Meat Club Charcuterie

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erika

 
March 6, 2010

Sloan Tuscan / Genoa update

Quick update on my Tuscans and Genoa from last weekend. I have kept my Genoa under a damp towel, changing and checking twice daily, for the past week. I have been able to keep the humidity at about 80-85% and the temp in the mid- to high-60s F. I took the Tuscans out of the oven on Tuesday morning and hung them downstairs in the same room as the genoa, but about 18" away and not under a towel. 

     
Click here to download:
Sloan_Tuscan_Genoa_update.zip (9866 KB)
My curing "chamber" is just a little closet under the stairs in the basement, but the conditions in general are good. At this point all the salamis are in the same room. I mist the room once per day and check everything in the morning and in the evening.

The casings look very good to me at this point, still very pliable and not yet beginning to really dry out. A little mold is beginning to form, and so far it looks--to me--like the good kind. I have wiped off (with white vinegar) any small bluish-green spots right away just to be on the safe side. 

There is a nice aroma of fermentation in the closet. I'm beginning to like that smell.

PS My genoa is in bondage because the string was too short to fit around my hanging rod and I was afraid it would slip off because the salami was so heavy.

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Filed under  //   erika   genoa   tuscan   update  
Posted by Erika 

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February 28, 2010

Great Day!


Personally, I had a fantastic day yesterday and I really wanted to thank Peter again for hosting us and teaching us all of the great charcuterie skills we have learned over the past nine months. 

Thanks to Sandy for the pig! Big, big thanks to Jaime for making this whole series of classes happen in the first place. 


Finally, how fun is it to make a whole bunch of new friends and talk about food all day?! I can't wait to confit some giblets! And make roasted eggplant with tamari and peanut oil.


I have my Tuscan and Genoa all set up in two different areas. Definitely not as stressful this time maintaining the temp/humidity for the initial period. I can smell the fermentation starting. Can't wait for my little curing room to be full of Tuscans, Genoa, Coppa and (hopefully by next weekend) Spanish Chorizo. Not to mention the stuff in the fridge (bacon, lardo, sausages & pig's foot). Rob only cried a little because I didn't bring home any ribs. 

(More to come on my blog in a day or two.)

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Filed under  //   butchering   erika   pork  
Posted by Erika 

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February 15, 2010

Longaniza

Just a note that over at justpigs we're going to make Longaniza this month. Join us!

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Filed under  //   erika   sausage  
Posted by Erika 

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January 28, 2010

Liverwurst

Rob and I made liverwurst over the weekend. We got the recipe from Home Sausage Making. This was the first time I've ever done something in a muslin casing. I had to get out my old sewing supplies to stitch the cheesecloth, which was actually kind of fun and felt very old world. We really like the way this recipe is spiced and would definitely make it again (maybe a half recipe). We used a fresh, unsmoked ham steak instead of pork butt, as we are out of pork butt at the moment, and increased the amount of pork fat. We also had a little trouble maintaining the water temp at a constant 175F for 3 hours, but we watched it and adjusted as needed and it came out just fine. 

We first tried it as a late night snack on toasted wheat bread with Grey Poupon and it was fantastic. We've also been eating it on Acme Rye bread with coarse, tangy french mustard and a little lettuce. Mmm.

 

     
Click here to download:
Liverwurst.zip (6765 KB)

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Filed under  //   erika   liverwurst  
Posted by Erika 

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January 22, 2010

Humidity Controllers

via Cured Meats

Check it out.

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Filed under  //   equipment   erika  
Posted by Erika 

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December 25, 2009

Saucisson Sec

I made my first batch of saucisson sec last month. We have enjoyed the results very much. We got 5, roughly 10-12 inch sausages in hog casings from the recipe. They have been curing for about three weeks and have lost more than the 30% of their weight. I used a little less meat and a little more spice, but basically followed the recipe from the Charcuterie book. So they are a bit spicy, though to good effect (Rob basically ate a whole one by himself tonight!).

I did have a similar problem as Jim did with some air pockets in the top half of the first sausage we cut into; however, no problems with that on the second one. 

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Filed under  //   erika   Saucisson Sec  
Posted by Erika 

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December 9, 2009

Lamb's Tongue

In my recent lamb box from Sierra Farms I had Mel throw in a lamb's tongue. I've been wanting to recreate the Lamb's Tongue Salad from Flour + Water. The tongue is served whole over lightly dressed potatoes with salsa verde and a poached egg. For my version tonight, I sliced the tongue and omitted the egg since we were also having lamb steaks. 

To prepare the tongue, I soaked it in cold water for a couple of hours. I then quickly sauteed a few slices of onion, chunks of carrot, and bay leaf in a touch of olive oil; added the tongue and covered all with water; and finally I tossed in a couple stems of parsley and three or four peppercorns. I cooked it all at a robust simmer for about 2 hours. I removed the tongue, cut out the center, and peeled off the outer skin. I sliced the tongue and put it over potato slices with a touch of salsa verde to top it off. Tasted terrific! 

 

     
Click here to download:
Lambs_Tongue.zip (5441 KB)

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Filed under  //   erika   lamb   tongue  
Posted by Erika 

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November 26, 2009

Rabbits

For Thanksgiving this year I decided to forego the turkey, primarily because I thought I would have a whole lamb-- and lamb for thanksgiving sounded great! Alas, the lamb delivery date was moved back and I was stuck. When David said he had rabbits, I jumped! I could do something rabbit-y. As it turns out we're having 25 people so the rabbits alone would not do it--I also bought a half dozen guinea hens--but I could use them for some awesome apps and a first course. 

With David's lovely little rabbits I made a half recipe of rabbit rillettes, a double recipe of rabbit sausage, and some amazing rabbit stock. I kept the kidneys for a terrine later. Ditto on the livers. 

I'm serving the rilletes alongside a pate de campagne that I made this week with chanterelles and black trumpet mushrooms folded in and our tuscan salami sliced on our new slicer (just like Jim's). The sausages I will serve on wilted dandelion greens with fingerling potatoes dressed in light mustard vinaigrette. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

         
Click here to download:
Rabbits.zip (9252 KB)

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Filed under  //   erika   rabbit   rillettes   sausage  
Posted by Erika 

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November 19, 2009

The Big Reveal!

Cut into my blister-less Tuscan and am very happy with the results! 

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Filed under  //   curing   erika   tuscan   update  
Posted by Erika 

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November 13, 2009

Ominous Blisters

Upon today's inspection, one of my sausages has a handful of watery (sometimes clear, and in one case cloudy) blisters. Another sausage has a couple of clear small, watery spots; and the third sausage has no blisters that I can detect. I'm definitely not eating the first one. I've included a few more pictures, again it's hard to see very clearly but note the raised area to the right of my finger in the first picture.


     
Click here to download:
Ominous_Blisters.zip (4944 KB)

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Filed under  //   blisters   curing   erika   update  
Posted by Erika 

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