Bresaola is done and I started some chorizo

This topic has 11 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 11 months ago by LLOYD A CUPICCIA.

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January 14, 2014 at 10:42 pm #1824

Dave
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Here’s a couple pictures of my finished bresaola. It did not have enough salt because I started curing prior to understanding the 2.5-3% salt ratio. Spices are very subtle. Overall, it doesn’t suck, but the next batch will be improved. My electric meat slicer arrives Thursday.

I finally procured a dedicated sausage stuffer to go along with my grinder and made chorizo last Saturday. They are fermenting in my closet and will be put up to dry tonight.

January 15, 2014 at 2:33 am #7682

Ron Pratt
Member

BRAVO – Dave! You win the imaginary traveling trophy for a job well done! :laugh: Ron

January 17, 2014 at 5:04 pm #7691

Dave
Member

My slicer from Costco arrived yesterday and I tried it out on my bresaola. I would definitely recommend anyone drying large muscles get one. You can slice it so thin you can see through it and it almost melts in your mouth. I can’t wait to open the copa tomorrow for a dinner party.

January 18, 2014 at 2:14 am #7692

Jim
Member

Nice work. That slicer is pretty awesome, well worth the money. Coincidentally, we just finished another Bresaola, this time curing it in Foodsaver bags under vacuum for two weeks before sealing into UMAi Dry. Here are some shots of the finished goods:

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Here is our solution to portioning the sliced product for storage in the fridge

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January 18, 2014 at 5:44 am #7693

Dave
Member

Your bresaola looks amazing! I love the fat running through it. I will definitely vacuum seal the leftovers if there are any.

I love the slicer so far and it’s a great price at Costco online. Amazon carries the bare bones Chef’s Choice 632 for the same price. The one from Costco includes the non-serrated blade, which can set you back another $45 if ordered from the mfg.

January 19, 2014 at 10:28 am #7696

LLOYD A CUPICCIA
Member

Beautiful JOB!!!!!!!!!!

Might I suggest one thing. I had to vacuum seal a lot of Bresaola so I used food grade wax paper between slices. Much easier to separate slices.

Again great JOB!!!!!!!! :woohoo:

January 19, 2014 at 11:15 am #7697

Jim
Member

Good point, thats how good commercial packaging is done, sheets of wax paper or plastic between layers of slices.

January 19, 2014 at 12:17 pm #7698

LLOYD A CUPICCIA
Member

The first time I made my Bresaola and tried to stack slices than vacuum seal I realized right away my err. I quickly acquired 6×6 wax paper. Life saver.

January 19, 2014 at 8:45 pm #7699

Jim
Member

I too started two Coppas last week, not understanding the salt ratio. I had a total weight of 6 lbs, 3 lbs each. This is a pound and a half more than the recipe on the UMAi package. I added a little more salt and cure. Looking back, I think I’m okay on cure but light on the salt. After 7 days of curing they have not firmed up as much as in the video. I contacted UMAi support and they recommended to let them cure another 7 days. I’m worried about bad bacteria if I messed up. If I was light on salt is that something to worry about? Or is it just going to be a taste thing? Any help for this new comer to Charcuterie would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Jim

January 20, 2014 at 12:38 am #7700

LLOYD A CUPICCIA
Member

When curing meat the goal is to get the cure into the center of the meat. Using salt is the only thing necessary for curing whole muscle groups but I like using Prague powder for added safety margin and flavor.

I use a salt equilibrium technique which means I use a % of salt to neat ratio. I use 2.5 % – 3% and sometimes more for flavor.
I.E. 3 pounds (lb) = 1,360.77711 grams (g) X 3% = 41 grams of salt rounded up or 41 grams (g) = 1.464285714 ounces (oz)

What percentage did you use?

January 20, 2014 at 3:59 am #7701

Jim
Member

I’m not sure. Like I mentioned, I just used the recipe on the UMAi site for capicola. I didn’t know anything about ratios. I think I used 4 tbls. rather than the 3 called for. I figured being a 1 1/2 more meat than they were using on the site, I’d be okay. Now I’m not so sure. Can I add some more salt since I’m going to cure it for another 7 days? Or am I just out of luck on this try?

January 20, 2014 at 6:26 am #7702

LLOYD A CUPICCIA
Member

Very interesting. Different salt weighs different amounts by volume. Table salt vs Morton vs Diamond etc etc. If you want to be very very conservative you can toss a lot more salt and go for 3-4 more days but it could be a little too salty. I suggest reading some of the books suggested on this website.

Read all thier books…..
The Art of Making Fermented Sausages Paperback
by Stanley Marianski (Author) , Adam Marianski (Contributor)

a couple of blogs I love are listed on my blog.

kosherdosher.blogspot.com

GOOD LUCK AND LET US KNOW WHAT YOU DECIDE. :side:
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