Meat Club Charcuterie

During the fermentation phase, I was eventually able to get the RH elevated to 85%+ by putting two pans of warm water on the bottom rack of my oven; covering a sheet pan with a warm, wet towel; putting the salumi on cooling racks on top of the wet-towel-wrapped sheet pan; and covering the salumi with a dry kitchen towel. On Monday, I transferred the boys to a cupboard under the stairs, hanging them from a slightly truncated tension rod. For the first 24 hours or so the room was at 70F/75%RH (I think because we had the light on and put warm water in the room). 

For the remainder of the week we have temps in the range of 62-67F and RH in the range of 60-65%. I have two cake pans of salted, room-tempurature water beneath the salumi. I am misting the room twice per day.I have some minor freckling of white mold. The mold is very superficial and seems innocuous. I did wipe a little of it off today. 

The salumi smelled wonderfully ripe for a few days, which I am guessing is the smell of fermentation. The pungency has decreased over the course of the week. The salumi are turning a very pretty red color, mottled white by the fat. They feel a bit squishy still (but decidedly firmer than a week ago) on the inside and fairly supple--though no longer wet--on the outside. I worry a bit about case hardening. 

I have included two photos. One showing mold and the other a portrait of the boys just hangin'.