use other practices and techniques. This is where personal experience would really shine and is important in my opinion. Making a wrong cut in the butchering process is not going to kill you (well, maybe if you slice your own wrist, but lets assume you don't do that...) however making incorrect measurements or not being able to differentiate "good" vs "bad" mold could. I do not feel like I am being paranoid or overly cautious, but I do feel like I am respecting the risks involved. Is my lack of "hands-on" personal experience speaking? Yep. But how can it not when you do not have anyone to assist and explain to you why and how to do something, or know you are doing something correct if you never did it before.
This is who I am looking for in my area. No viable leads so far....

The book has been ordered. Looking forward to it. I have to start somewhere, right?

The good thing is my wife is fully supporting me in this ongoing interest to jump into this aspect of cooking. She said I have to learn sooner rather than later. She up to something right now, but I am not quite sure what it is yet. But something is going on. She has been asking me a lot of questions over the last 3 weeks.

20stone

When I say that I wish someone was beside me, I was referring to the actual methods and techniques of preparing and curing of the meats. I only know one other person around me that has made bacon, yet alone cure other cuts and use other practices and techniques. This is where personal experience would really shine and is important in my opinion. Making a wrong cut in the butchering process is not going to kill you (well, maybe if you slice your own wrist, but lets assume you don't do that...) however making incorrect measurements or not being able to differentiate "good" vs "bad" mold could. I do not feel like I am being paranoid or overly cautious, but I do feel like I am respecting the risks involved. Is my lack of "hands-on" personal experience speaking? Yep. But how can it not when you do not have anyone to assist and explain to you why and how to do something, or know you are doing something correct if you never did it before.
This is who I am looking for in my area. No viable leads so far....

The book has been ordered. Looking forward to it. I have to start somewhere, right?

The good thing is my wife is fully supporting me in this ongoing interest to jump into this aspect of cooking. She said I have to learn sooner rather than later. She up to something right now, but I am not quite sure what it is yet. But something is going on. She has been asking me a lot of questions over the last 3 weeks.

A few quick observations:

• Your butcher will know a lot that you don't, and $240 is pretty reasonable
• "Good mold" v "Bad mold" is a dry curing issue, and will be addressed in the Marianski book
• Marianski have another book that is a great first step as well - https://www.amazon.com/Home-Production-Quality-Meats-Sausages/dp/0982426739/
• Buying a belly and starting with bacon/pancetta is a very sensible first step
• Quantities of salt and curing salt are the key elements.  If you use a scale and take your time, you are unlikely to kill anyone (but have someone else taste it first)

Get to it!

DoubleEgger

I think $240 is a heck of deal for that learning experience. 

Eggdicted_Dawgfan

Wow awesome post. Way above my skill level. 

20stone

Bacon (smoked yesterday) and hunter sausage hanging out in the cave, still in "fridge" mode while the rest of the meat cures. 

Sea2Ski

Awesome picture. 

Got the book - learning a ton - thanks for the recommendation @20stone

thetrim

REALLY COOL POST HERE GENTS!

thetrim

Sea2Ski said:

Awesome picture. 

Got the book - learning a ton - thanks for the recommendation @20stone

Sounds like this could be a book about one's undercarraige after walking the Appalachian Trail and not showering for a few months!

20stone

Sea2Ski said:

Awesome picture. 

Got the book - learning a ton - thanks for the recommendation @20stone

Glad to pass on the small fraction of knowledge that worked its way into my concrete noggin.

Later this weekend - PANCETTA comes out of the cure, and the freezer goes from "fridge" to "cave" mode.

Next weekend - COPPA, LONZA, and a COUNTRY HAM!  You won't want to miss that.  The first two make the best use of a bung since @Foghorn's son smuggled all those Belgians to Salado.

Two weeks out - PROCUITTO!  We currently have a 26# skin on ham in cure, under a weight in @pigfisher's garage fridge.  It soaks the longest (30 days) and will hang the longest (18 - 24 months).

YukonRon

Most awesome thread ever.

Foghorn

It sounds like nothing is ready yet, but when some of it is, my son can haul meat and/or beer between Houston and San Antonio when he passes through on his way to/from New Orleans.

He uniformly denies the accusations that there has ever been any bung or kiester involved in any of his beer supplying or transporting. 

20stone

A few pics from the "fridge" to "cave" transition, and our pancetta tesa.

Clockwise from upper left - dehumidifier, humidifier, leaf lard (to be rendered tomorrow), and a FlameBoss fan to keep the air moving ('til a more reasonable solution is found). 


Reptile mat (for raising temps) and two temp/humidity sensors


Two Inkbird controllers. One for not hot enough/not humid enough, and one for too hot/too humid. Currently targeting 50-55F and 75-80% RH. 


Pancetta tesa after two weeks in the cure, a wash, and a hang. 

Next week - lotsa bung, lotsa string, lotsa meat

DMW

20stone said:

A few pics from the "fridge" to "cave" transition, and our pancetta tesa.

Clockwise from upper left - dehumidifier, humidifier, leaf lard (to be rendered tomorrow), and a FlameBoss fan to keep the air moving ('til a more reasonable solution is found). 


Reptile mat (for raising temps) and two temp/humidity sensors


Two Inkbird controllers. One for not hot enough/not humid enough, and one for too hot/too humid. Currently targeting 50-55F and 75-80% RH. 


Pancetta tesa after two weeks in the cure, a wash, and a hang. 

Next week - lotsa bung, lotsa string, lotsa meat

Wow, controlling low/high temps and humidity. Nice work there.

And...hmm... "lotsa bung, lotsa string, lotsa meat" sounds like a party of some sort, BDSM?

The Cen-Tex Smoker

DMW said:

20stone said:

A few pics from the "fridge" to "cave" transition, and our pancetta tesa.

Clockwise from upper left - dehumidifier, humidifier, leaf lard (to be rendered tomorrow), and a FlameBoss fan to keep the air moving ('til a more reasonable solution is found). 


Reptile mat (for raising temps) and two temp/humidity sensors


Two Inkbird controllers. One for not hot enough/not humid enough, and one for too hot/too humid. Currently targeting 50-55F and 75-80% RH. 


Pancetta tesa after two weeks in the cure, a wash, and a hang. 

Next week - lotsa bung, lotsa string, lotsa meat

Wow, controlling low/high temps and humidity. Nice work there.

And...hmm... "lotsa bung, lotsa string, lotsa meat" sounds like a party of some sort, BDSM?

You know Scottie got uncomfortably excited reading that. 

caliking

And...hmm... "lotsa bung, lotsa string, lotsa meat" sounds like a party of some sort, BDSM?

What happens in @20stone 's garage...

...gets posted on the internet

Sea2Ski

So I am getting closer to jumping into this @20stone. Well more like I am diving in!! Seems like you are ahead of me by about 2-3 months. Mind if I pick your brain?

I have now acquired my "chambers" and "caves". Yep - plural. My wife found an insane deal and jumped on them for me.  Now all I have to do is settle in on a decision and decide what setup to use and get the appropriate components: humidifier, inkbird controllers etc....  
While I see that you have 2 setups: Heating/cooling humidifier/dehumidifier. Do you find that the dehumidifier and heater is kicking on? The reason I ask is because every setup I have seen has the humidifier, and a temp controller to turn on the fridge. I understand you are trying to really control the environment and eliminate as many variables as possible to insure success. I do not blame you at all.  I am just wondering if the heating pad/dehumidifier is really needed.
Also, how are the inkbirds? Do you like them so far?
And my final question: Your fan.  Do you have that cycling on and off? Or is it plugged into a strip connected to the inkbird so that it kicks on when the humidifier gets turned on?

Any other suggestions/lessons learned when doing your setup that you would like to share? I am all ears!!! Thank you again.....

20stone

DMW said:

And...hmm... "lotsa bung, lotsa string, lotsa meat" sounds like a party of some sort, BDSM?

I was working on the garage yesterday (finalizing A/C and putting up tongue in groove siding on the inside walls), so the big cuts got strung and hung a day late.



Left to right - country ham, coppa (money muscle), lonza (loin), kabanosy, with a huge pancetta tesa in the back

Next week, the big ol' skin on proscuitto!

caliking

Meat sweats.


I've been nibbling away at the kabanosy. Not much left of it. Despite being stingy.

20stone

A few of us got together to slice and distribute some of our bounty.  cold smoked bacon, pancetta tesa and ham style cured loin all got sliced and bagged, and brisket missiles got distributed and tasted. 

@The Cen-Tex Smoker got a little revenge by dropping of some beef ribs Friday evening that needed to go on at 6 AM.  It's tough to gripe, though, given the result.   @caliking brought rice and homemade bread, both of which are fantastic. 

Finally, @pigfisher brough the proscuitto, which had spent the last month in the cure, and is now in the Short Bus. 

I only have a couple of pics, and hope the others will post more. 

Bacon! (cured, cold smoked and hung in the Short Bus for two weeks):


The Short Bus, updated:

(Left to right - country ham, the prosciutto (26 lbs of it!), lonza, coppa, and kabanosy)

Wolfpack

Might be my favorite thread of all time... well except for the boiled brisket. 

20stone

Wolfpack said:

Might be my favorite thread of all time... well except for the boiled brisket. 

For the record, the brisket was never boiled. Smoked, chopped, mixed, stuffed, and smoked again. 

caliking

The short ribs smuggled across county lines by @The Cen-Tex Smoker and smoked by @20stone were terrible.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Fun day. Swapped out the brisket sausage that I took home to smoke in the dishwasher. Took home some bacon, pancetta, country ham loin and had some killer shorties done on @20stone's large bge. Absolutely incredible.

Had SV warmed shorties with the kids for dinner tonight. Everyone was pleased.  We are some
bacon and pancetta raw and they were both incredible. Cooked some bacon ends on the egg after we pulled the ribs and it was fantastic. Really happy with they way all the cures came out. 

caliking

I must have been oozing bacon and beefiness when I went to work,  because I swear I got a funny look or two.

The bacon tasted so damn good uncooked, but the bacon ends that were put on the egg were over the top.

nolaegghead

I hate you guys. 

Foghorn

Me too. 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Sooooo...I we took home 2 bones of short rib and individually vac sealed them and threw them in the SV. We ate one last night and I just left the other one in the bath for 24 hrs because we were all full. Was going to throw it out this afternoon but when I pulled it out of the bath it was really shiny and jiggly. I just had to sample it. Glad I did- so gooey and good. We all just stood over the cutting board and peeled nasty bits off until it was all gone.