So you ‘re itching to get into a new hobby. Maybe something like advanced charcuterie (salami/salumi) or even cheese making. Well you’ve come to the right place because today I’ll be showing you how to build a drying/aging chamber for your salami or cheese…
Before we begin I want to say that if you don’t feel like building a drying/aging chamber and just want to buy one The Sausage Maker makes a great cabinet that can be used to make salami, cheese, prosciutto, pancetta, and all of those tasty treats that you’ve come to love. It’s not cheap but it’s a worthy investment if you want a high quality piece of equipment for your new hobby. Click hereto learn more about it: The Sausage Maker dry aging/curing cabinet
To build one yourself isn’t very complicated and you can do this with most fridges with just a few tweaks. Before we begin I just want you to know that I’m here to help, so if you choose to go down this rabbit hole you can (at the very least) count on me to help you out if you run into a situation. Just reach out in the comment section and we’ll figure it out.
Let’s get started. The first thing you need to do is figure out where you plan on having this chamber. Are you planning on putting it in a basement, outside, or in your office. Where you place your new chamber it isn’t too important but it may be the factor that determines how large it is.
Once you’ve figured out where you want your new cheese cave/ Salami chamber it’s now time to find a fridge. Any fridge will work just as long as it’s frost free (a frost free fridge keeps the environment dry inside by not allowing ice to build up on the coils). Craig’s list is a great place to find a used fridge for this hobby. Wine fridges are good as well. Dorm fridges are often not frost free but you’ll have to check. The one I used in my video cost me $100. I bought it used from a convenient store.
There are 2 big issues when it comes to producing good quality cheese or salami. The first is air flow and the second is humidity. Let’s address air flow.
The air flow in your fridge will be one of the determining factors as to the quality of your product. Too much air flow is detrimental as it will cause your product to dry too fast. In the case of salami too much air flow results in something called dry ring on in severe situations case hardening. This is where the outside dries too fast forming a tough outer “skin” or ring that prevents the inside from drying evenly.
The first thing you will want to do is monitor the air flow in your new chamber. I like to place butchers twine in various spots in the fridge to see what kind of movement is happening. If the strings are swaying back and forth then that means I’ve got too much air flow. If the strings are barely moving then I’m most likely good to go.
In the video posted below I was able to disconnect the fan from my fridge and remove it. I then replaced the fan with a low speed computer fan. The idea is to have a very gentle amount of air flow. Just enough to move the air around but not enough to feel it.
Every Fridge is Different
As you read through this tutorial remember that every fridge is slightly different and every chamber build will be unique. You will have to determine what works best for you based off of trial and error.
The second most important element to creating an effective drying chamber is humidity. The environment inside your chamber is critical. You can have the best recipe, the cleanest work space, the most technologically advanced processing equipment but if the environment in your chamber isn’t right you will not produce a high quality product. It’s important to remember that in salami or cheese production the assembly or making of it only takes 12-24 hours. The rest of the time (which can be 30-90 days) it’s in your chamber drying and aging. This is where many problems tend to happen and is almost always the difference between mediocre and greatness.
To control the environment in your chamber we need to focus on 2 pieces of equipment. One that controls the temperature and one that controls the humidity. There are a few options out there when it comes to these controllers as some are more complicated than others and require some sort of electrical knowledge. For the purpose of simplicity we are going to go the “plug & play” route. These in my opinion are the easiest to use. A great affordable option is from a company called Ink Bird.
The temperature controller from Ink Bird comes in a WiFi version or a regular version. Either work fine and both do the same thing, control the temperature in your chamber. There are 2 plugs on the controller, one for the cooling and one for the heating. All you do is plug your refrigerator into the cooling port and if you are going to be using a heating element then you would plug that into the heating port (a heating element isn’t necessary unless yo live in an area that gets really cold and your chamber is exposed to that type of weather). That’s it. Your Ink Bird Device now controls your equipment and based off of how you program it it will turn your refrigeration on or off to get you to the right temperature. Check out my blog post if you need to know how to program the ink bird ITC-308 Temperature controller
The humidity controller from Ink Bird also comes in a WiFi version or a regular version. This unit works in the same way as the temperature controller. There are 2 plugs. “Work 1 and Work 2”. Work 1 is where you plug in a humidifier and work 2 is where you plug in a dehumidifier. Once all that is plugged in your Ink Bird controller then takes over these units turning them on and off based off of your set values. This will regulate the humidity in your chamber.
Both the temperature and humidity controller have probes that go inside of your chamber. I like to place mine directly in the center but any where in the middle or on the walls is completely ok. Just be sure not to put the probes directly in the line of your humidifier’s mist.
Before we finish I do want to mention a few things about the humidifier and the dehumidifier. Your humidifier and dehumidifier need to have auto on features. This means that your unit needs to be able to automatically turn off when the power is restored to it (the controllers will be turning them on and off as they maintain the right humidity). Not all humidifiers/dehumidifiers can do this. In the Eva Dry line there are 2 units that are capable of doing this. The EDV-2500 and the EDV-1100. The EDV-2500 is perfect for the larger chambers and the EDV-1100 is perfect for smaller chambers.
Your chamber is now complete. You now have control over the three most critical elements in your chamber; air flow, temperature, and humidity. There are some (very rare) circumstances where someone might add a vent hole one the side of the fridge. I have never needed to do this but if you feel like this is something that you need to do be aware that there are gas lines that run through the walls of your fridge and if you puncture one of these gas lines repairing it is a slight pain in the a**. Trust me I know….
As far as the details go in regards to cable management, well I’ll leave that up to you just remember to completely sanitize your chamber before you use it. I like to use a sanitizer called iodophor for this purpose as it’s easy, effective, and painless to use.
Below I’ve compiled a list of suggested items that you might need when building a drying chamber. Depending on your fridge and your situation some of these are optional and some are mandatory. I’ve included several different size humidifiers and dehumidifiers as this will be dictated by the amount of space you have available. Be sure to let me know if you have any questions..
Here’s what you might need:
- A Frost Free Refrigerator (Craig’s list)
- Surge Protector power strip
- Small extension chords (be sure to check the size)
- Heavy Duty Velcro Strips
- InkBird WiFi Temperature Controller
- InkBird Wifi Humidity Controller
- Humidifier 1.5 gallon tank
- Humidifier 1 gallon tank
- Dehumidifier Eva Dry 2500 (for larger chambers)
- Dehumidifier Eva Dry 1100 (for small chambers)
- Temperature/Humidity check for inside the chamber (Optional)
- Computer fan (optional depending on your set up)
- Speed control for computer fan (Optional)
- Iodophor (Sanitizer to clean chamber)
If you want to see the different things that we use in operation our be sure to check out our new Amazon Store.
2 Guys & A Cooler Amazon Storefront
We are Amazon Affiliates which means if you happen to buy something from Amazon after clicking one of our links we get a tiny percentage. This happens at no cost to you and really helps us offset the costs of running this site. Thank you in advance.
nice job! I’m an avid hunter and subscribe to “if you shoot it-eat it”. Built a great smoker with temp control and cold smoke generator and with the help of a local meat processor have enjoyed making cured smoked hams to a variety of wild pork sausages Now it’s time (I’m 72) to step into your world of cured meats. Am in the process of locating a fixture to serve as a chamber and really appreciate your valuable information and enthusiasm.
Hey Jeff. That’s great to hear. Welcome to the rabbit hole!! If along your journey you run into any issues or questions I want you to know that you can count on me for help. Talk soon.
Hi Eric, I have my dry aging unit working, per your instructions, thanks. It holds temp and humidity within the parameters however the bottom fills up with a lot of water. The humidity still stays at 80% though so is this common?
Sometimes that happens, it depends on the unit and how it condenses.
Eric…HELP! LOL I made 2 genoa salamis recently with T-SPX and fermented them for 72 hours at around 69*F…color and aroma was fantastic! I moved them to the garage for the drying period and they’ve been there for about 10 days. I am finding it horribly difficult to maintain a humidity level of around 80%…probably half of that despite the humidifier. I’ve noticed that the mince has moved away from the collagen casing is some spots on both salamis and the weight has already decreased by about 12%! The temperature in the garage has been around 47-50*F and the salami’s have hardened a bit but are still ‘soft’ when squeezed…Am I in trouble here? I know the drying parameters are off and I’m concerned about spoilage (Instacure #2 was part of the recipe, of course)…should I be worried? As always, thanks in advance….
Hey Charles. That’s a tough one. Mu guess is there’s too much air flow in your garage. Out of curiosity what is the diameter of your salami? If your salami stays in this condition there’s a good chance you’ll end up with a dry ring on your salami as it’s drying. This by itself isn’t that big of a deal but it might take away from the eating experience as the outer ring of your salami will be tough (still edible). If it’s really “breezy” in your garage and your salami is drying super fast the you could get something called case hardening which is when the outer “dry ring” gets so dry that moisture from the salami can no longer escape. This will cause your salami to have spoilage in it. The outside will feel firm but the inside will have a raw like appearance and texture
If you can create a barrier around the salami to protect it from air flow that would help. You could also place the humidifier inside that barrier (just make sure the humidity doesn’t get too high).
The missus made an encasement from an old shower curtain liner that I have mounted on a frame approximately 3′ x 3′ x 3’….the humidifier sits below on a shelf…so there is protection from drafts. The salamis are 1 7/8″ and 2 1/2″ so nothing overly wide…I really need to have a fermenting/drying chamber but my problem is space…I have none. Last years salamis did come out quite dry and hard even with the shower curtain liner drying area….we’ll see what happens with the two currently in question! Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions….greatly appreciated..
Super. Hopefully that’s enough to slow down the drying and block some of the air flow. Keep me updated
I will…as it stands now, humidity seems to be my nemesis…without a fermenting/drying chamber I believe I’m doomed…Guess I’ll stick with fresh sausage…safer and equally as tasty! Thanks so much for your feedback…greatly appreciated….As an aside….salamis were made on Oct 21….how soon can they be consumed (dried or otherwise) based on the Instacure #2 as an ingredient…I’m under the impression (?) that no product containing Instacure#2 should be consumed within 30 days…am I correct in assuming this?
I have a similar problem with keeping the limits in my salami chamber. I made the chamber per your instruction with all the INK bells and whistles installed. I calibrated them per your instruction and set the humidity to 80%. I set the rest of the settings, hi and lo again per your instructions. I haven’t put any meat in the chamber yet until I can workout the problems. The humidity goes back and forth between 90.4 and 68.8. The alarm seems to always be going off. Is this a problem and if it is can I fix it? BTW, I have seen all of your sausage video’s over and over again. I love them and thank you sooo much for your work, I know without your video’s I would not even try to make cured sausage!!
Hi Sam. That’s a pretty dramatic swing if it stays at those extremes for a long time. It’s not uncommon for your highs to be in to 88+ and the lows dip down to the mid 60’s. It all depends on your settings and the fridge you have. What are the settings on your temperature controller and what are the settings on the humidity controller..
Hello Sam, Eric,
I’m wondering if you have rectified this problem (or is it not a problem?) as I seem to be dealing with the same with almost identical humidity’s during a 11 minute cycle. 3 minutes cooling, 8 minutes humidity and dehumidification. The refer runs for 3 minutes and the humidity drops 90 and heats the cabinet enough to then kick on the refer. Repeat.
Any help or insight would be appreciated. Equipment: Beverage air mt-10 (55″ tall beverage display refer) with fan swapped out for a controllable muffin fan set at approx 40%. ITC308 55f, 3f,3f, IHC 200 80%, 3%,3%. Orgtoy cool mist humidifier set on low, Evadry 2500.
do you have a heating element in your refrigerator?
I think some of the text was deleted (my bad) No heater, Just the heat from the peltier dehumidifier is what seems to kick the refer back at the same time humidity tops out around 93% and drops to 70% once the refer has brought the temperature down. (3 minute cycle on refrigeration temperature downswing, 8 minute cycle as humidifier runs to set value, Dehumidifier kicks on and humidity continues to climb above 90%. I have 7# sausage hanging. the progress in a week or two may tell if the average is working.
do you have a device inside your chamber that allows you to see the average humidity and temperature? With that device you can tweak your settings. Looks like you might have to adjust the differential value for the humidifier and dehumidifier. Possibly the temperature as well.
Hi,
I was thinking of adding a variable speed controller to the original fan of my refrigerator. It looks very similar to yours. Do you see any problems with lowering the speed of the original coil fan instead of adding a computer fan. Thanks great videos .
It really all depends on how fast your fan is spinning right now. All you want is the most minimum of air flow. Just barely enough to gently move the air around. You shouldn’t be able to feel it. If you can slow the fan that’s currently in there down enough I say it’s worth a try. You could always remove it and replace it with a computer fan if it’s still blowing too much air..
Is it possible to use a sue vide to ferment? Wanting to make a venison Lebanon bologna that calls for fermenting for 48 hours at 85 degrees F using F-RM-52>
Thank you
yes. You can ferment using a sous vide 😁
I have a fridge like the 2nd drying chamber in your video. Do I have to cut out the divider. I would like to be able to use the freezer when I’m not drying sausage
My advice would be to cut it out. If you plan on using a temperature controller the controller will be cutting your fridge on and off to regulate the internal temp of the fridge part. This will greatly effect the freezer section as well.
I have a freezer I’d like to convert to a curing chamber. Is the inkbird temperature controller all I would need to keep the temperature right?
Freezers are a little tricky as they are generally not frost free so the humidity is always going to be very high, but to answer your question yes. That controller would be all you need to control the temperature.
Would a Eurocave wine fridge work as a curing chamber. It’s 67″H x 26″W x 26″D and it maintains temps of 42-66 degrees. Thinking maybe just a humidifier/dehumidifier set up. Thoughts?
sounds like it should work fine. A humidity controller and a humidifier/dehumidifier might be all you need..
How can I tell if a fridge is frost free? I don’t know where the coils are, and old fridges don’t usually come with a manual/instructions :). I read somewhere that if a small fridge has a little freezer compartment at the top, then it’s not suitable. Which is unfortunate, because that’s what I got before digging in to the interwebs. Any advice you can offer would be great.
That is correct. If there is a freezer that ices oven then it’s not suitable. Your humidity will always be a problem.
I see you recommend a 1 gal. or 1.5 gal. humidifier. I am using one of the smaller ones–a 2.2 L tank (so that’s about a half gallon). I find that I need to refill it daily or close to it. This isn’t going to work if I have to be away from home for multiple days. Have you run across anyone who modified their humidifier tank to increase its capacity? I found a few discussions, but nothing concrete. Thanks.
I haven’t seen anything concrete as well. I have seen concepts where the humidifier was outside the chamber and then a hose was used to pipe in the humidity. This was so that they could use a bigger humidifier but other than that I haven’t seen any tank modifications..
Hi I’ve made salami many times before but in a basement. I want to try building this cabinet I do have an old Pepsi or Coke cooler just like you had a demonstration I have ordered all the parts you had in your by now information that you sent. Please contact me and then I will finish the order
I’m not sure what you mean… Did you have a question about something?
Will light such as a light bulb in the chamber ( we have it in the dining room as a display) spoil fat or is it just sunlight where we are trying to keep out?
Great question. Both can oxidize fat causing it to go rancid. Ultraviolet is worse though. It’s recommended to keep the charcuterie in a dark place for the best results.
Hi Eric,
I have bought a stainless steel commercial refrigerator. It seems to work but does not get very cold.. high 40’s and low 50″s even on the coldest settings in summer temps in coastal NC in my garage. It has a solid door and the seals seem good.
First is that temp range to hot? Second because I cannot see in the chamber when the door is shut I can only go by airflow when open. It definitely will need to be changed to a lower fan. Can I use the computer fan you recommend for a commercial fridge? Three would i have to drill access holes to the outside of the unit for probe cords etc.?
I have had the unit for 3 months and will start when it gets cooler but I need the answers to these questions if you have the time to answer them.
I love your videos and cannot wait until the second season dedicated to sausage.
Regards,
Donnie
The temp range for making dry cured charcuterie is 55F (average). Sounds like you have no problem being there. I would guess that the fan will need to be removed. All you need is a very gentle amount of air flow in your chamber sporadically. Too much flow will cause your charcuterie to dry too fast. You’ll have to experiment with what works and doesn’t work. Also the plugs should have a port hole to enter the fridge. This is tricky because there are lines with coolants in them that are easily punctured so if you do settle on having a hole for the plugs to enter the chamber be sure to work very slowly and carefully so not to drill into those lines..
Hi Eric
I’m building a chamber using a wine fridge from costco. It’s brand new but I’m still going to sanitize it. I do home brewing as well and I use Star San PBW to clean my equipment and Star San acid sanitizer for final sanitizing. Would the acid sanitizer be sufficient for sanitizing the chamber or is there a specific reason you like to use the iodophor?
Thanks for the help
Paul
Hey Paul. Star San will work just fine. I use Iodophore because that’s what I happen to have, but any sanitizer that you have will do the trick…
Thanks Eric
Hi Eric,
I recently found you through YouTube, and really appreciate your teaching style. I’m currently building my second curing chamber, and moving from a salt water bath (to control humidity) to a humidifier and dehumidifier in order to get more control of humidity and to get to a bit higher level. I have an electrical steam humidifier that I’ve been experimenting with. It doesn’t seem to generate much heat. But I see that you recommend a cool mist ultrasonic unit. Is there a reason I should change to an ultrasonic humidifier?
Thanks for the great information and stoking the interest in cured meats!
Scott
I don’t have a lot of experience with steam humidifiers. As long as they don’t produce heat or too much heat I think they would be ok.. You could always give it a go and see what happens. If the first batch is a fail you might want to use a cool mist😉
Many thanks Eric!
Hello Eric,
I just found your YT channel and have been binging all the great info. It’s easy to see that you love what you do and your enthusiasm is infectious. I started building my chamber using the info on another website (https://tasteofartisan.com/meat-curing-chamber/) before finding your tutorial. The two of you seem to agree on a lot, which is encouraging. One departure is that you use Inkbird whereas Victor recommends Auber. Just wondering if you’ve ever messed around with Auber and what are your thoughts? Thanks and keep doing what you do!
Regards,
An
I actually use both currently. Auber is a higher quality device that’s a little more accurate. I use their 2 port humidity controller (I think it’s the HD220). That being said both have worked for me with very little issues.
My curing chamber has turned into a rain forest. There has been a slight puddle of water all summer now that temps have changed I have a terrarium in my chamber.
I keep it set at 48*F and 75%H. I live in the desert at 14% humidity high temps this time of year low 70*F
Just doubled the size of dehumidifier. Should be here Tuesday. I have a bunch of bacon, coppa and Hungarian pork in cold smoker held at 48* also. Done want to dry out in terrarium.
TIA
Try increasing the temperature to 55f. I think the lower temps might be causing all that condensations.
Eric, thanks for all the info! I finally got my chamber built and running. What are minimums and maximums that you recommend on temp and humidity?
Again thank you for the wonderful videos.
Hey John. I would recommend keeping the temp at an average of 55F. It will fluctuate as the unit cuts on and off but 53-57f is a good place to hover. Same for the humidity. It will dip radically when the compressor kicks on the spike as soon as the compressor cuts off. So I would maintain an average of 80%. With those parameters you can literally put anything you want in the chamber..
Hi,
I’m in the UK so if I click on your Amazon links it goes to American site, how do I do it so you still get a percentage?
Thanks
Thanks for checking. Try this: https://amzn.to/3poqFte
Hi Eric,
I’ve red through all the comments here on curing chambers….Assuming its a frost free freezer it sounds like it will work as well as a frost free refrigerator as long as I have a humidity and temp controller and it is truly “frost free” – Having trouble finding the “$100 refrigerator on craigslist” . Thanks!
In theory yes.
Hi there!
Thank you for the great information you supplied. I was wondering if you could recommend a specific humidifier? Ultrasonic? Warm mist? Capacity recommendation?
Thanks
As long as it’s ultra sonic and cool mist (and auto turns back on when you restore power to it, it should work. Here the one I use: https://amzn.to/3Fy8c2e
First of all, thank you so much for your video and the content on this blog. Super helpful. I have a few specific questions as it relates to the type of chamber I am building. I am going to build a salami chamber from the “Whynter Beverage Refridgerator- Model- BR- 130SB.” I know you recommend the Eva Dry 1100 dehumidifier, but with only a little over 5 cubic feet I didn’t know if I could or should go lighter. Same thing with the humidifier. Is there a different model you recommend for this size other than the one recommended in your blog (4L Cool Mist Humidifiers, 26dB Quiet Ultrasonic Humidifier)?
They do make smaller units but I haven’t tested any so recommending one would be futile. Just make sure the model is a cool mist ultrasonic humidifier and the dehumidifier is Peltier technology. Also make sure that the units can power off and on automatically with out having to manually have to turn them back on when power is restored.
I found a good deal on a frost free upright freezer. Any reason why that wouldn’t be a good fit making a curing chamber?
Hey Jake. It should work.
Thanks! The humidifier you recommended is no longer on Amazon. Do you have another recommendation for the humidifier?
You have to see how much space you have. I use this one: https://amzn.to/3o88vef
Just make sure that the one you get turns back on once the power has been restored by the controller.
Do I have to disconnect the freezer from operating when using a top freezer/lower refrigerator for my chamber? Along with cutting a hole in the floor of the freezer?
No. the freezer is where the cold will be coming from. Technically you don’t have to open up the divider but if you do there will be more room. All you have ot do is plug in a temperature controller and set it to the right temp (55f or 13c). The freezer will no longer be useful but the fridge will be perfect for hanging meats..
Do you have to disconnect the freezer portion of an upright refer to use as drying chamber?
no. the freezer is where the cooling happens. I usually combine the fridge and the freezer by taking out the divider but you don’t have to. If you plug a controller to the fridge the freezer section will basically become useless, but the fridge section will be perfect for hanging meat.
Hi, Eric. If I get a side by side refrig/freezer to use as my base unit, can I essentially just use the refrigeration side and ignore the freezer side, since the refrigerator side is plenty big enough for anything I will do and I don’t need the freezer capacity for my drying chamber? Would I have to do anything special on the freezer side to make this work? For that matter, if I get a unit with a top freezer could I just use the lower, refrigerator, portion and ignore the top freezer?
Also, is “frost-proof” the same as frost free?
I don’t know much about refrigerator/freezers, so these may be dumb questions, but if you don’t ask you don’t find out.
Technically you could but, the refrigerator temperature is controlled by the freezer side. If you plug a temperature controller to your fridge it will make the freezer side useless. The controller will power on and off your refrigerator to keep that 55f. This will effect how the freezer side operates.. Not sure about frost proof. I haven’t run into that yet.
But if I don’t plan to use the freezer side for anything, will plugging the temperature controller into the refrigerator side actually maintain the 55 degrees on the refrigerator side? As I said, I don’t know that much about how refrigerator/freezers, so I’m a little confused by the first sentence of your reply. I see a reasonable selection of affordable units, both side by side and top freezer, on Craigslist so I can go either way. But even if I go with a top freezer unit I still don’t know what to do with the freezer. Thanks to your video I feel like I have a good handle on everything else, humidifier, dehumidifier, controllers, etc,. But the whole question of what to do about the freezer section perplexes me. Ideally I could find a refrigerator-only unit, but so far I haven’t seen any on Craigslist.
Thanks for any light you can shed on the question of what to do about the freezer. And especially thanks for your quick response to my post.
Ok, I see my question overlapped with other questions, where your answers to those questions answered my question. So it sounds like if I am willing to write off the freezer space all I have to do is get the humidifier and dehumidifier and the controllers. If so, that’s great since there are plenty of top freezers in my local Craigslist. No need to respond unless I’ve misstated it.
That is correct. Just place your probe in the refrigerator along with the humidifier and dehumidifier and after a little tweaking you should be good to go..
I have been running tests with my chamber (no meat inside) to see if the temp/humidity can be regulated. The temp has been fine. I have been experiencing quite a flux in the humidity. I have the Eva Dry 1100 per your recommendations and have a smaller cool mist humidifier with auto on/off with a variable controller. For my initial tests I have set the humidity to 65% (per the recipes I have) and the differentials of three. This gave me a huge flux. Then I changed them down to 1. With my differentials at 1, it has dipped to about 54% and 76%. I see that you recommend 80% humidity. Will this problem resolve if I increase the humidity? Any suggestions on how to better regulate humidity? Also, if the recipes I use call for 60-70%, would I be ok to set it to 80%? Again, thank you for all your help! Much appreciated!
Generally the humidity will fluctuate quite a bit. Especially when the compressor kicks on. What you are looking for is an average. I like 80% because everything will dry nice and slow. You can put anything you want in your chamber at any time if your humidity is always set to 80%..
Thank you so much for your work and input! I really appreciate it!
Hi Eric. thanks for the great work. I have my refrigerator and need to give it a good clean out. What do you suggest I clean with? Not sure if bleach is a good option for future good mold growth or just a soapy water. Thanks again.
Bleach or a vinegar solution, or a sanitizer is an immediate solution. It’s not permanent. So no matter what you use you will always be able to come back later and the good mold/bacteria will grow well
if you were to choose, would you go for a frost free upright freezer or a beverage cooler? What would be the pros and cons?
Normally I would say beverage cooler but recently I got an email from a subscriber who bought a frost free freezer and he said it works like a champ (with little to no modification required). Either one should work..
Hi Eric, great video’s. I don’t seem to have a lot of air flow in my frig. Older viking with freezer on bottom. It seems the air is actually drawn out of the frig in a suction sense instead of blown in. Is that enough air flow? Should I add a small fan and connect it to the frig temp or humidifier/dehumid units instead or am I ok where I am at. Have some salami in their for 7 days that feel a little sticky/slimy.
Thanks
Brett
Tough to say. In your case perhaps a small computer fan pointed at one of the walls might benefit your situation.
Your links for humidifiers no longer work, and I can’t see the brand… can you say what brand humidifier works, if not provide a working link thru your page?
Thanks!
Here are some suggestions for humidifiers that will work for this application:
6L Homech Cool Mist Humidifier (I use this one): https://amzn.to/3KBYoqN
4L Orgtoy Cool Mist Humidifier (i use this one): https://amzn.to/37ukVYF
4L Crane humidifier: https://amzn.to/3Ijoiyl
3L humidifier with hose for internal or external placement: https://amzn.to/3I7VpoD
2.5L top fill humidifier (very interesting option): https://amzn.to/3t6OqIn
2.2L humidifier: https://amzn.to/34B8BEG
Thx so much for your amazingly fast reply!
I bought all the parts needed to build today, pretty much your entire list, controllers ph meter, whole shebang, and all through links on your web page–hope that Amazon associate works! Your content is amazing, your knowledge is outstanding, and your helpful hardwork replying to all these comments is frankly just unheard of. I discovered you 3 days ago, watched 30% of your vids and read your blog nonstop… Instant huge fan. If I can figure out your patron setup, you’ll be my first Patreon. If not, I’ll just do that donate link I see. Thanks for all your hard work and top notch content!
LOL. Thanks. Let me know if you need any help…
Eric,
1. Your link from youtube vids to sign up for patreon has some bug… it just hangs and spins when trying to add credit card for payment. I tried 3 times yesterday, couldn’t make it work.
2. Today I downloaded Patreon app, and was able to use that to set up Patreon for you.
3. You should mention on this post on making salami cave, that your top patreon has discounts for pH meter, both wifi controllers, and the dehumidifier. I didn’t know, bought it all last night… didn’t get any of the discounts 🙁 That would have paid for a 2nd year of your top patreon tier, had I known… You only mention Smokin It discount, until Patreon is successfully joined, then I saw a post with all the other products I just bought last night.
4. If you do this, every person building a cave will do your patreon if you point out they save more the Patreon cost, if they buy all the needed products.
5. I did get the smokin it discount, got the 3.5 wifi and Bellas cold smoke generator, thx!
I recently found your channel and subscribed immediately. Love all the videos, advice, etc! To the point: I bought everything to make the curing chamber (thru the links provided by you) except the humidifier. You have two listed but both links say unable to find the items. I have searched but haven’t found one that says it will start upon receiving power from the controller. The one I have now does not. Could you please tell me which units you had listed thru those links. Thanks in advance and keep up the great work!
Just read the post from Dave and your answer. Thanks, I will purchase the one you use.
Excellent!!
It’s so cool that you explained what equipment we’d need to create our own drying chamber. Recently, I decided I’d like to make my own charcuterie, so I’m excited to learn about it. I want to know what kind of gear I’ll need to have an aging chamber in my house, so I’ll read your tips very carefully. I appreciate your advice on how a chamber’s humidity plays a key role in the salami-making process. http://theotekgroup.com/applications/cheese-fabrication/
I have access to a commercial drink fridge with a glass door. The inner glass is broken but the seller says it works fine. Any ideas about how to proceed?
might be problematic. You would need to see it and check out how it works.
I have access to a Coke drink fridge with a double-paned glass door. Problem is, the inner glass is broken. It works fine otherwise. My question is, do I need a double pane door, or can I just put wood or plexiglass in it’s place? It’s to good a deal to pass up!
insulation is key in a chamber. As long as you can keep the temp and humidity constant inside it will be fine. Plexiglass would be better than wood
Can we talk fans? I have a beer cooler that I’m working on. I have one of the factors done, temp, using the inkbird controller. On the humidity issue I’ve picked out the inkbird controller an humid and de-humidifier I’ll be using. Which leaves airflow. The cooler has a built-in fan but it seemed like too much airflow so I took it out. It has a 2-pin power connector, so for the sake of simplicity I’m looking at 2 pin fans with specs as close to the fan you list. But if I use the existing power connector, the fan will cycle on and off just like compressor. Is it OK if the fan runs intermittently like this rather than constantly?
Thanks.
Rich
sure. Each chamber will react differently. Even when it’s empty vs full of meat. You’ll have to start it out then see for your self. It’s a trail and error thing, but once you have it dialed in it’ll be great!!
Hi Eric,
Just started building my aging/curing chamber out of a refrigerator. So far so good except for the humidifier. The original one, which I returned, would not turn back on after it turned off and I would have to open chamber to manually turn it on once the Ink bird controller supplied power to it . I can’t get the listed links you have to open up to a page. You mention an ultrasonic humidifier, do all of these type of humidifiers turn on as soon as power is supplied to it? Thanks
Generally the humidifiers with knobs on them do turn on and off with the controllers. This is one I bought last week. https://amzn.to/3OMudj9 (just to give you an example if you live in the US)
Eric,
I apologize for the silly question. On your 2nd build toward the end of the video I did not see the humidifier/de-humidifier? Were they on the floor, just not visible? Thank you for the excellent information and recipes.
Correct. They were on the floor of the chamber
Hello Eric. I have a question about air flow. Do you want the air to only circulate inside the chamber or do i need to make a inlet and a outlet?
in the chamber is sufficient. No inlet is necessary, just be sure to open the door from time to time to allow fresh air to come in.
Eric – this is exactly what I have been looking make. Thank you for educating us on what we need!
Eric, I purchased an Arctic King Beverage Cooler to use for a small chamber. Its size about 5 cubic feet with a glass door. Temperature range is 33.8 to 50 Degrees. There is no fan in this unit. I have a small dehumidifer and humidifier that will fit inside.They will be controlled with an Inkbird Controller. I have two questions. Do I need a temperature controller, also will a fan need to be installed?
You should get a temp controller to get the temp a little higher and I don’t think you’ll need a fan. After you make a batch or two you can make an assessment. If you do get a fan, make it super small like a computer fan and only have it come on a little at a time
Eric. first off thank you for all of the incredible information, do you think that it is possible to make a chamber from a frost free freezer? my chamber that I just made died after putting my first batch in there about 4 days later.
Yes. I haven’t done it but i’ve been told that it works great