Years ago I told an old friend, "I just want to move to the country and make sausage." I've done that. And now I finally have a refrigerator dedicated to charcuterie.
I asked my refrigerator repairman to keep an eye out for a unit I could convert to sausage storing. I needed something with a relatively high temperature (50 degrees), that also stayed humid. When I first opened my restaurant I didn't understand refrigeration at all. I thought refrigerators put cold air into their boxes. Now I know that refrigerators actually remove heat, through their freon-filled coils, and release that heat into the air. I also know they generally remove humidity, making a cold, dry environment.
A couple of months ago, the repairman found the perfect unit. A meat case in great shape, owned by a charter boat company. They sold it to me for $100 and forklifted it into the truck. When I got it to the restaurant, I discovered it wouldn't fit through the office door. I had to remove the door frame, and line it up just right, to scrape it through. My office manager wrinkled her nose.
A few adjustments and it's holding a steady 50 degrees, and since it's a meat case, it has no fans and doesn't remove the humidity. Right now I've got two kinds of coppa hanging, sweet, and spicy. They'll be ready in the first week of November. Before leaving for a trip to SF Halloween week, I'll be making some salamis and pepperones.
It feels good to be making sausages again. I love the waiting, the idea that the payoff is weeks, or months away. If I time it right, I get to open (and give) presents all year long. Come get a gift.
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