Homemade Sausage Making

Hey, CW- - how about talking us through what happens when you hang a sausage at "cool" room temperature for a day or three, to ferment. (I'm thinking here of the Sunrise Summer Sausage" recipe, but there are others out there.) Surely lactobacillus and pediococcus are not the only bacteria which "take off" during the first hours or days, although I guess they are the ones that we hope will win the battle for domination. There are bound to be others, both good and evil. (...such as that nasty moustachelococcus yuckii that's been going around lately.) What about the old-but-good ones that people traditionally relied upon?

The motivation: I'm reading up on Spanish sausages (that "Charcutería" book by Jeffrey Weiss), trying to understand the natural process a bit better. The traditional fresh chorizo recipe advocates a day of "fermentation."

I just had a look at your "Lactic Acid Bacteria And Nutrient Sugars" http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.ph ... tobacillus which is a good discussion of what's going on if you innoculate your sausage,
........but ...what if you don't?
Duk

(Inquiring Mind)

(reserved) Pending completion of post.

Good idea!
I would find that very interesting...

How's that charcuteria book, Duk? Is it worth putting on my wish list?

Chuckwagon wrote:(reserved) Pending completion of post.

Shields up! Red alert! (Whoop!Whoop!Whoop!) Ooogahh! Ooogahh!

sambal badjak wrote:How's that charcuteria book, Duk? Is it worth putting on my wish list?

There are others that I'd buy first, to be honest. It's a bit specialized. However, it's perfect wish list material for the li'l oil' sausage maker who has everything. I would buy a set of Marianski books first, Rytek Kutas' book, and then (but only if you want to get into Spanish meats and sausages) this book.

I don't own Marianski's book on Polish sausages, but then, I don't have ethnic ties to Poland. However, both places where we live, we are immersed in Hispanic culture. ...can't speak to your situation, having never been to Zambia, but I would be interested in hearing about what the people there like to eat. Maybe you could do a column about it? ...share some recipes, etc.

Meanwhile, I promise to post a few "goodies" from the book, as I run across them. We loved the food of Spain, and can't wait to get back there. Meanwhile... There's homemade chorizo, and more!
Duk

(Hmmmm... Time for a snack...)

Shields up! Red alert! (Whoop!Whoop!Whoop!) Ooogahh! Ooogahh! (Hmmmm... Time for a snack...)

Dang Rabid Duck!

...but seriously, CW: what sorts of bacilli are floating around out there, going to work on our Sunrise Summer Sausage? I've made two batches now, and the demand for the stuff is growing exponentially, among our friends. What happens if batch three turns out to be toxic? (I'd hate to run out of friends suddenly.)

I'm not noted for my good luck, so we can't call it lucky that both batches turned out great. Did wild relatives of our friends lactobacillus and pediococcus slip in while I sneezed or wasn't looking? What competitors might also slip in there but be out-competed? Is it the dose of glucose or dextrose that gives the good guys an edge?

Sincerely,

(Inquiring. Mine! Wanton? No.)

Good question for a microbiologist.