Very low and very slow - coppa time

lkapigian said:

Mind sharing spice/cure amounts and process

Happy to share, and sorry I missed the ask earlier.  I started with the recipe from the Hungry Dog Blog (https://thehungrydogblog.com/2014/03/coppa-recipe/)

1) Source a pork collar. A craft butcher shop or a local farmer that sells to restaurants may be your best shot.  You want a fatty, huge one.  Never frozen is best. 
2) Trim off stuff you don’t want - Hard fat, flappy bits that will invite bad mold growth
3) Rub with a mix off
a) NaCl - 3.5% of meat weight
b) Cure 2 - 0.25% of meat weight
c) 1/4 cup of peppercorns and 1/4 cup of fennel seeds, toasted in a skillet and freshly ground
4) Vac seal
5) Toss in the fridge and squeeze it and turn it every few day. I leave it in there for 10 or so
6) Unbag and rinse off the salt rub, and dry
7)Rub with a fresh batch of pepper and fennel (NO MORE SALT)
8) Stuff in a cow bung and tie (YouTube is your friend here)
9) Poke all over with a sausage pricker (air pockets are NOT your friends)
10) Hang someplace until it loses 30% of its starting weight

Sea2Ski said:

lkapigian said:

Thanks so much @20stone

Final cure temp range ?

Once cased, the curing part is done.  It is onto drying. There are arguments as to what is the “best” temp/humidity range.  When I dry, I aim for 50F and 80% humidity with just a light bit of airflow.  You want high humidity so there is no case hardening, but not so high that bad molds take hold and the meat does not dry. Same with the temp. Personally my thresholds are 45F for low and 55F for the high. 

I am in more of a beggars*/choosers situation, and our stuff is in a very large “chamber” that is 60F and ~80%RH with good air circulation.  In my experience, the humidity is much more difficult to manage with a home setup, but $ and attention can get you there. 

*Insofar as you can be a beggar when paying for the privilege to store “wine” 

SciAggie said:
This is a picture of a man with the right kind of priorities. Ham goes in the safe...

A chunk of the prosciutto has been consumed, and it has been respackled with sugna and rehung in the Undisclosed Location. The coppas are looking great as well.

20stone said:

Sea2Ski said:

lkapigian said:

Thanks so much @20stone

Final cure temp range ?

Once cased, the curing part is done.  It is onto drying. There are arguments as to what is the “best” temp/humidity range.  When I dry, I aim for 50F and 80% humidity with just a light bit of airflow.  You want high humidity so there is no case hardening, but not so high that bad molds take hold and the meat does not dry. Same with the temp. Personally my thresholds are 45F for low and 55F for the high. 

I am in more of a beggars*/choosers situation, and our stuff is in a very large “chamber” that is 60F and ~80%RH with good air circulation.  In my experience, the humidity is much more difficult to manage with a home setup, but $ and attention can get you there. 

*Insofar as you can be a beggar when paying for the privilege to store “wine” 

I did some verification today, and our stuff is hanging at 60F and 75%RH.  I am very happy with how it is looking.

Sea2Ski said:

I have to say the safe door, industrial shelving and other tidbits mentioned and pictured leaves me scratching my head why * I think * the legs are stored in literally a wine vault.  

Wine and charcuterie are both stored in caves under similar conditions in the Old World. 

Sea2Ski said:

Sure the conditions may be correct, but what happened if you want to slice some off for a midnight snack?  

I keep a reserve vac bagged in the fridge, and retrieve the whole leg when special guests are in town.