I cranked out two batches of spanish chorizo this weekend -- one cured and one fresh.  Here they both are after stuffing (the batch of small links are the fresh, and the group of two large and one pair are for curing):

Eager to jump at my wife's suggestion to make a batch of fabada, I took a few of the fresh links, some cured pork belly, and a big smoked hock, and made a very tasty pot of fabada (albeit lacking in the morcilla (blood sausage)).  In honor of Duncan & Elsa and Joaquin & Coro and Aitana:

And now, just out of the fermentation chamber and into the curing chamber, are the cured chorizo. I decided to inoculate them with the m-600 white mold before going into the fermentation chamber, to foster the growth of the good stuff and avoid the growth of the bad stuff.  Seems like it worked like a charm:

So far so good!  More later.....

I gave biltong a second try with a better cut of meat, in an attempt to make it more authentic (and tastier).  I used a 3-pound eye-of-round (same cut as often used for bresaola), and cut it into three 3/4" slabs running with the grain.

Then, I dipped them in cider vinegar, added the spices (toasted corriander seeds, brown sugar, salt, and black pepper), and put them in the dehydrator.  It's been about a week since I actually did this, so don't recall the exact times and temperature, but I think I let it run for about two days at around 120F degrees (with the idea of low and slow, compared to my last approach with the thinner strips).  Here's what came out:

It felt pretty good on the outside, but the inside was still quite moist, and I was concerned that it might spoil.  It also looked a little too moist/rare when I compared the interior to lots of biltong images online.  So, back into the dehydrator for another day, and at a higher temperature (150ish, I think).  Here's the final product: I need a south african to drop by to taste it and confirm, but I think it's done.  It tastes great (and gives a good jaw workout).  

Below are a couple of pictures of the completed Spicy Finocchiona (to see prior posts, click on tag on sidebar of "finocchiona").  The salami were done curing over a month ago, but I just never got around to posting. 

In all, these are the best salami I've yet made.  Good taste, good spice, and good texture.  One interesting thing was that I originally pulled them from the curing chamber when the weight loss was around 33-35%.  But, I felt that the one I cut into was still too mushy and unconsolidated, so I let them dry for another few weeks until the total weight lost was around 40%, which I think improved them.  Also, my fat content was a bit too high on these, so next time I'll fix the ratio.  But, in all, a solid success.