Many folks have asked how I built my mini curing chamber, so I thought I'd post a photo series with brief explanation. My goal was to keep the price low, keep it self-regulating, avoid cords going in and out of the door, protect the meat from insects/rodents, and incoroporate some air exchange. In the end, I think I came up with a pretty good design where the whole thing, including used fridge, was around $100 (maybe a little more).
The pictures should mostly speak for themselves, but here's a short overview that tracks with the pictures:
1) Get mini-fridge on Criagslist (~$50-$80)
2) Drill hole in side with hole saw.
3) Nest section of PVC/plastic piping in the whole and seal with silicone sealant (to keep all the dusty insulation out of the equation and avoid moisture/mold penetrating into the fridge structure/lining).
4) Install cheap dryer vent on inside of fridge to allow air to come in when venting system turns on (see later), but stay shut and keep air/insects/dust/etc. out when venting is off.
5) Install cheap wire mesh screen on outside of hole (opposite dryer vent) to keep insects, rodents/etc. from getting access to fridge interior.
6-12) Install computer fan hooked to dehumidistat (connected in junction box), so that when humidty in chamber reaches desired threshold (e.g., 75%), fan turns on, and blows humid air out of chamber, while sucking in dryer air from air intake (photos 2-5). Note: air outside chamber is generally dryer than interior due to normal environmental conditions, but I also have a large duhumidifier in the room where the chamber is, to keep ambient humidity down (I already had that to control humidity in my basement, where the chamber is located). Note that I had ZERO electrical experience prior to doing this, so don't think that wiring the junction box requires great skill -- it was super easy -- just splicing a few wires together.
13) Install dryer vent on exterior of computer fan, so when it's not running, insects/rodents/dust/etc. don't get into chamber. The wire you see next to the dryer vent is a power cord that exits from the back of the junction box. I think this is much simpler and cleaner than running power cords through the gasket of your fridge.
14-15) Overivew photos, including remote thermometer-hygrometer, which lets me know conditions in the chamber without opening it (it transmits all the way up to my bedroom).
That's pretty much it!
Well, there is one dirty little secret that I didn't post a picture of -- when I was cutting the hole for the computer fan, I severed the refrigerant line -- ack! So, when the temperature gets too high, I throw a frozen water bottle into the chamber to drop it down. Doing so is just routine now, so not that big a deal (although I lose control, of course, when I go on vacation).
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