Thanks very much for this video! I just found tiny white specks, and 4 small patches of white fluffy mould on my drying biltong, and nearly had a heart attack. The meat looked and smelled great, and I really didn't want to throw it out, so I started researching. It seems I have nothing to worry about after all. I killed the mould with vinegar, because I've been programmed to be freaked out by mould. Perhaps I will become more comfortable with it in the future. Thank you for the information, and the peace of mind it gave me! 👍
Great Information, thank you Gilbert! You answered some serious questions I had on Mould/Mold on Meats. Please address Mould on Cheeses, Yogurt, etc. Also, interior cleaning of a regular refrigerator & Freezer to keep Mould/Mold at Bay!
Hi Trudy, what I have covered here is linked to meat curing. But moulds for cheese would be treated in the same manner. I am not a cheesemaker, however, I would apply the same principles. For a regular refrigerator, one in which you will not be curing meat, and therefore, requiring mould, you would really want to keep any mould out. The best way to clean is either with a solution of vinegar and water (1 part vinegar to 9 parts water) or the same ratio of bleach type cleaning liquids. There are even specific products on the market now for cleaning refrigerator interiors. Once a month or so would be good, or as you see additional moulds affecting your foods. Hope this helps.
I see on some of your pictures there is a lot of good white mold and seemingly specs of a pale reddish color, I recently made charcuterie and it looks and smells great but there are sort of pale reddish blemishes over the white mold. When I wiped it all off it went away easily, but this is the one thing I haven't heard people talking about so I am not sure.
Have you seen this style of preservation done without a chamber? I don’t have a house or refrigerator/freezer. After having good luck with preserving meat over the winter without freezing temps I’ve been looking into how I can do it in warmer temps.
Well back in the day this was all done in caves and subterranean caverns. But it all depends on what your high temps and humidity is going to be. But if it goes above 18C you are going to struggle...microbes will proliferate above 18C. Also your humidity needs to be above 65%.
@@OverOnTheWildSide Not going to work...check out the video on creating a curing chamber...it details the temperatures and humidity required : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-E51A4oxdkmM.html
@@curesmithnet I actually had checked out that video already. I don’t have power so I need to find a way that doesn’t require electricity. I’ve buried some meat in salt but that got way too salty.
@@OverOnTheWildSide - mmm, how much salt? 30g per kg is enough (3%)...zip lock it, but make sure you get all the air out. Easy way to do this is to put the meat into the ziplock with the salt. Get the salt all around. Take a container (large enough to take the meat) and fill it with cold water. Slowly drop the meat (in the zip lock) into the water holding it at the top. Drop it gently until the top is nearly in the water (do not any water in!)...seal it...and it works pretty much like a vacuum sealer!
Question about your water/vinegar solution. What is the Percentage of the Acidity in the Vinegar you use? I have seen vinegar range for 4% to 8%. Thank you for your time and sharing you knowledge. Cheers.
RH is needed to be around 80? I ask you because when my dehumidifier is on the humidity is going to 89 for 2 mins and after go and stay between 76-80 for 15 mins. Is ok like this? I cure only salami
So it depends on how you are going to store it. If you are vac-packing it should be removed because mould is aerobic. In a vacuum, it will die and start to decompose which makes the salami very slimy. If you are just storing it in the chamber then you can leave the mould and just remove as you consume...
Such a good detailed video, thanks! Do you wash off the mold at the end of drying time just under running tap water or with with vinegar solution? I want to vacuum sealing it, so I was washing it with vinegar solution and tooth brush, is that ok? 🤔
Vinegar solution or even a good wine is good to wash off the mould. Your process sounds good. You need to remove the mould before it goes into a vacuum bag or else the mould will die and cause a slimy residue on the meat.
How about white, a bit hairy mould dots/areas? These small dots/areas are not dusty definitely. Is this mould OK? What type of mould can it be? Sometimes this type of mould grew when I was dry ageing a meat. I do not have a picture of this mould unfortunately.
most people remove the casing, which will include the mould...or wipe the mould off. I, personally, don't mind it either way, with mould or without. Really up to you.
Hi i am from south africa, i made a batch pack of cooked salami, cooked it till 68degc, my whole batch has gone slimy on the outside, what have i done wrong
Potassium Sorbate is used as a preservative. Vinegar has some of the best anti microbial properties so I would personally rather stick with the tried and tested methods.