Converting a Fridge into a Curing Chamber - Part 3 - The Electrics

Having assessed the problems in Converting a Fridge into a Curing Chamber - Part 2 - Controlling Humidity, and acquired the necessary thermostat, hygrostat(s) and relays, there now comes the dreaded time when it all has to be wired together!

My own control box has a thermostat and two hygrostats. There are double plugs controlled by each of these, plus one for normal usage:

Whilst I am happy to supply details of the wiring, it's like an explosion in a spaghetti factory, so it's maybe best to look at each element separately!

Obviously, these diagrams are specific to the products I've used. Details of these are in Part 1 and 2 of this tutorial. However, they give a good idea of what's involved and may assist in working out the detail for your own choice of controller. Often the instructions and wiring diagrams supplied by the manufacturer are confusing, and sometimes, not even in English!

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Converting a Fridge into a Curing Chamber - Part 2 - Controlling Humidity

At the end of Converting a Fridge into a Curing Chamber - Part 1 - Controlling Temperature we'd just acquired a hygrometer to check the humidity in our fridge now that we've got it running a 12°C...

...The chances are that the humidity's not at the level we want, but before we start to do something about it, let's just look at what relative humidity is.

When we refer to humidity in percentage terms, what we are referring to is the percentage of moisture in the air, relative to the maximum that the air can hold, at that temperature. Warm air can hold a lot more water than cold air before it becomes saturated, so air at 20°C with 100% relative humidity (RH) will have a lot more moisture in it than air at 12°C with the same 100% relative humidity. Let's make that 'doubly clear': if we cool air, the relative humidity will increase, even though the amount of water in it won't change. This means that the relative humidity of any air we introduce into the fridge will increase as it cools.

Places with different ambient humidity will require different solutions to the problem; the dry of the desert is very different to the wet of the rain-forest.

Don't think that things will be easy because the UK has a temperate climate. Take yesterday as an example: at 7am the relative humidity was 100%, but by 6pm it was only 38% (click the image on the right to see further details). For this reason, control of humidity by the introduction of fresh air using a fan, is unlikely to work here, even though it does in climates with constant low humidity.

So what do we do to control the relative humidity? Well, I suggest that you do absolutely nothing! Instead, go and make some chorizo, or any other salami type product that's fairly thin. Don't spend a lot of money doing it though; it may become a sacrificial sausage later! "Why?", I hear you ask. Well, experience has taught me that drying chambers with salami in them behave very differently than empty ones. Using your fridge to make some salami will give a truer indication of how the humidity will behave.

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Converting a Fridge into a Curing Chamber - Part 1 - Controlling Temperature

Although it's a common topic of discussion on the sausage making forum, I've never got around to about the conversion of a fridge into my air-drying chamber. Before I start, I accept no responsibility for what you do with the information here; it's up to you to ensure that what you do is safe complies with any relevant regulations/legislation. If in doubt, please seek the advice of a professionally qualified person.

This information relates to converting a fridge for use in the UK. For details of converting a fridge in the US, please see this article on the Cured Meats website.

Firstly, let's look at the conditions we need; there are 3 main phases during the process of making air-dried products, curing, fermentation and drying. Ideal conditions for these are:

• Curing - normal fridge temperatures are fine, ideally at the higher end around 5° - 8°C.
• Fermenting - used when making sausage and occasionally with dried meats. The product is held at temperatures around 24°C with a very high relative humidity, around 90% - 95%, for a period that can vary from 12 hours to several days, to enable bacteria to make the sausage more acidic, which makes it safe to eat. The exact temperatures and times depend on the specific bacteria added, so follow the manufacturers guidelines or the recipe carefully.
• Drying - a period of weeks, or months, during which we want the product to dry slowly and evenly which will add to its safety. The conditions for doing this are ideally between 10° - 15°C with a relative humidity between 70% and 85%. Our aim is to keep the humidity of the chamber just slightly below that of the product, whilst it dries. Regular changes of air are also beneficial. My own experience, along with that of fellow home sausage-makers, suggests that there are less problems when the drying is takes place at the lower end of this temperature range. Many favour a temperature of 12°C, or thereabouts, as do I.

Most people have little problem creating the conditions for the first two phases, but often have problems with the third; modern houses tend not to have places with these conditions. A cellar or pantry is often ideal, or can be adapted easily. If you can beg or borrow the use of one, then do so: the larger the area, the easier it seems to be to control. However, for the rest of us, the only economic option is to adapt a fridge or freezer to create the conditions required.

Firstly, you'll need a fridge to convert - frost free is the type to go for as these tend to have very low humidity; it's easier to increase humidity than decrease it!

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The Far-Famed Cambridge Sausage

When I came across a sausage called the "Far-Famed Cambridge Sausage" in a 1938 'Handy Guide for Pork Butchers', I couldn't resist making it? But what type of sausage was it?

I'm guessing that it was far better known in those days: I'd only ever heard of it in passing. A quick online search told me that the best know brand was Palethorpe's 'Royal Cambridge sausages', though they were made in Shropshire, and that there were 2,500lbs of them were aboard the Titanic when she sailed on her maiden voyage!

Looking to my books: Anthony and Araminata Hippisley Coxe in the 'Book of Sausages', say "This is probably the most popular sausage in England". Not now it's not: not one of the 'big three' supermarkets sell them!

The 'Book of Sausages' goes on to say that the distinctive flavour is from sage, cayenne, mace, nutmeg, pepper and salt. Other sources omit or have sage as optional. The few places that make it nowadays all seem to include it. Some recipes include ginger and pimento and less commonly mustard. Two recipes, including a butcher's handbook, and a respected traditional curer and sausage-maker, have levels of white pepper of around 1%; a massive amount, similar to a very spicy Cumberland sausage. I think that both must be from the same source, and that there was an error in the original because I can find no reference to the taste being very peppery.

What all have in common is the use of scalded (cooked) rice as a 'filler'. This interested me, as on the sausage-making forum, we are asked for gluten free recipes quite often. Now, before anyone tells me, I know that the rusk that I've included in the recipe contains gluten. However, I'm sure that it could be left out with no problem.

As I already make a Lincolnshire Sausage with sage, and as the Cumberland Sausage that I'm working on also contains it, I've chosen to make a version without sage. My recipe is a 'compilation' of 5 recipes from trade handbooks from the 1930's, 40's and 50's.

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Mmm...Sausages

I've tried a couple of new sausage recipes: more about that later.

In the meantime, these are some of The Thurlaston Sausage.

Toulouse Sausage

Making Toulouse Sausage like most things related to curing and sausage making is fairly simple as you'd expect. After all, we all know that it's a pork and bacon sausage made with wine and garlic. After all, that's what the supermarket's sell to us and they can't be wrong, or can they?

Well, many people think they are, including Gascon charcutier Dominique Chapolard, source of many of the recipes featured at the 'Kitchen at Camont' cookery school in SW France who tells us that the ingredients are simply Pork, Salt and Pepper, the simplest of sausage that relies on quality meat. This view is apparently supported by the butcher in the small town of Brax which lies just to the west of Toulouse. Jane Grigson in her book 'Charcuterie and French Pork Cookery' concurs but adds a pinch of saltpetre; some add varying amounts of bacon which will have a similar effect as the saltpetre. Others maintain that it should have no water, no coloring, no preservatives or additives. All agree that it should be ground coarsely and more than one source says that a #10 (10mm) mincer plate should be used. What they all agree on, and none include in their recipes is either garlic or wine. So much for the UK supermarkets!

Ian Hoare accomplished chef and owner of the excellent La Souvigne bed and breakfast accommodation in Forgès in the Limousin, supports this view saying:

"Toulouse sausages are the standard fare round our way. They do vary, but what they have in common is as follows:
Pure pork (shoulder meat), lightly cured for colour.
Probably about 25 to 30% fat.
Coarse minced.
They are seasoned only with salt and pepper. and stuffed into standard sausage casings, though twisted fairly long at around 3-4 to a pound. The French never link in threes and hang them.
When I make a cassoulet, I deviate slightly from the "standard" Toulouse sausage by adding a pinch or three of sugar and some garlic to the mix before stuffing. Some very authentic cassoulet recipes called for sausages seasoned like that".

I read that the French Government have a issued a Red Label to certain producers of the sausage. Regrettably my lamentable lack of fluency in the French language makes it very difficult for me to access their websites to find out what the specification is - that is, if they publish it online.

Given the above, I chose to do my 'own thing' and decided to make two versions of 'my take' on Toulouse sausage based on the Jane Grigson recipe. If not authentic, I hope that they will be judged as at least 'in the spirit' of a true Saucisse de Toulouse. I made one with just salt, pepper and a little cure for colour, and another, let's call it a Lautrec sausage to avoid confusion, with the addition of fresh garlic and very small amounts of three of the four spices found in the classic French spice mix Quatre Épices. The cure is optional. The best indications I have is that it wouldn't be in the 'traditional' product - whatever that is! Likewise the sugar.

And so on to the recipe...

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From Bad to Worse

Doh! What possessed me to write about a luncheon meat when I hadn't finalised the recipe! Normally, it takes numerous trials to formulate a recipe; there's so many variables. With a fresh sausage it's not so bad because you can do trials in 100gm batches and try 5 or 6 variations at a time. I've not yet found a fool-proof way of doing a similar thing with luncheon meat which means that I end up with vast quantities of not too good sausage.

This is my second trial of the recipe for Ham and Garlic Luncheon Meat and to be honest it's worse than the first! I can't believe that, when all I had to do was make the paste firmer, I've managed to make it softer! All I can think is that I messed up on the ratio of fat to meat.

Oh well, back to the drawing board. I'm not even going to mention the two meat cures I'm doing at the moment: it'd be tempting fate too much!

Garlic and Ham Luncheon Meat

Luncheon meat is one of the best illustrations of the British relationship with food; call something Luncheon Meat and it's sold as a product in the supermarket's budget range at £3 a kilo; call it Jagdwurst, Stuttgarter, Schinkenwurst or Mortadella and it costs five times as much! We just don't value our own British products. Admittedly, the budget Luncheon Meat has a little less meat than it's fancy named counterparts, but this doesn't have to be so. If it was held in higher esteem and commanded a higher price like it's continental counterparts, this could be changed.

Fortunately, attitudes are gradually changing, and with that in mind this is my first 'prototype' of a Ham and Garlic Sausage, a clone of one that Pauline likes to buy. It's a work in progress, so although it's received favourable comments from the people that have tried it, I want to tweak the recipe before I put in online; maybe a bit more garlic and a 'paste' with more bite.

The small air holes annoy me, but are difficult to avoid when recreating an industrial process with domestic equipment.