Starter Cultures for Charcuterie – 1 week into ageing.

Checked on the chorizo today, and they are looking good!

Drying up nicely. Was a little bit worrying when they filled the entire wine cellar with the smell of garlic. Wouldn’t want those 50 yr old bottles getting tainted.  Thankfully, the smell has subsided and so are my worries.

Interesting though, some of the chorizos are developing different colours. I made 4 types. A control (no bacteria, no mulled vinegar), 1 with only bacteria, 1 with only the mulled vinegar, and 1 with both. It seems that the ones with the vinegar look a bit brighter on the red side while the bacteria and control look to be darker. Could it be that they are drying at different rates? It’s possible, but then they are all under the same temperature and humidity conditions.

Here’s a photo to see the varying colours.

The batches in the middle are the ones with the mulled vinegar, the ones on the sides are the control and bacteria only. Well, another week or so and we’ll see how they look and taste. Cheers!