Had a couple of failures with the duck prosciutto. Pulled the last one out of the fridge on Monday June 23rd. It had a final weight of 0.13 kg. Initial weight of 0.26 kg. 50% weight loss. However, when I unwrapped it, a cloud of mold spores flew up and it smelled like a stinky sock.
So that one went to the chickens.
Not sure why that one molded. It was in the fridge about 5 days longer, maybe that was enough time to make it susceptible. It was also skinless while the other breast in the fridge had skin on.
The fridge also has some mildew in the cracks and corners. We scrubbed that out and treated it with vinegar, but still, it is certain that some of the mold spores still remain, and they could have gotten onto the meat.
Then there are the conditions inside vs. outside the fridge.
Temperature is nearly identical, but humidity is a good bit higher outside than inside. 70% is the max humidity we want for dry curing, according to the book. Any higher and it will encourage mold growth on the meat. However… the mold is on the meat in the fridge, which is a drier area. Riddle me that.
Tue, Jun 24
Number 3, 0.19 kg, starting weight 0.275 kg
Number 2, 0.195 kg, starting weight 0.275 kg.
30% weight loss, should be ready to go, right?
But no. It was straight raw meat in the middle. So I sliced it and fried it up, and it was like a very much too salty, too rubbery non-descript chunk of meat.
Only one breast left hanging. I’m almost afraid to check it.
Little Farm in the Big City 