# Pastured Berkshire Culatello 2021 Second Winter Fog...



## indaswamp (Oct 25, 2021)

So, the Culatello I started back in February is at 24.5% weight loss right now. Should be ready sometime April 2022. My chamber is starting to smell really good with the complex sweet aroma of Culatello! Everyone says to start the next one about 7 months after the one you have drying so....here we go!!!

Picked up a really nice Pastured Berkshire ham from my butcher.







Broke it down and extracted the Culatello. Got it trussed tight and shaped...






Trimmed the bottom at an angle to shape it properly.





Weighted it for calculating the salt,cure and black pepper. Did not realize the scale does not show up on camera, but it weighed 5.6kg.





Cure mix...





Garlic infused wine to rub the culatello for the cure to stick...





And inda bag. I used a 2 gallon ziplock. It barely fit. I placed it in a sink full of water to press all the air out. I will case and truss it in 36 days.






I have about 2kg. of trim and fat. I also bought 3.4kg. of Berkshire back fat for making salami while at the butcher. Will be making salami tomorrow. I thawed out 2kg. of Canada goose and 6kg. Wild hog to make salami. Trimmed it all up tonight and will be grinding and stuffing tomorrow.


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## indaswamp (Oct 25, 2021)

This pig had about a 1" fat cap on the ham. Very nice color to the meat. Should be ready Dec. 2022.


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## jcam222 (Oct 25, 2021)

Man you are the salumi king!! Looking forward to pics. I had to Google this one, made me laugh that the name means little ass. Quite a history on this.


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## indaswamp (Oct 25, 2021)

jcam222 said:


> Man you are the salumi king!! Looking forward to pics. I had to Google this one, made me laugh that the name means little ass. Quite a history on this.


Thanks jcam222. You are too kind. I'm just getting started in this hobby of dry cured meats. I don't know about me being the king, but Culatello *IS* the King of Italian salumi! I have been wanting to do a Culatello for 20 years or more.

Anyone wanting to get started in dry curing- don't wait as long as I did. Get the knowledge that is readily available and get started! Though salumi does not use cultures, salami does. I had no idea about the availability of salami starter cultures when I looked at it way back then.


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## indaswamp (Oct 25, 2021)

Hog bladder, hemp twine, and charcuterie needles are on order...going traditional old school with this one, no collagen sheet.


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## SmokinAl (Oct 26, 2021)

WOW Man!
Can’t wait to see this when you do the sliced shots!
Al


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## Bearcarver (Oct 26, 2021)

Great Start Inda!!
This is gonna be Tasty!!
Be Back!

Bear


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## zwiller (Oct 26, 2021)

I am with 

 jcam222
 you ARE the salumi king!  WOW.  Big foodie and well read but never heard of it either and had to google.  Do you have a book on this stuff?  Looking for more info on hams too.


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## Brokenhandle (Oct 26, 2021)

Not only are you knowledgeable and good at what you do, you have a ton of patience!  

Ryan


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## Devo1 (Oct 26, 2021)

I have used the  Extra Large Heavy Duty Storage Bags with Zip-lock that people use to store clothes before. They work great for large pieces of meat. Used to use them a lot for curing bacon when I did lots of bacon.
I have done a few dry aged hams. Way to much waiting for me to even bother again.
Good luck on yours.
1.5 years of waiting. Clean off and ready for slicing. It was good but not that good LOL


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## tx smoker (Oct 26, 2021)

Jeez Keith, you have me wanting to get back into curing meats. Been a while and we are out of a lot of stuff but my food hobbies have just gone  different directions and I've kinda gotten away from it. It may be time to revisit an older hobby now.

Robert


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## indaswamp (Oct 27, 2021)

SmokinAl said:


> WOW Man!
> Can’t wait to see this when you do the sliced shots!
> Al


Thanks Al! I will definitely post it!



Bearcarver said:


> Great Start Inda!!
> This is gonna be Tasty!!
> Be Back!
> 
> Bear


Thanks Bear!



zwiller said:


> I am with
> 
> jcam222
> you ARE the salumi king!  WOW.  Big foodie and well read but never heard of it either and had to google.  Do you have a book on this stuff?  Looking for more info on hams too.


Thanks zwiller...It's all about attention to detail. I've watched some true masters of the art and the skill set they have is jaw dropping. What blows me away is no weighing anything, they go all by eye and it's always perfect.  Most of my ideas for salamis have come from tourism websites of all places. Each region in Italy has one and they all have a salumi section for local dried whole cuts and salami. It takes a lot more digging if the salami does not have P.D.O. (Product of Designated Origin Regulations) status.



Brokenhandle said:


> Not only are you knowledgeable and good at what you do, you have a ton of patience!
> 
> Ryan


The wait on large cuts is tough...but that's why god created small diameter casing that dries fast! LOL!


Devo1 said:


> I have used the  Extra Large Heavy Duty Storage Bags with Zip-lock that people use to store clothes before. They work great for large pieces of meat. Used to use them a lot for curing bacon when I did lots of bacon.
> I have done a few dry aged hams. Way to much waiting for me to even bother again.
> Good luck on yours.
> 1.5 years of waiting. Clean off and ready for slicing. It was good but not that good LOL


Thanks for the tip on the large ziplock bags...I had not thought of that. What kind of hams did you make? Country ham?



tx smoker said:


> Jeez Keith, you have me wanting to get back into curing meats. Been a while and we are out of a lot of stuff but my food hobbies have just gone  different directions and I've kinda gotten away from it. It may be time to revisit an older hobby now.
> 
> Robert



Jump back in Robert! I don't think I will ever give it up. I've been looking forward to dry curing for so long, now that I'm doing it I am really having a lot of fun creating edible masterpieces!


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## indaswamp (Oct 27, 2021)

jcam222 said:


> Man you are the salumi king!! Looking forward to pics. I had to Google this one, made me laugh that the name means little ass. Quite a history on this.





zwiller said:


> I am with
> 
> jcam222
> you ARE the salumi king!  WOW.  Big foodie and well read but never heard of it either and had to google.  Do you have a book on this stuff?  Looking for more info on hams too.


Here ya go...from the King of Culatello himself, Mossimo Spigaroli, the secret to good culatello is the mold and very slow drying...


I would love to have just 1/4 tsp. of the mold scraped off the side of his 700 year old cellar to innoculate my chamber!


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## Steve H (Oct 27, 2021)

Man, that's gonna be good! Like!


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## Devo1 (Oct 27, 2021)

indaswamp said:


> Thanks for the tip on the large ziplock bags...I had not thought of that. What kind of hams did you make? Country ham?



Yes, basically followed this when I first started getting into it. 
My first one I did








						Country Ham
					

What is the difference between country and city ham?    Country hams are produced using traditional dry-curing methods. The cure is applied ...




					overthefallssmokeytreats.blogspot.com


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## indaswamp (Oct 27, 2021)

zwiller said:


> Do you have a book on this stuff?


Here ya go zwiller:
https://www.tasteatlas.com/

Can find niche local area delicacies....usually enough in the description to copy the recipe....at least with salamis.


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## indaswamp (Oct 27, 2021)

***Like this one:
https://www.topfooditaly.net/prodotto/soppressata-di-ricigliano/


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## indaswamp (Oct 27, 2021)

Here is one I was talking about...
Salsiccia Del Cilento

Scroll down and you can see the P.D.O. regulations which dictate how the salame must be made. It's basically a recipe in detail.

And since there is no picture, I google it and find a picture so I can see the visual particle size definition in the salami...
https://www.ilcilentano.it/shop/salumi/salsiccia-del-cilento-stagionata/

And from that, it is enough to make the salami...


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## bauchjw (Oct 27, 2021)

Wow! You guys curing these meats a so impressive. That’s gotta be amazing when it’s ready!


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## indaswamp (Nov 27, 2021)

Box from Craft Butchers Pantry arrived today....





4-6kilo hog bladders. Just in time for casing the Culatello, which will be done curing Dec. 1st. I went ahead and ordered some Bactoferm B-LC-78 whole muscle surface culture in the hopes that it will help contribute to more flavor development.


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## indaswamp (Nov 27, 2021)

jcam222 said:


> Man you are the salumi king!! Looking forward to pics. I had to Google this one, made me laugh that the name means little ass. Quite a history on this.


Here ya go jcam222:
https://www.lacucinaitaliana.com/italian-food/italian-dishes/culatello-pig-finest-cut
Originally, the name for this cut was Prosciutto Senz' Osso (boneless proscuitto)...name was changed in 1730...


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## indaswamp (Dec 2, 2021)

Today was the big day! Pulled the culatello out of the fridge to case it in a hog bladder and truss it for drying. I was waiting on my whole muscle surface starter culture to arrive and it came in the mail this morning. I pulled out a bladder yesterday in advance so it could desalt and relax. I filled it with water 4 times and stretched it out...still looked small so I reached out to the pros on Marianski's forum. I used the search function there and found the info I needed- use an air compressor with a blow nozzle...low pressure and stretch the bladder with air.

So that's what I did. I went to harbor freight and bought a nozzle for $4 and will use it exclusively for charcuterie.

Brought the compressor up to around 20psi and inflated the bladder....nope, still not big enough. So, I pulled out a second bladder and got it soaking and stretched it out. Ended up having to use both. One gave me 3/4 coverage. After making the slit in the second bladder for it to fit over the Culatello, I pulled the second bladder over the Culatello with the slits 180* opposite each other and that worked.. had about 2-3" of overlap for sewing.






Then the fun began. Maybe I'm weird, but this really was fun for me...very relaxing as I had all my focus following Massimo Spigaroli's instruction (on youtube) and making sure to shape the piece as I went along. First time using natural fiber on salumi. Much more delicate than cotton...can't let it drag under tight wraps or fibers will unravel. I had ordered some hemp twine but it was coming from Romania (where all the European Hemp twine is made) and since Covid, it is back-ordered with the shipping issues. So I used 10# Jute.










I am happy with the shape. Much easier to get the proper shape using a bladder rather than collagen sheets. I have the Culatello hanging in my fermentation can for 24 hours to allow the meat to warm from refrigerator temps. and to help the mold get a good start. I transfer to the drying chamber tomorrow, then it'll be a 12-14 month wait...


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## indaswamp (Dec 2, 2021)

The blow nozzle I bought from Harbor freight...I thought I put this in the above post...






Works really well inflating a hog bladder to stretch it, just don't over do it or it will rip.


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## Robert H (Dec 8, 2021)

Always watch all of your posts with interest. Thanks for posting all of your projects, and for the great breakdown of the  process.


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## indaswamp (Dec 26, 2021)

Best video I have found on youtube for Culatello....narrated by Mossimo Spigaroli himself....



Use the auto translate feature and click english...


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## indaswamp (Apr 4, 2022)

Culatello Consorzio PGI regulations:
https://www.isitsalumi.it/en/consortium/consorzio-di-tutela-culatello-di-zibello/

I don't remember where I saw it at, but the "heat" phase of curing Culatello is 58-63*F. It was on an Italian site talking about Culatello...don't have the link. Once the piece reaches 32-33% weight loss, the summer phase begins. This is usually around July when aging in open air. The RH% is lower as well, 72-78%....

Coincidentally, my Berkshire Culatello should be about 32-33% sometime in July. It is losing 1% every 12-15 days and is at 22.75% weight loss now.

The heat accelerates the breakdown of proteins and fats...

I will transfer to my small drying chamber for this phase so I can bump the temps. up and not affect the other salumi I have drying in my main chamber.


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## indaswamp (Jun 14, 2022)

Culatello is still on track to hit 30% by mid July- it is at 28% weight loss now and drying very evenly.


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## indaswamp (Jun 14, 2022)

Here is an english dub version of the video above:


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## indaswamp (Jul 16, 2022)

Well, the Berkshire Culatello hit 30.04% weight loss yesterday so itis right on schedule. My new Maturing Chamber should be 100% complete by the end of July barring any shipping issues. I'll be doing some rearranging and will move the Berk.Culatello to the little fridge set @59*F; 75%RH for summer secondary Fermentation.


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## indaswamp (Jul 27, 2022)

The Berk. Culatello has hit 31% and is now in the little drying fridge for about a month for summer fermentation phase....then will transfer to the new double door maturing chamber.


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## indaswamp (Aug 1, 2022)

Well, the Berk. Culatello has hit 32% weight loss as of July 31, 2022. The slightly lower humidity and increase in temp. has increased the rate of moisture loss slightly. I'll transfer to the new maturing chamber in a month...


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## indaswamp (Aug 15, 2022)

> If prosciutto di Parma is the king of salumi, culatello is the emperor.



https://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/three-best-salumi-emilia-romagna


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## indaswamp (Aug 23, 2022)

Great video!


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## indaswamp (Aug 25, 2022)

Mossimo Spigaroli butchering a ham to epertly extract the Culatello...


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## indaswamp (Aug 29, 2022)

Another very good video on Culatello...
SalumiTV English dub version:


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## indaswamp (Sep 12, 2022)

So I recently stumbled upon a treasure trove of information on Culatello in an obscure Italian research paper on the microbiota population on Culatello throughout the drying stages. It was an old paper from 1963. Not digital, it was images of the actual pages. This makes translation a bear! But, I did find a drying schedule  table complete with time frames and temperatures. For fall Culatello production, drying in open air, the last 60 days  (days 241-300) min T. is16*C; Median T.is 21*C; Max. T. is 23.1*C. This would be June and July in Polesine Parmense, Italy right before the Culatelli are transferred to the cellar (13-14*C:73-85%RH). SO.......

I have moved the Berkshire Culatello to my fermentation can with distilled water sprayed on the walls of the can. I have it at room temperature...will let that sit for a while. I will crack the lid for a couple hours a day to keep the RH 75-80%. Maybe hang it in the room for a couple hours a day to dry the surface a little to keep the yeast down. Then into the chamber. It has been in the can for 48 hours and WOW the Aroma!!!

The higher temps. accelerate the proteolysis and lipolysis and create and explosion of flavor molecules. Heat stressing the meat is one of the secrets to great Culatello.

The more I learn.....amazing.....


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## indaswamp (Sep 12, 2022)

Also-this Culatello has already lost 35% weight....pretty much dry so now it is all about flavor development. Won't be ready for another 8 months at the earliest...


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## indaswamp (Sep 13, 2022)

I'll add this here


> As temperature increases so do the rate of enzyme reactions. A ten degree centigrade rise in temperature will increase the activity of most enzymes by 50% to 100%. Variations in reaction temperature as small as 1 or 2 degrees may introduce changes of 10% to 20% in the results. This increase is only up to a certain point until the elevated temperature breaks the structure of the enzyme. Once the enzyme is denatured, it cannot be repaired. As each enzyme is different in its structure and bonds between amino acids and peptides, the temperature for denaturing is specific for each enzyme. Because most animal enzymes rapidly become denatured at temperatures above 40°C, most enzyme determinations are carried out somewhat below that temperature.



https://www.creative-enzymes.com/resource/effect-of-temperature-on-enzymatic-reaction_50.html


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## indaswamp (Sep 17, 2022)

Cool Read!
Dry-cured Ham Culatello in Zibello Village


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## tbern (Sep 17, 2022)

indaswamp said:


> Cool Read!
> Dry-cured Ham Culatello in Zibello Village


enjoying it, thanks for posting it!


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## indaswamp (Sep 18, 2022)

I went ahead and took my spare humidity controller along with a small humidifier that was in my small accelerated drying chamber, and hooked it up. Put the humidifier in the ferment can; set the controller to shut off at 78%RH, turn on at 77%RH. the overshoot puts it round 80.5% before falling. I also put a sheet over the can and cracked the lid for just a little air exchange. Will leave it here for about a month or so. The temp. in that area of the house is right at 71*F so perfect...right at 21*C.


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## indaswamp (Oct 26, 2022)

Just an Update...
This Culatello is now 1 year old... has reached 37.5% weight loss as of today. Summer secondary fermentation will be done Nov. 11th; then transfer to my new chamber until April2023 at the earliest. The smell though!!! WOW!!! Sweet and strong!!!!


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