Comments on: Getting it Right: Wild Boar Chorizo

By: hank

hank — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:39:36 +0000

Sorry Harold, I do not hunt bear so I don’t really know. Everything I have heard is that you cook it like pork — and keep in mind the single most prevalent reason people still get trichinosis is by eating under-cooked bear meat.

First thing I would do is render some of the fat to see how it smells: If it smells good, dip a piece of bread in it and taste. If it’s nasty, then you will have to trim every bit of the fat off. If it is good, you can cook as you would pork. That’s my $0.02.

By: Haroldf

Haroldf — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:00:01 +0000

Mr Shaw, I am looking for ways to prepare and cook bear meat.

By: Larbo

Larbo — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:19:52 +0000

This batch is looking great, Hank!

As you say, it’s easy to be fooled by early success and quickly find yourself getting into trouble–with not enough humidity, too much humidity, bad molds, wrong fermentation culture, etc.

And, despite the growing number of meatheads out there, this information is surprisingly hard to come by. No publisher seems to think that there’s a market for a truly comprehensive charcuterie book. It’s a minor miracle that Ruhlman was able to get his book published at all. Just think how good the Marianski’s book could have been if a proper publisher had taken this project in hand and helped it along!

By: suburbanbushwacker

suburbanbushwacker — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 07:47:32 +0000

Usually you make it look so easy. That was fascinating.
SBW

By: adele

adele — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 08:31:49 +0000

If I break down and decide to try my hand at making charcuterie, it’s going to be all your fault.

By: hank

hank — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 02:43:18 +0000

“Friend of Liz”: I think there ought to be more, don’t you?

Murasaki: The humidity is only needed at the start. As the salami dries, you need the humidity to decrease along with it. Think Winter into Spring into Summer…

Peter: I am finding that it is like wine: Making a passable salami is not so difficult. Making a truly great one is. I’m not there yet, but I am learning about what makes that greatness — and how tough it can be…

By: friend of Liz

friend of Liz — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:13:17 +0000

How many men can be so overtly proud of “misting their salami” several times a day?

By: Murasaki Shikibu

Murasaki Shikibu — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:54:51 +0000

I didn’t know that white stuff was penicillin. How interesting! I also didn’t know you needed a humid environment for Salami making because most countries where they make these tend to be rather dry versus…say Japan where 80% humidity is the norm.

By: Peter

Peter — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 10:15:52 +0000

Hank, a most educational read. I now understand why humidity is so important in the curing process of meats. I’ve been pretty lucky curing in my cellar and the humidity is around 70% but your findings lead to change the set-up to something “fail-safe”.