Chorizo Taste and Storage Questions – need help!

[Aiden]

Ive finally finished my chorizo with an average of about 40-50% weight loss at about 5 weeks. Just a few questions moving forward…

1. No mold on chorizo, smells good and taste like well, chorizo! Is taste and smell a good indicator of doneness and indication of it being ready/safe to consume?

2. Storage – What would be the best storage method? Ive taken them out of the umai bags and now they are in zip tie bags. How long would they last in the fridge?

3. Some parts did not pull away completely on all bits during curing. Is this normal?.

4. Also one stub has only lost 30-35% weight after 5 weeks. Is this odd as the rest lost more. Noting it was the smallest stubb made from the last pieces of the meat.

Cheers

[Jim]

Aidan,

Sounds like your first experience with UMAi Dry was a success. The doneness is usually indicated by the firmness of the chubs, they should not be squeezeable and quite firm. The taste and smell are great indications of doneness but only after you take them out of the casing can you taste.
As for storage, we recommend vacuum sealing them in foodsaver bags and storing in the fridge. They should last like this a couple of months.
The casing can adhere to the meat in some parts, it is normal.
As for the chub that lost only 35% it was probably in a spot where the airflow was not very high thus it was loosing moisture at a slower rate.

[Aiden]

Hi Jim, thanks for the reaponse.

When i sliced I noticed it was a bit oily on the cutting board after slicing only. I thought this was odd. Any opinions?

Also should I let the stubb that cured slower continue to cure?

And whats your take on freezing for storage?

Lastly, I’m presuming these are okay to put on a pizza or pan fry? Ive heard mixed things!

[Aiden]

Bump – any updates?

[Jim]

Aidan,

If oily and you don’t like it then reduce fat level next time to 15% or less.
You can let the sausage dry until the desired firmness/weight loss is achieved.
You can freeze to store.
As for putting on a pizza or frying, yes there are mixed opinions. I have fried Charcuterie made with Instacure 2 and I am still posting on this forum.

[Aiden]

Thanks for the help

[Bob]

If your concern is the possibility of nitrosamine production during cooking, most of the nitrates have already broken down during aging.

[Jimmie Vaughn]

I have just prepared my second batch of chorizo. I used a cheap pork butt for the first batch and it came out delicious. This time I’m using an organically raised pig’s pork shoulder.

FYI: The 50mm casings hold close to 45g (1.6oz) per inch. This is accurate enough so I now know what length to cut the Umai casing before sliding over the stuffing tube. I tried for eight chubbs for a five pound batch; about 48” + 2” / chubb for sealing ties = 64”. Fewer(longer) chubbs uses less.

[Author]

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