Equipment and materials - 3

For the first experiments in the manufacture of dry-cured products, an ordinary refrigerator is enough, in which 2-3 sticks of sausage, a small coppa or basturma can easily fit for aging. When the temperature outside does not exceed 12 degrees Celsius during the day, you can dry it in a room where the temperature will not drop below 1-2 degrees Celsius. In the future, you can purchase a large refrigerator and equip it for drying.
The recipes in this manual do not include bacterial starter cultures that require a “warm” climate chamber. According to the recommended technology, sausages mature a little longer, but they require less labor and are less demanding on the humidity and temperature regime. For drying and ripening sausages, a noufrost refrigerator without a freezer with a fan is used. The fan evens out the temperature and humidity throughout the chamber.

If the refrigerator has lattice shelves, the products can be hung with hooks. If the shelves are glass, then they should be removed and, for example, use racks-hangers to place sausages, which are distributed at the required levels. It is better to lay down products for drying in batches within 2-3 days – until the volume of the refrigerator is fully loaded. This ensures optimum moisture content, which is especially important in the early drying phase.