Having failed miserably on my first batch of chorozo which formed a fluffy green mould and yellow spots on the skin owing to the lack of knowledge and experience and respect for the process I have now procured the following :
Beer testing strips for PH
Prague Powder #2
LS25 starter culture
Acidophilus culture in a jar (alternative starter culture)
I have today used a technique I got from another forum to farm my own white mould culture from a shop bought salami so thats now growing in a jug in the kitchen for the skins.
I have bought a better quality meat grinder, a proper sausage stuffer (in a barrel with a crank).
I'm going to be bleaching the chamber out and giving it a good wash out so none of the nasty spores remain.
I control the humidity by a bowl of water and a teatowel in the bottom, when the humidity reaches over 75 the fan kicks in. Temperature is stable at 12.5, if it drops down to 11 a ceramic heater kicks in, higher than 13 the fridge kicks in.
So... Now I am taking this approach a LOT more seriously... Is there anything else I should know? I also have several questions...
Would it help if I bought a small fan to have a constant air current around the chamber? I'm not overly concerned about the humidity as this is controlled quite easily, the extraction fan works very well in expelling the air and bringing the humidity down again, but my concern is that its not 'draughty' enough.
Fermentation - Am I correct in saying leave at room temp until the ph reaches 5.5 or less (usually around 6-36 hours depending on the culture)?
Drying - Spray the casings liberally with the mould solution over a few days, or soak them in the solution before stuffing.
If there is any mould other than chalky white mould/green mould wipe it down with a vinegar/water solution and spray again.
That's all I can think of at this time...
Beer testing strips for PH
Prague Powder #2
LS25 starter culture
Acidophilus culture in a jar (alternative starter culture)
I have today used a technique I got from another forum to farm my own white mould culture from a shop bought salami so thats now growing in a jug in the kitchen for the skins.
I have bought a better quality meat grinder, a proper sausage stuffer (in a barrel with a crank).
I'm going to be bleaching the chamber out and giving it a good wash out so none of the nasty spores remain.
I control the humidity by a bowl of water and a teatowel in the bottom, when the humidity reaches over 75 the fan kicks in. Temperature is stable at 12.5, if it drops down to 11 a ceramic heater kicks in, higher than 13 the fridge kicks in.
So... Now I am taking this approach a LOT more seriously... Is there anything else I should know? I also have several questions...
Would it help if I bought a small fan to have a constant air current around the chamber? I'm not overly concerned about the humidity as this is controlled quite easily, the extraction fan works very well in expelling the air and bringing the humidity down again, but my concern is that its not 'draughty' enough.
Fermentation - Am I correct in saying leave at room temp until the ph reaches 5.5 or less (usually around 6-36 hours depending on the culture)?
Drying - Spray the casings liberally with the mould solution over a few days, or soak them in the solution before stuffing.
If there is any mould other than chalky white mould/green mould wipe it down with a vinegar/water solution and spray again.
That's all I can think of at this time...