Online Workshop: Project B (August 2012)

grasshopper · Post by **grasshopper** » Sun Oct 07, 2012 01:46

Casabasi Well I am on the end of the second day. Smoke tomorrow and taste. Having trouble with my pellet smoker. I think my pellets have too much moisture. I did put them in the microwave to dry them out. They would go out. Started at 2.5 lb now at 1.94 lb. the smoker never got above 65 deg's They smell like I put too much smoke on them. I would love to cut into one, but will go the course.

Gulyás · Post by **Gulyás** » Sun Oct 07, 2012 02:13

I'm saying, that your reddish brown color is just about perfect.

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Sun Oct 07, 2012 03:18

That's the "bloom" pal! And your work is outstanding. Nice going.

grasshopper · Post by **grasshopper** » Sun Oct 07, 2012 17:51

Finishing up casabasi today. On the chorizo I have the ancho, I also have ground red jalapeno and red chipotle. I think the red ground jalapeno is a better choice.Should I back off on the amount.? I really don't know squat about chiles. For a northerner, I can get wimpy about heat. But I do love flavor. Any comments are surely welcome. Mike

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Sun Oct 07, 2012 21:51

http://www.chilepepperinstitute.org/ If you can get seed from sources outside of Oz then the world is full of wonderful chilis.
This is a UK source.http://www.chileseeds.co.uk/outside_eu.htm

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Sun Oct 07, 2012 22:14

Once again working is starting to take up too much of my time but it also permits me to buy food and the grind pork for sausage. So tomorrow I start remodeling a kitchen and in a week or two I will have time and money to make sausage. Today we returned from a holiday at Harpers Ferry, W.Va. For now I have some Butt Bacon smoking that I started curing before we left Wednesday.

jbk101 · Post by **jbk101** » Mon Oct 08, 2012 01:24

Hello All,
Update on my Hungarian Csabai progress. Just finished the 1st cold smoking of my Csabi. Had some problems with my Homemade Cold Smoker so I ended up improvising a little, But I made it through and I believe I fixed my Cold Smoke problem. Here are a couple of Pictures (Before Smoking and After Smoking)
John

Gulyás · Post by **Gulyás** » Mon Oct 08, 2012 01:44

Hi John.

I'm surprised it came out so dark, I guess you had kind of heavy smoke.
In my opinion, if you smoke them 2 more times like that, they'll be over smoked.
If they were mine, from now on, I would mostly just dry them.
Otherwise they look beautiful.

snagman · Post by **snagman** » Mon Oct 08, 2012 01:49

jbk101 wrote:Hello All,
Update on my Hungarian Csabai progress. Just finished the 1st cold smoking of my Csabi. Had some problems with my Homemade Cold Smoker so I ended up improvising a little, But I made it through and I believe I fixed my Cold Smoke problem. Here are a couple of Pictures (Before Smoking and After Smoking)
John

Image Image

John,

Very very nice Mate!

Gus

grasshopper · Post by **grasshopper** » Mon Oct 08, 2012 02:06

casabasi 3rd day out of the smoker. I am a beginner and these are not cured still raw to me. I also think I over smoked them. I did cook one of them in the microwave. I had a lot of orange fat on the bottom of the plate. I think my 80-20 fat was off. It tasted over smoked to me. Nothing like the fresh patty I fried. I learned a lot from this project and a lot about cold smoking. If I leave them in the fridge for more time will they keep on curing.? Mike

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Mon Oct 08, 2012 02:14

Jbk...
Gorgeous

Uhhh... the sausage... not you!

Smoked 4 hours then refrigerated to dry... Wow... they'll be perfect. Nice goin' pal. Beautiful color on those beauties.

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Mon Oct 08, 2012 02:21

Grasshopper, I'm with you... unless it has a Bactoferm cure, I got to have mine cooked

. Great looking sausage pal.

snagman · Post by **snagman** » Mon Oct 08, 2012 02:54

Grasshopper,

They look really good ! They will keep developing flavour, and continue drying. I wrap the ones I want to use soon in paper, in the fridge. As these continue to dry, they develop an "aged" taste as time goes on, not raw as now. The rest goes in the freezer in vacuum bags to be thawed when needed and paper wrapped. This way you always have some ready for use.
Gus

grasshopper · Post by **grasshopper** » Mon Oct 08, 2012 04:29

Hey thanks to everyone. They are back in the fridge and how long would that be for.? The things that I have learned. I have been using my smoker for other meat, and using different wood. I should have heated it up on a high temp to burn off some of the other smoking residue. Then let it cool down for the cold smoke.That didn't happen as I just went right at it cold.The smell inside the cabinet wasn't as nice as the smoke coming out. It is cool here 40 degs for the first two days and 52 degs for the last day. The smoker got up to 70 degs on the last day. That pellet smoker will raise the temp and should be piped in from outside the smoker. I have seen one put in a mailbox and piped into the inlet. (cool) Full 8 hrs all three days and I did use apple pellets. Hindsight being 20-20 I got 10-10.

snagman · Post by **snagman** » Mon Oct 08, 2012 05:01

grasshopper wrote:

Grasshopper,
I don't know how many you made, and whether it's worth freezing some for later. In the fridge there will be noticeable drying, you will be able to feel that, and also see it. When it feels firm ( don't know what I could liken it to ),taste. You can also use it now as an ingredient in a dish.
Hope you like it,
Gus

Online Workshop: Project B (August 2012)

chiles

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casabai done