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Another trip down the charcuterie path

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    #16
    WEEKLY UPDATE - WEEK #3

    Week 3 - every time I open the fridge, the aroma!!! oh my gosh this stuff is developing so much flavor and aroma as it patiently awaits for the day of charcutefest!

    1. link 1 - same as above, soppressata

    After three weeks, weight loss continues to stay on pace with the first two weeks. I was so excited to check on these this morning, I grabbed what I was weighing while I was eating breakfast. First weight was the salami soppressata, coming in at 686g - down from 901g, for a 24% loss. Most of the soppressata links have started to firm up and develop that some what of a harder shell. There is still some give to the links, so it will be interesting to see how that changes over the next two weeks, as I'll probably weight to get to the 40% mark.

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    2. link 2 - same as above post - pepperoni

    Pepperoni also continued with the same weight loss, weighing 537g compared to 721g (25.6% loss) to start. Like the other links, these are also firming up, pulling away from the casing. The spice profile has popped up more so than in the past few weeks. Definitely a good sign!

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    3. link 3 - finochionna

    And the final link - which is probably the one I am most interested in trying due to the wine that was added for the flavor profile. Weight on this came in at 641g, down from 837g (23.5% loss) at the start. These also have firmed up, started to pull away from the casing more so than last week. the aroma from these is very pronounced, which I think is coming from the wine. This, like I said, will be very interesting to try compared to the other two!

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    so that's it for week 3. At this pace, I'm guessing two more weeks to get closer to the 40% mark. I think waiting that extra time really won't be a big deal, perhaps I'm rewarded with just a slight better flavor and texture profile then if I went only with a 33-35% loss!

    I'll be back next week with more updates!

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      #17
      WEEKLY UPDATE - WEEK #4

      So, with this update, I feel about 1 more week should get me where these need to be. So excited to for these to be ready to go! I’ve been thinking that I need to get a nice charcuterie and cheese board for my first serving of these. May have to do some internet shopping! None have a favorite charcuterie board they use? I’m thinking a two tone board, or just dark tone wood. Anyhow, on to the updates!


      1. Soppressata ​​​​​​- weight was 643g, down from 901g. Total weight loss is 29%, which is the smallest reduction thus far. I’m guessing that means it’s getting to that point, which I assume would be the case given you take these to 35-40%. So one more week and should be right where it needs to be.


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      2. Pepperoni- weight was 494g, down from 721g, for a 31.5% total weight loss.

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      3. Finocchiona- weight was 593g, down from 837g, for a total weight loss of 29%.

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      Comment


        #18
        WEEKLY UPDATE - WEEK #5

        So, as the weeks pass, definitely seeing a slow down in weight loss, but these are just about ready for some fun! the three I've been weighing over the time, are 34-37% weight loss, so right where they need to be!

        1. Soppressata - Weight loss is 34%, so a few more days to hit the mark, if that really matters. But The firmness seems to be perfect, just a light give to it, wonderful aroma. The other links have also started to separate from the bag, so this will be the last week before I open and vac seal.

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        2. Pepperoni - This particular one has the greatest weight loss, coming in at 37%, firmness is great, just a very slight give to it.

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        3. Finochiona - Weight loss is also right at 34%. This style, for all of the Finochiona, they didn't really start to separate from the bag during the first 4 weeks. I thought maybe because there was more moisture in this mixture with the added red wine was the reason, but this week they did start to separate some. I've said it before - I'm most excited to try this one in particular just to see how much different the wine changes the flavor profile.

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        That's it for this week - next up, should have some tasting information and final reviews of all three. Not sure if it will be in the coming week or not, as I want to do this with my buddy who helped in the beginning. So stay tuned!

        Comment


          #19
          And we have taste testing! Wow! What an experience! I will have to revisit the final posting with weight and flavor profiles but wanted to post a teaser pic! I’m in the middle of smoking 50 odd lbs of meat for my daughters graduation party. So give me a few days for the final write up.

          I am sold on making my own charcuterie with Umai bags.

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          • MattTheGR8
            MattTheGR8 commented
            Editing a comment
            Thank you for keeping us updated, I look forward to the final report. Have fun with the graduation party!

          • ilooklikeelvis
            ilooklikeelvis commented
            Editing a comment
            I know tardy reply here, but wow - this is just outstanding work!

          • barelfly
            barelfly commented
            Editing a comment
            ilooklikeelvis thank you! It was a fun process. I’ve done it one other time but it’s been a while. Need to get this going again when the temps cool off a little.

          #20
          That looks AMAZING!! I wish I could taste it.. this is definitely go on my list of things to do... Thanks for all the updates.. great post

          Comment


            #21
            looks friggin awesome!

            Comment


              #22
              FINAL UPDATE - WEEK #6

              Well, after a 6 week wait, I was finally able to to sample these three types of charcuterie. The last week or so I've been so busy that I had forgot the time was coming up, but Friday when my buddy who helped me with this project stopped by the house, I remembered it was time to sample!

              Below, we have cross sections of the three types, Pepperoni (left), Soppressata (center), Finochiona (right). Overall, I couldn't be happier with the results, as this particular photo shows as well. A few things to note - our process was very good, based on the actual results and this photo. The fat back is intact, there are no air pockets or broken areas in the center, meaning we kept the meat/fat cold throughout the grinding and stuffing process and stuffed the Umai Bag correctly. I love the way the white fat color contrasts the red from the meat.

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              When I first opened these up, there seemed to be somewhat of a harder outer shell. As the six weeks passed, I wondered how firm these would get, as they didn't really firm up like this until the last week or two. At first slice, I thought maybe the outer edge dried up a bit too much compared to the center of the links. But last night I cut a few rounds up for a small bite while my wife and I sat on the patio relaxing after a crazy past week and noticed that these softened just a bit, which has given them the perfect texture and chew. I stored the three links I opened on Friday in a zip lock bag and in the meat drawer in the refrigerator. The rest I vac sealed for later use. And I think those few days rest have made these perfect! Enough of a bite to separate as you pull away, but just soft enough to give it the perfect charcuterie chew that you would get if you stopped by an Italian deli while walking through Rome

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              1. Soppressata - This similar to your sandwich salame meat that you may see in the grocery store or at a sandwich shop. In the photo above (middle link), you can tell that this link is only pork shoulder based on how the fat is throughout the center. Weight loss came in at 37%, so right where it needed to be. This may have been my favorite of the three, mainly because of the bite the whole peppercorns provided. The flavor profile from the ground black pepper, ancho chile powder and red pepper flake also came out, proving a nice spicey bite. Making this in a larger size would be great for some sandwiches!


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              2. Pepperoni - Total weight loss was 41% after the six weeks. When I sliced this link, it was perfect (link on the left in first photo above)! Color was spot on, the paprika definitely made this look like the pepperoni we see for pizza or packaged for whatever you may be making. You could smell the paprika as well, but one thing we couldn't quite pick up was the ground fennel seed. Perhaps that was a good thing and it was just enough to allow the paprika stand out. Cayenne was also included in this recipe, but was also not prominent. A nicely balanced pepperoni coming from the combination of lean pork, lean beef and pork fat back.


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              3. Finochiona - We chose to make this style mainly because of the flavor profile. We thought it would be completely different in using the red wine, so that is why we chose it. Total weight loss was just over 37%. This was also a combination of lean beef, lean pork and pork fat back. Along with the wine, there was white and black pepper, fennel garlic. This was good, and had the flavor you would think the wine would give it. I wouldn't say it was sour, but in a way that was the difference I picked up. It was my least favorite of the three, but our wives liked this one the most - which makes me think, those who really like wine would choose this flavor profile most. In the very first photo (left link) you can see the deep red color the wine provided as well.


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              My final comments - If you have ever wanted to make charcuterie, I highly recommend doing this. I have since purchased a dedicated stuffer because I can see myself doing this more and more, but even with the grinder/stuffer combo unit we used for this first project, we could have just continued on this way. The key was ensuring everything was very cold, even partially frozen and using a large grind on the meat and fat back. The other half of this, using Umai Dry bags, did not disappoint. I have experience with both the dry age steak bags and the charcuterie 50mm bags and both work great. Best part, you don't need a vac seal machine to make charcuterie and could do this with standard equipment. I have already made plans for the next few styles, which will be Spanish Chorizo and Coppa.

              I hope you enjoyed following this 6 week process and it inspires you to give this a go. You will not be disappointed in the results!

              Bon appetit!

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              from left to right - Finochiona, Pepperoni, Soppressata

              Comment


              • EdF
                EdF commented
                Editing a comment
                Great! Bring on that chorizo!

              • MattTheGR8
                MattTheGR8 commented
                Editing a comment
                Great job, it all looks delicious! Thank you for sharing your insights as well.

              #23
              Those look fantastic! Great job man. Doing this kind of thing is somewhere on my list of must try and im pretty sure it just moved a lot higher.

              Comment


              • EdF
                EdF commented
                Editing a comment
                Yeah, those were pretty awesome looking!

              #24
              Those look delicious! Yet another reason I need to get a second fridge dedicated to this and dry aging.

              Comment


                #25
                Nicely done!

                Comment

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