Homemade Sausage Making

Hi All
I am completely new to dry curing having started just back in Novmber 2021. I have found the first issue that i just cannot seem to find any information on so thought i would join your marvellous forum and ask the question!
I have a batch of salami that has been fermented with Flora Italia LC and was put in my curing chamber (small fridge with inkbird controls) just 11 days ago. I am still learning how to get effective humidity control in the chamber which i only set up on the 20.01.2022. It has been running at average of 77% and 13 Celsius (i have been increasing the humidity more recently though). As i have noticed some slight hardening on the ends of a couple of the sausages that i have in there i have weighed all contents today and was shocked to find the salami batch having been there for 12 days is already ranging from 77% to 62% of green weight. This seems ridiculously fast weight loss so i have opened and sampled the smallest of the 62% to look in side. Looked fine with just the slightest darkening on the outer edge of the hardened end i cut into. tasted fine too. This is in a 36mm hog, the main part of this batch in 50mm beef middles. All Mold 600 (which is rampant!).

My question is - Can i hang the OPENED sausage back up in the chamber or would the loss of the (hog) skin barrier at the opened end be a problem?

Hope someone can give me some idea of any potential issues with this as as i said i can find nothing on the web or in Marianski’s books that seems to tell me.
Thanks for reading
Ian from North West England

The drying rate sounds quite normal, especially since you are using narrow gauge casing. The weight loss is quite fast during the earliest stages of drying and slows down gradually. When I dry my saucisson sec in 40mm casings it's usually ready in 3 -4 weeks. No problem with rehanging your test piece, you can just trim off the cut end later and it will be fine. Welcome to the forum.

Thanks Redzed.
I guessed it ‘should’ be ok but good t hear you thinks so too. I am surprised and pleased equally that you think that drying rate is ok; I was put off reading Marianski’s suggestion that a medium diameter sausage should loose 0.5 to 0.7% a day while drying and if my maths is right I am about twice that rate!
I have only dried in very low temperatures previously (0 to10 Celsius) so have had a dry product in 5 weeks or so with a 35-40mm hog case. Much faster in the warmer chamber then.
Thanks for your input.

I think Marianski was probably referring to an average drying rate and in larger diameter casings. The drying rate is not linear. And you can slow the drying by lowering your temp to 11-12C.