Mold question, first timer
So I made some sausage….. I’ll just share my recipe and you can tell me if somethings going wrong.
9 lbs pre deboning weight pork shoulder
Rough chopped
0.25% by weight #2 pink salt. 9g
1.5% by weight regular salt. 46g
20g black ground pepper
10g garlic powder
22mm cellulose casing
Took sample piece and marked it
start: 9-18-2023 272 grams
end: 10-18-2023 176.8 grams
Stuck it on wire racks evenly spaced in the refrigerator to cold cure.
Approximately 10-29-2023 I notice a white mold begin to show. Still taste good, no bad smell. Mold….if that is what it is is only on the casing. I continue to store in the refrigerator in casing until ready for consumption. Last picture was taken today 11-1-2023
Question: did I do something wrong? It’s preserved how long can I stay in the refrigerator, can I vacuum bag it and leave it out in room temperature? Like I said this is my first time tell me what’s going on
by Deepmagic81
2 Comments
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Mold looks fine, it doesn’t appear to be fuzzy and seems consistently white.
A few questions regarding your recipe.
– Did you add any starter culture or do ANY fermentation to drop pH?
– Did you add mold culture at all?
– You mentioned your percentages were based on the weight of the pork BEFORE deboning? Is that correct?
– What temperature and humidity were you running to control the drying process -if any? Was this done purely at fridge temperatures?
– I’m content with the nitrates at .25% but the salt at 1.5% seems a little low particularly with no fermentation I believe it’s recommended to aim between 2-3%
– You didn’t mention final weight loss % only your target. How’d you go with that?
I believe the commonly accepted safety hurdles for salami making are as follows:
– salt between 2-3%
– pH after fermentation reaches 5.3 or below
– salami was properly cured ie. Nitrates, stuffed without air pockets and correct drying environment
– at least 30% weight loss from original stuffing weight
As far as packaging for shelf storage goes vac sealing is the way to go to stop extra drying but you need to remove any mold before sealing. Given your process you’ve outlined I personally wouldn’t be totally convinced storing these at room temperature would be safe. Without proper curing, salting and fermenting you can make yourself or someone very ill.
Anyone else feel free to correct me if I’m wrong on any point this is just my current understanding of their situation. I hope this helps.