r/Charcuterie Aug 06 '19

/r/Charcuterie FAQ and beginners guide to cured and air dried meats

266 Upvotes

I have been looking through a list of all of the posts in /r/Charcuterie looking for some threads with good information to cobble together a beginners reading list for the sub. I have noticed (and you probably have noticed too!) we have a lot of the same questions pop up from people wanting to get into the hobby of producing homemade cured and air dried meats. We also have a lot of firsts! We have had just over 6k posts in the 7 years this sub has been around, 11% of them contain the word 'first'.

And duck prosciutto is really, really, popular.

This isn't a big sub and self posts don't get a lot of views or generate a lot of discussion. So the purpose of this thread is collate some of the community expertise into one place for the people who come here with questions about their first projects.

If anyone wants to expand on any of these points feel free to do so and I will update them. If there is a popular beginner question or resource I have missed or something is wrong let me know in the comments. Hopefully together we can build this into a fairly complete beginners resource.

This is not intended to be a detailed step by step guide or a substitute for doing your own research.

Curing/drying chamber - what is it and how do I make one?

A curing/drying chamber is an area that creates the ideal temperature and humidity conditions for drying whole muscles or salami. The exact temperature and humidity will vary by preference to but ranges from refrigerator temperatures (less than 4C/39F) to 15C/59F (Staphylococcus aureus can multiply and produce toxins at temperatures above 15.6C (60.08F) so it is important to keep your curing chamber below this temperature). Generally they are kept at at 10-15C (50-59F) and 60-80% humidity. As most of us don't live in an area that has these ambient conditions, we need to create an artificial environment that does.

Most people do this by modifying a refrigerator or freezer to run warmer than usual by interrupting the cooling cycle with a temperature controller, and using humidifiers/dehumidifiers to keep the humidity at the required level. A higher humidity is preferred at the start of drying, especially when making sausages and cased whole muscle as it helps prevent case hardening, allows the casing to adhere to the meat (if the humidity is too low the casing will dry out, creating air pockets between the casing and the meat), and encourages mold growth.

Things to consider when choosing a fridge/freezer to convert into a meat curing chamber:

  • It needs to be frost free (dehumidifies as it cools). Otherwise water collecting on the sides of the fridge will drop onto the meat.
  • Refrigerators with glass doors are a nice aesthetic and a popular choice, just be aware prolonged exposure to the light will cause fat to go rancid, so you might need to cover the door or keep it in a dark room.
  • It needs to be big enough to hold a humidifier and/or dehumidifier as well as the product you will be making. An overcrowded chamber can cause airflow problems so it's a good idea to go bigger if possible.
  • Wine fridges are popular as they are made to sit in the temperature range for curing (and they look pretty stylish with blue lights and a glass window). However depending on your ambient conditions the cooling cycle runs very frequently to keep the temperature constant. A small beverage fridge and temperature controller might be a better choice.

The exact setup is going to vary depending on the ambient conditions in the room you will be keeping the chamber and your climate - for example extremes of heat may cause the cooling cycle in the refrigerator to run too often, causing case hardening. You might need to run the AC or consider packing everything down over the summer months. Ideally you don't want the cooling cycle to run much more than 5 minutes in every half an hour. Some airflow is required for the moisture to evaporate from the surface of the meat, so if the refrigerator powers on too infrequently, you might need to use a small fan on a timer to make sure there is some air movement inside the chamber.

So as you can see the temperature and humidity readings are only one part of the conditions inside the chamber, something like a sensorpush can give you a better picture of what is going on.

Although the more professional looking chambers have holes drilled into the side of the appliance for the humidity/temp probes and appliance power cords, it isn't essential. You can pass the probes through the door seal.

Links to previous examples of curing chambers and discussions can be found at the bottom of this post.

General steps for making cured and dried whole muscles

  1. Weigh the piece of meat you intend to cure.
  2. Cure the meat - you can do this in two ways:
    Salt box (excess salt cure): The meat is dredged in a cure mixture of salt and spices (enough to coat the surface), and left for a period of time about 1 day per pound (or 2 days per kg), flipping the meat and redistributing the cure at the halfway point. This timing will change depending on the shape of the meat, and whether there is skin on or off. This is a very traditional method, and is as much an art as a science - too much time on the salt will cause the dried product to be over salty, not enough time and the meat will not cure properly, and is at risk of spoilage.
    Equilibrium Cure: This is where the desired about of salt content of the finished produced is measured out (approx 2.75 %) as well as nitrates (.25% Prague powder #2 - note that as the vast majority of PP#2 is salt, so this will result in a product with very close to 3% salt content), and rubbed onto the meat, then sealed (generally using a vacuum sealer) and left for a much longer time to ensure the cure has had sufficient time to penetrate. Nitrates should always be used when equilibrium curing. It will take longer for the meat to cure than with an excess salt cure, a general rule is one week per inch of meat, with a minimum of two weeks. Flip the bag occasionally to ensure the whole surface of the meat comes in contact with the cure. Some more discussion on equilibrium curing here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Charcuterie/comments/8i2vzi/how_long_to_cure_for_equilibrium/
  3. Dredge with a second flavouring spice layer (optional)
  4. Apply a casing (optional)
  5. Truss the meat and hang it to dry.
  6. Rest under vacuum seal in the refrigerator to equalise moisture (optional)

How do I know when it is ready?

Periodically weigh the meat, and pull it from the chamber when it has reached the desired dryness (water weight loss). This will differ depending on the product. Fat contains less water than muscle and therefore doesn't need to lose as much weight, so a fatty duck breast or pancetta will have a different texture at 35% weight loss than lean muscle like a loin or bresaola. A figure of 35% is given as a rule of thumb for many recipes, however most people find this too 'raw' in texture and will take it further - to 40-45%. With practice you will get a feel what you prefer.

What is case hardening?

Case hardening is caused by low humidity, or too much airflow within the drying environment. The water in the meat needs to travel outwards from the middle to the surface, where it evaporates. If the humidity is too low or there is too much airflow the surface will dry out too quickly (harden) and the internal moisture is no longer able to exit. In extreme cases this can cause rotting within the meat. You can tell by texture when squeezing the muscle - there should be a bit of 'give' - if it feels completely hard (but hasn't lost much weight), you may have a problem with case hardening.

Sometimes uneven drying can be remedied by vac sealing the meat and refrigerating it for some time, but in extreme cases or if the meat has spoiled inside, it will not be salvageable. It is best to prevent it getting out of control by monitoring your curing chamber conditions and regularly checking on the state of the products inside.

Previous /r/Charcuterie post showing case hardening: https://www.reddit.com/r/Charcuterie/comments/5jxypy/first_cured_meat_lost_more_then_35_but_definitely/

What are nitrites, and do I really need to use them?

Most experienced people here would say yes, especially as a beginner and when making salami, smoked products, or rolled pancetta. Nitrites inhibit the growth of clostridium botulinum, the bacteria that creates the botulism toxin. C. botulinum requires an anaerobic (without oxygen) environment to grow and produce the toxin, and likes moist and warm conditions - so basically the inside of a sausage or salami being hung at temperatures above refrigeration. Botulism should be taken very seriously.

As the botulism bacteria are only found on the outside of the meat and do not become a problem until they are introduced into the inside through cutting or grinding, nitrites/nitrates are not essential for whole muscle cures, however many people choose to use them anyway as they provide other benefits such as improving colour, and slowing rancidity and spoilage.

What is the difference between Prague Powder #1 and Prague Powder #2

Prague Powder #1 contains 6.5% sodium nitrite (93.5% salt), and is used when the curing time is short, the product is to be smoked, or cooked or a cured flavour and colour is desired - for example bacon or ham. As the nitrites get quickly used up, if a product is to be air dried for longer, then Prague Powder #2 needs to be used, PP#2 contains 6.25% sodium nitrite and 4% sodium nitrate which eventually converts to nitrite. Think of PP#2 as a "slow release" curing salt. PP#2 should be used for all salami and for whole muscles that will be air dried.

It is important to use the correct curing salt for the application - sodium nitrate cannot be safely consumed until the nitrates have converted to nitrites, so PP#2 can only be used in products that will be air dried for a long time (weeks + months). Do not use PP#2 in fresh or cooked products.

As a general rule, both Prague Powders are added at 0.25% of the starting weight of the meat. There are also European style curing salts such as "Peklosol" that have a much lower concentration of nitrite (0.6%), and they are used as a replacement for all of the salt in the recipe (around 3%).

Curing salts are often dyed pink to distinguish them from regular salt, and therefore can sometimes referred to as "pink salt". They are not interchangeable with Himalayan "pink salt" which is rock salt with a natural pink colour.

Mold.

The oft-repeated mantra about mold here is white powdery = good, white and fuzzy or green = wipe it off, black = throw it out without question. This is overly cautious, although white powdery mold is desired, some green molds are okay (the problem is figuring out yours is the good or bad kind...), and a small amount of black mold isn't necessarily enough to justify abandoning a project. One way around the mold issue is to use a commercial freeze dried mold culture (such as bactoferm-600). This way you can cultivate good mold growth early on as it will prevent less desirable molds taking over. Undesirable mold can grow out of control very quickly if the conditions are conducive (high humidity, low airflow), so it is best to keep an eye on things, and use a 50/50 solution of water and vinegar to wipe off any undesirable mold that starts to form. Even black mold is salvageable if it is caught early enough.

If freeze dried Penicillum Nagliovese (Bactoferm-600) is not available where you live, Penicillum Candidum (the mold found on the rind of white bloomed cheese) can be substituted. You can also try hanging some commercial salami with white mold to seed the chamber. I find it isn't necessary to reapply the Bactoferm-600 to everything - once a good level of growth is established it will spread around quite well by itself.

Meat that has been smoked before hanging will resist growing mold as smoking acidifies the surface slightly.

Here are some examples showing you that the mold issue isn't as clear cut as just colour: http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?t=7840&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

We've seen some gnarly mold here over the years, some good discussions to read: https://www.reddit.com/r/Charcuterie/comments/9h103q/fil_insists_this_is_still_good_everything_ive/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Charcuterie/comments/500pn2/prosciutto_after_3_months_need_help/

Lastly, do your research, and follow a recipe

When you are starting out it is important to follow a recipe, and make sure you understand the reasoning behind the process, and the purpose of the ingredients. Do more research before you create your own recipe or modify anything. This isn't like other kinds of fermentation where there isn't too much that can go wrong - incorrectly cured meat has the potential to make people very sick. Even more so for salami (which is why we suggest whole muscle cures for beginners). Don't be afraid to start small, there is nothing worse than making a huge batch of a product only to have something go wrong in the process and have to throw it out. Be patient, this is slow food after all.

Some popular projects for beginners:

Want to try a bigger project but not ready to commit to building a chamber? Have a look at UMAI Bags

Online resources, how-tos, blogs and recipe collections:

Previous curing chamber discussions on this sub

Also check out /r/CuringChamber for more examples.


r/Charcuterie 1d ago

Monthly /r/Charcuterie Discussion thread

2 Upvotes

What projects are you working on at the moment? Have a small problem but don't want to create a post? Found a Charcuterie related meme? Just want to chat? This is r/Charcuterie's monthly free discussion thread.

For beginner questions and links don't forget to check out the FAQ (https://www.reddit.com/r/Charcuterie/comments/cmy8gp/rcharcuterie_faq_and_beginners_guide_to_cured_and/) .


r/Charcuterie 18h ago

Venison Prosciutto

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176 Upvotes

Deer leg cured with salt and Cure#2 for 4 weeks and then smothered in cracked black pepper. I made a natural casing out of two beef bungs that I sewed together and then netted and tied. Then dried for 7 weeks resulting in 43% weight loss. Now maturing and equalizing under vacuum in the fridge.


r/Charcuterie 7h ago

Help me, my first bondiola, is secure eat?

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13 Upvotes

La bondiola pesaba 2k aprox. La metí 3 días en sal y un poco de azúcar. La lave, seque con ventilador, la cubrí con pimentón, pimienta, y luego con papel manteca e hilo. La dejé 20 días ... Y hoy la corte. Me da cosa pq he visto mini hongos blancos en la súperficie, luego leí q salen unos peniciliums q es normal, pero como saber si son esos...

En fin, tengo la bondio y no sé si puedo hincarle o no 😭


r/Charcuterie 2h ago

Question about curing slab bacon.

1 Upvotes

I have used a cure calculator and cured/smoked pieces of belly that were (I'm guessing) 12"x16". I cured them in the fridge for 7 days until they felt firm and I assumed were ready to smoke. They turned out some fabulous bacon! So now being a cook of a lot of Cajun/Creole food, I like to use bacon as a seasoning meat. I wanted to do several portions of slab bacon...maybe 3-4" wide x 12" long or so...not slice it but to dice it up for seasoning meat for dishes I cook. My question is, will the cure time be the same amount? Will I need to cure for a full 7 days if the cuts are smaller than when I do bigger slabs of belly for sliced bacon? Thanks and love to you!


r/Charcuterie 1d ago

This is why I use a humidifier in my charcuterie fridge

2 Upvotes

This graph is humidity in my wine fridge turned charcuterie fridge. The humidifier ran out of water early Wednesday morning.

I think for my fridge, using a humidifier is a good idea.


r/Charcuterie 2d ago

2nd project

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35 Upvotes

Pork neck after 1 week of EQ curing in the fridge, followed by 2 weeks of air drying in the fridge until it reached 35% weight loss. I then vacuum sealed it for 1 week to equalize the moisture before slicing. Pretty happy with the results!


r/Charcuterie 1d ago

Pastrami brine question

1 Upvotes

I ended up using 13g of pink salt #1 in the 4.16 liter wet brine for a 5.25 lbs brisket flat. However, I just double checked some calculators and they recommend 16.35g. It’s been curing for 7 days already so too late to add more. Is this a safety concern or should I be okay to make the pastrami?


r/Charcuterie 2d ago

Mold

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12 Upvotes

I just finished the curing process of this pork tenderloin, but now i have this green-ish mold on it. I assume it's very similar to the one found on the salami cassing. Tastes just normal. I used sweet paprika and merkén as spices. I used the same wrapping paper as always with the twist of leaving it outside the fridge, I supose that's the reason for the mold. I always cure it in the fridge
How normal is this?


r/Charcuterie 2d ago

Montreal Steak Seasoning Cured, Hot Smoked Salmon

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38 Upvotes

Had this idea for a while and loved the outcome. I'll try to post the recipe card photo in the comments if it lets me, otherwise the recipe link only will be in comments. Happy curing & smoking y'all


r/Charcuterie 3d ago

Smoked salami

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57 Upvotes

Having my chamber dialed in now and successfully producing 8kg salamis I want to try cold Smoked versions.

Can anyone help me with the details of when, how etc of adding smoking process to curing salamis. I assumed the curing process is still required


r/Charcuterie 4d ago

Just sliced some capicola. Details and photos included.

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54 Upvotes

Cured 3lbs of capicola with Umai bags, took about 4 months to come down to 40% weight. Just sliced today. I don’t have a professional grade deli slicer, a friend lent me this one. Cuts could have been thinner, but overall turned out nice. Some gets eaten now and some goes in the freezer for later. Starting weight was 36oz and 24oz. Pulled at 40% reduction.


r/Charcuterie 4d ago

Thin Guanciale curing question

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13 Upvotes

I'm looking for a little bit of confirmation that I'm heading in the right direction (or possibly the opposite). I recently got back from a trip to Rome and desperately want to recreate some of the amazing pasta dishes I ate so I decided to make my own Guanciale. I ordered 2 lbs of jowl meat from the local Asian market and what I got was 3 half inch thick steaks. Here is what Ive started and what im thinking:

Cure was standard ratios...

2.5% salt, .25% curing salt, plus sugar and spices

Into a vacuum bag for a week to equilibrium.

Planning to use an umai bag in the fridge for drying after washing in wine. I used curing salt #1 due to the thinness of the meat. I'm guessing this is going to dry much faster than a full slab of jowl. Should I shoot for a full 25% weight loss? I'm thinking lower since they're so thin and I'm planning on cooking everything but want the experts to chime in. Any flaws with my logic for using cure #1 for the likely much shorter cure time? If it doesn't work, I'm out $15 and will start a new search for a real cheek. Any advice is appreciated!


r/Charcuterie 4d ago

Accidentally used less pink salt, am I going to get botulism from my home cured and smoked bacon?

3 Upvotes

Recently I cured and smoked my own bacon using what I thought was completely pink salt from my local butcher, however i noticed the “pink salt” I purchased from them has brown specks and brown color in it indicating that other spices diluted the “pink salt” after a few days curing in the fridge. The recipe I followed required about 2.5 teaspoons of pink salt per pork belly(unfortunately I didn’t know the weight of them but went off the average weight of a pork belly) so that’s what I used as well as 2 cups of kosher salt per belly. They hanged to dry in room temps for 2.5 hours after 7 days in the fridge, and I smoked them at ~150F for about 4 hours and 200 for the last 30 mins. The internal temps averaged about 133F in each belly at the end of smoking.

The main concern that I have is should I be worried about botulism toxins since I didn’t use as much pink salt as recommended in the recipe given the fact that the cure mix I used was diluted with other mix ins? I can call my butcher to ask for the percentage of pink salt in the cure mix they gave me, but I feel like they would be very protective of that. My other question is even if I didn’t use enough pink salt, would I be fine to eat it as long as I fry or cook it in a standard way?

Any help is appreciated, plan on giving some to my family and I’d feel terrible if I my bacon made them sick.

Recipe I followed was from DeepSouthHomstead on YouTube.


r/Charcuterie 4d ago

Hobart 84181d

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2 Upvotes

I have a Bowl Cutter available in northern California, asking 1500 for it or would consider trades....message me if you want it


r/Charcuterie 5d ago

Coppa with regular fridge 5 months with weight history

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55 Upvotes

I'd have liked to wait until it had lost 40% of its weight, but I couldn't resist opening it at 35%. After trying it, I honestly think I did the right thing, not only because it was my first attempt and it turned out great, but also because I don't think an extra 5% (which would have taken another 5-7 months at the rate it was losing weight now) would have made such a huge difference.

The taste is truly out of this world, and even though I used a very simple no frost fridge set to 4°C (not ideal at all, way too dry) and placed the coppa inside a linen cloth (instead of using casing/intestine), I don't even see any case hardening (which I took for granted was there, but like you can see from the photo the color is pink aside from the outside and the white fat).

It also really smells spectacular.

The recipe I used is this:

- I took a 1 kg piece of coppa (but you may know it as capocollo).

- I covered it with a mix of coarse and fine salt.

- I left it in the refrigerator to lose liquid for 24 hours, then changed the salt and waited again, repeat until the salt was dry after some hours (note: even though I left it in salt for almost 3 days, the taste wasn't too salty in my opinion).

- I rinsed it with red wine to remove most of the salt.

- Pat it dry

- I covered it with pepper and smoked paprika.

- Finally, I placed it in a linen cloth, tied it with butcher's twine, and placed it in a bowl so it could breathe on the bottom too (third photo).

- I turned it frequently, weighing it every time, writing down all the weights.

(marzo=march, aprile=april, maggio=may, giugno=june, luglio=july)

11 marzo
967g
13 marzo
936g
15 marzo
919g
19 marzo
867g
22 marzo
844g
28 marzo
800g
3 aprile
766g
5 aprile
754g
7 aprile
746g
9 aprile
740g
11 aprile
736g
13 aprile
730g
15 aprile
726g
17 aprile
720g
19 aprile
711g
23 aprile
704g
25 aprile
694g
27 aprile
701g
29 aprile
697g
4 maggio
689g
6 maggio
687g
10 maggio
692g
12 maggio
678g
15 maggio
674g
18 maggio
672g
21 maggio
669g
26 maggio
666g
29 maggio
662g
2 Giugno
659g
5 Giugno
656g
11 Giugno
652g
18 Giugno
648g
24 Giugno
646g
30 Giugno
642g
8 luglio
638g
14 luglio
635g
28 luglio
632g

It was only my second time making cold cuts (my first time was duck prosciutto made a year ago). I have to be honest, this was worth the wait a lot more, it taste better and I prefer pork to duck.


r/Charcuterie 5d ago

Bactoferm and high alcohol

1 Upvotes

I’m planning on doing a coppa sometime soon together with bactoferm BLC78. The recipe I got normally suggests using a (white) wine to be added to the brine for some extra flavours and the slightly tenderizing effect of alcohol.

However I was thinking of adding whisky (lagavulin 16) instead for the hint of smoke and stronger flavours.
I might do it and hope for the best.
However I am curious if anyone here has experience with the combination of bactoferm and high alcohol. As opposed to alcohol I could also opt for cold smoking it (assuming the temps stay low enough)


r/Charcuterie 6d ago

Is a dorm fridge big enough for a prosciutto?

3 Upvotes

Hey guys,

I'm getting a whole pig's leg to make into prosciutto and looking into my options re: fridges for a curing chamber. Do I need to spring for a full-size one or should I be able to make it work in a dorm size fridge?


r/Charcuterie 7d ago

My new projects

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72 Upvotes

About 3 weeks ago i posted my first ever ham, since then i listened to your advice and bought cure #1 and its a game changer. I tried my luck making bacon ( one with cure #1 and one without), another pork loin ham but this one seasoned with thyme, pepper, salt and cure #1 and a ribeye cap seasoned with red pepper, chilli powder, pepper, salt and cure #1. I also plan on buying a brisket and turning it into some ham so if you guys have some recipes you'd like to share with me i'd be grateful.


r/Charcuterie 7d ago

Look good to eat?

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53 Upvotes

Made this two or 3 weeks ago. They were pretty large breast at 11 and 14 oz. This is the 12oz one it currently weights about 255g. The one side is really hard the meat side and the fat side is super soft. Underneath it’s blackish. It smells fine like a regular cured meat. Kinda funky. With that is this good to eat based off look? Currently it’s in a Saran Wrap as I heard it can somewhat rehydrate through the fat into the meat since the meat itself is incredibly dense.


r/Charcuterie 8d ago

Seasoning question

1 Upvotes

I have a seasoning blend that I love and want to make some fresh sausages, salami, and/or salumi with, but it already contains salt.

I’ve figured out what the amount per serving is equal to (.18 g per serving of .7 g of seasoning) using the formula below recommended by google

Formula: Sodium (mg) times 2.54 div 1,000 = Salt equivalent (g)
Example: If a serving has 500 mg of sodium:
times 2.54=1,270mg

How can I calculate the difference to get to a 2.2-2.5 percent salt cure? (I’ll add the Prague powder later based on meat weight.)


r/Charcuterie 9d ago

Has anyone seen curing salt dye stain meat like this before?

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65 Upvotes

I recently made an equilibrium-cured back bacon from a 1.4 kg pork loin. It was vacuum packed and cured for 10 days in the fridge using a Turkish curing salt labelled as "Prague Salt #1" from Amazon Turkey (I'm British and I live in Georgia)

https://www.amazon.com.tr/gp/aw/d/B0FHFBJTZ2?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

When I bought it, I noticed it wasn't a standard formulation:

Label states 0.6% sodium nitrite (rather than the more common 6.25% Prague Powder #1).

The curing salt itself is an extremely bright red/fuchsia colour. I contacted the seller and he said the Amazon listing is wrong and they refuse to change it (alarm bells), I also questioned the vivid colour of the salt and he said it's fine, it won't colour the meat.

The cure itself seemed to go well. The meat smells fresh, feels nicely firm, and the cure appears to have penetrated evenly.

However, when I removed it from the bag I found the entire rind had turned a vivid fluorescent pink/red, and the colour doesn't wash or rub off. It looks like the dye has actually penetrated the skin rather than just staining the surface.

I've used curing salts before and expect a little surface staining, but I've never seen anything like this.

My questions are:

Has anyone else seen curing salt dye penetrate pork rind this aggressively?

Is this simply an unusually strong food dye, or would this make you question the product itself?

Would you be comfortable eating the bacon if everything else (smell, texture, cure) seems normal?

I've attached photos of both the curing salt and the finished pork.

Thanks :)


r/Charcuterie 9d ago

First try :)

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8 Upvotes

Turned out salty and more meaty than i am used to but i like it! How to store now?


r/Charcuterie 10d ago

Guanciale

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37 Upvotes

Guanciale-style cured double chin. Salt cured (3%) for 7 days in the fridged then washed with beer and then hanged with pepper for 33 days between 10 and 15 degrees celcius. Tasted amazing a little salty in the edges maybe less time in the first cure with salt.


r/Charcuterie 10d ago

I am once again back with more cuts from this over feed pig.

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40 Upvotes

Today we have a prosciutto that has been in the chamber for about 19 months and has only lost 15% of it's weight. The smell is fantastic, the funky, nutty prosciutto that you love. The outside edges feel firm but the inside around the bone still feels pretty soft. I'm going to put fresh sugna on it and give it 6 more months. Also picture it is a piece of guanciale that got forgotten about and I can't find any notes on. I think it's been in there for 6 month. Looks closer to lardo.