Charcuterie Project #1 @PulinosNY: Sopressata

Started 12/12/11

Used Ruhlman's ratio for Sopressata.
Did a double recipe.

900 g Pork fat, hand cut, small dice
3600 g Pork shoulder
40 g Fermento
120 mL Distilled water
80 g Kosher salt
12 g InstaCure #2
140 g Powdered milk
60 g Dextrose
12 g Minced garlic
5 g Aleppo pepper (in place of regular dried chili flakes)
120 mL Pinot Bianco
10 ft Hog casing

12/12/11: Recorded start weight of each individual link. Hung in environment of 78 degrees.
12/14/11: Weighed and recorded weight loss.
12/15/11: Moved salumi into wine room.
Used a home humidifier as a control.
Specs of white appearing. May or may not be mold developing.
Drying into unique shaped links - very possible due to the difficulty i had stuffing the sausages.
Firm as a ripe avocado.
12/29/11: gotten much more firm.
Cut into sausage #1 to test - great smell & color, nice hand-cut fat, but not quite ready.
Don't think fermentation will happen. May have to adjust fermento ratio, check if there's an expiration date, use a liquid fermentation bath.