Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Good News

N'duja can now be made by all! After a brief conversation with the Italian importers, Coluccio's, from whom I buy , I was given a green light to carry their products online. They have a great line of imported Italian food products. Almost everything you can think of. I need to know what readers would be most interested in me carrying. I can get just about anything you can think of, from saba and vin cotto to farro perlato and lentils from Castellucio. All types of oils, vinegars, olives, tuna in oil, pasta, coffee, spices and confections. Right now, I have a standing order for hot pepper paste, hot pepper powder(for N'duja, of course) and wild mountain fennel seed and probably some whole dried oregano(little bushes), dried rosemary branches and dried parsley. I won't have it until Friday, so, I have 2 days to come up with any products that would be in demand. Bear with me early on, as this is a fledgeling operation. Anyone who would like to order any of these three products, please drop me an email through the profile link on this page. I am in the process of quickly throwing together an ebay storefront to get started. Please make suggestions in the comment section. Forgot to add, I can get estratto(sicilian sun dried tomato paste), and wild fennel pollen(pricey).

29 comments:

  1. Great news. I'd definitely be in for some peppers.

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  2. Peppers for me (sweet and hot, paste and powder), italian oregano bushes (thought might be really hard to ship b/c they'd arrive in powder). Farro and castelluccio lentils would be interesting depending on price as well.

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  3. Dave: drop me an email through my profile page.
    Jason: it can go 2 ways with the lentils....from Castellucio $15-20/lb., however, there are also lentils from Umbria which would probably be around $10/lb. Farro is affordable, nothing to worry about there.

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  4. $15-$20 is quite a bit more than i care to pay for lentils:) Don't like 'em THAT much!

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  5. Also, I can get pane Carasau from Sardinia, and very likely maloreddus and fregula

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  6. Hi, new here and to the realm of curing. I have just completed my first salami(if all goes well) and have it in the dry box. But my "dry box" a converted freezer, is not so dry and has been at about 95-100% humidity since I put the salamis in it. The temp has been @ 70 degrees for two days after incubation, then 65degrees until wiped them down at about 4 days. I open the freezer door to exchange air, humidity drops, then humidity will go back up to 95-100% range as door is closed. I noticed last night white spores or mold on the surface of my soppressata about the size of dime spotted over the beef middles and on the tuscan's and chorizo a white growth but it looked more fuzzy than powdery. I got nervous and wiped them down with vinegar. The meat inside looks good and is turning red so I assume the pH is right. I have wiped the moisture out of the dry box and left the door open. Temp is about 55 degrees right now.
    Could someone reply back to me and tell me if wiping down the casings was a good idea, if the meat should still be safe or it's time to start over. As I said, I am new to this and looking for a little help as I get more experience and know what to expect. Len Poli has been great and has responded back to me on some specific questions but I do not want to bother him so finding the right blog to get help and exchange ideas is probably a better idea. I like what I have read/seen so far here and was hoping to "find a home" here since I am not a big blogger and don't enjoy flipping from site to site.

    Thanks again in advance,

    Bart

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  7. What are you using to control the temperature? As far as the humidity, my chamber never really worked correctly until I installed a hygrostat. I highly recommend one. As far as what you could do now, stop opening the door, the temperature fluctuates too much. To lower the humidity, install a small 20-30watt light with a dimmer. I pointed mine at teh temperature probe away from the meat. It will cause the refrigerator to cycle more frequently and regulate the humidity a little better. Give that a shot and let me know. Good luck.

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  8. Maybe Jason can chime in here, as he's the one who taught me all this nonsense.

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  9. Hi Scott,
    Temperature controlled by inline voltage control unit. Heating unit is a hot plate. Outside temp is cooler than 50 degrees so no need to coll but rather heat. My setup works well for this. Humidity- I have a humidistat controller and a humidifier(cool mist) to increase humidity but the issue is too much humidity over 95%. This apprears to be coming from the salami in the cooling boz(freezer). I have checked with Len Poli and explained some of this and opeing the door to get the humidity out is OK in his opinion. Temp is controlled well. also, I do have a 4 in fan in the freezer for air flow which I have set to run 30 minutes every 3 hours. At this moment, I have the temp set to 60 degrees and have the door cracked enough to maintain current temp(i hope) and humidity is at 80%. Since I wiped the casings with vinegar, nothing has grown back in the last 12 hours.
    What are the members opinions about 1) think the salami are savalable(wiped off the exterior mold with vinegar and no mold penetration of casing into meat) 2) ok to keep the mold off with vinegar until these salamis dry out more and humidity in the box wont be an issue or at least easier to control. Once salamis dry out a bit, I dont think humidity will be an issue, the issue I think , will be when they are first put into the dry box moist raising humidity especially up here in N Ca where temp is pretty cool. For this, a dehumidifier installed may be the answer.

    Thanks Scott-


    Bart

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  10. Would it be easy (or appropriate) to post some pics of the feezer/Salami?

    Bart

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  11. You could post them if you want. Does your hygrostat have a dehumidify function? If so, hook the vent fan up to it, switch to dehumidify. That should do the trick. I still maintain trying the light bulb.

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  12. I'll try the light bulb though I thought you want to keep light away from fat while curing.

    If you are inclined to do so, could you explain what is the thought process is behind the light bulb? More heat? or something else at work. I like to learn as I go.

    If humidity continues to be a problem, I'll have to purchase a dehumidifier and vent the box.

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  13. That is the general opinion. However, as I wrote earlier, I point mine at the probe in the back corner of the refrigerator, away from any meat. If you are already using a heat element, the light bulb won't do you any good. You wrote that you keep the chamber at 60 degrees, which maybe a touch warm for curing. What I think maybe be happening is a lack of circulation in the chamber. You have it set for 60, the ambient temperature is roughly 50. To keep it at 60, you have to actually heat it. So, your air is never moving. In this case, the only thing that would work is opening and closing the door. I would ask Jason or Len for a second opinion, but, I think your answer is a fan with some kind of dehumidification. By the way, the salami should be fine. If you've seen some of the stuff I've removed, it's been covered in mold. Don't fear the white, chalky stuff, that's what you're looking for.

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  14. Thanks Scott but I think you spoke too soon! I went to the store and picked up a 14g extension cord, cut of the female end, ran it through the freezer, wired that into a light with a dimmer control and left it on. I just checked it and humidity is at 88%!. The temp had crept up to 65 degrees so I lowerd the the inline voltage control to 55 degrees. I will check it tomorrow before dawn before I try to find some duck to smoke.
    Thank you for the suggestions- From all the books, sites and talk I have absorbed for last the last several months, now I understand how even the masters could get frustrated! With so many variables, there is always something to learn.

    Thanks again and I won't sweat the small...fluff. I think I'll just go get some Bactoferm 600! I'll keep you all posted.

    Bart

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  15. Mine wasn't right for several months. I had mine in the garage in sub freezing temperature without a heating element. Learned that lesson quickly. I brought it inside. My humidity was all over the place, I burned out 2 expensive humidifiers. Finally, I bought a hygrostat and a dirt cheap humidifier. Now, it's a set it and forget it operation.

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  16. I spoke too soon. The humidity had crept up over 95% over night. So, I cracked the door open the width of my finger. I Checked it a few hours later and the temp was 57 degrees and the humidity was 77%. I think this is just about where I want it. The hot plate insn't cycling either with the door ajar a little. I think this will work well enough until the salamis dry a bit then I don't think humidity will be such an issue.

    I was going to post 2 pics but don't know how. Maybe do it later or check into it.

    Bart

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  17. A chest freezer does not dry out the air like a fridge does, which is why it ices up eventually. You're going to need some way to get the humidity out. A dehumidifier for example. There are some really small ones, and a controller.

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  18. Hi Jason,

    The freezer is a stand up freezer with a manual defrost. More versatile as I can use to cool and freeze. The manual defrost is to stop the automatic cycling for frost control when using as a cooler. As you say, the issue is humidty; when putting in new salamis or adding to the existing batch where the new salamis are giving off a lot of moisture that seems to be the problem. I think once the salami dries a bit, the amount of moisture in the cooler will much less. Right now, I have the door cracked about 1 inch with a towel that covers the gap on top of the door and hangs down the side of the cooler(over the gap) about half way down. Since I have done this, the temp is about perfect 55-60 degrees and the humidity is about 77%. Good I would say. I was worried the hot plate would cycle more with the door open but not noticably so. In the long run, probably wiser at some point to cut another hole in my franken freezer and istall a fan connected to a dehumidifier. Funny, I purchased a humidifier and a humidistat thinking there would not be enough humidity!I'll most likely put it to use when N Cal hits those nice 100 degree days in the summer.

    Anyhow, much conjecture from a novice Charcuterier. I would like to post 2 pics of what I have drying now for you and Scott to take a look at, if you would like. Is it hard to post a pic and I think Scott said ok?

    Thanks for the input as I am always learning.


    Bart

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  19. I don't think you can post pictures in blog comments. You have to put them up on an external site (like picasaweb or flickr)and post a link.

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  20. Here is a link to flicker: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bartolioboardelectimis/

    I would like to get some opinions back on look, color of the salami's if anyone is up for it.

    Thanks-

    Bart

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  21. They seem still pretty wet looking for 2 weeks in the fridge, which probably comes from your humidity running so high.
    That's all i can really say by looking at those picture.s

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  22. What do you and/or Jason or others know about using celery juice powder for nitrate rather than #1. Any idea on where to find some and do I have to use a started culture to get the nitrite or will it do its thing with proper incubation and a little sugar? The quantities are so small (.02%)that I would have trouble measuring.

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  23. Scott, thanks for the input and I agree. I am hoping the product is salavable. I have it under control now with a steady range temp of 55-60 degrees F and 77% humidity.

    oste e coc, I have some thoughts about your questions and will get back to you for what it is worth.

    Bart

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  24. I never heard of using celery juice instead of nitrite(#1) or nitrate (#2). Apparently some manufactures of hot dogs (Applegate Farms, Coleman Natural, Whole Ranch) do this to lable their product nitrite/nitrate free. Conumer reports seemed to take these companies to task as the hot dogs they tested came back with levels with those found in cured meats. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/food/resource-center/hot-dogs-7-07/overview/0707_dogs_ov.htm
    You may also want to consider Ruhlman’s opinion on the matter as well. http://blog.ruhlman.com/2007/04/mcgee_on_nitrit.html which addresses nitrite/nitrate levels as well.
    As far as getting celery juice, I would inquire online but my question would be why.
    Your second question if I understand it: You don’t get nitrite or nitrate from fermentation cultures. These are two different issues. You can cure a salami/sausage ( called dry ) by excluding the fermentation cultures. But you do use nitrite/nitrates always as I understand it but I am a novice. The FDA requires that a shelf stable dry sausage be nitrite cured, fermented(either through cultures or process), smoked (optional) and (I am assuming cold smoked as in for the use of drying) and reach a final pH of 5.0 or less and have a moisture/protein ratio of 1.9:1 or less. The process is made safe by the long drying period and dropping Aw to 0.89 or less. Ref: The art of making fermented sausages.
    Little sugar is added in the dry process, 0.01-0.03%. I believe this % is in relation to the amount of meat to be cured. Example one recipe calls for 11lbs of meat, sugar at 0.2% = 10g . 0.3% = 15g. To get grams = to 0.02%, ask a mathematician! Also, be aware whether to use sugar or Dextrose in the blend. They both have their purposes depending on fermentation cultures and styles of product.
    I would recommend The art of making fermented sausages by Stanley and Adam Marianski and Charcuterie by Ruhlman and Polcyn for starters. They both contain great information. Also, Len Poli at home.pacbell.net/lpoli/.
    I hope this helps and good luck!

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  25. Quite honestly, I'm ignorant about the use of celery juice powder, I'll have to educate myself there. Sorry about that.

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  26. I use the pages of Rhulman's book to help push meat through my grinder. His brine salinity is way too high and all the gram measurements are rounded up/down. I've used Len Poli's percentages with much success.

    I was looking to use the celery nitrate to preserve color in cooked cured meats, pâtés and such if only for the novelty of using a naturally sourced nitrate.

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  27. Hi Everyone,

    Now that I have had the temp/humidity under control, the sausages are just about ready. They are about 30% less in weight. Now, my qustion is, did you just "dig-in" and eat or did you test for pH and /or measure aw?

    Thanks-

    Bart

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  28. I never tested final PH. At first, I usually removed salame at about 40%, 30% felt entirely too soft. After a bunch, I went by feel, then I would confirm it with the scale. It usually fell between 40-45%. IMO, 30% is not ready. But, that is just MY experience. I have to defer to Jason here.

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  29. And then you..what, took a bite? How did you know it was safe? Did you give it a taste standing next to the ER? I'm thinkng about it.

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