Fake/Faux 'Nduja

Another food recipe! Shout out to Beltex Meats who introduced us to 'Nduja a few years ago. While they do carry a different supplier's 'Nduja year 'round, my favorite is the one they make in house a couple of times per year. I remember they posted it on their IG account and I thought it sounded amazing. By the time we got there they only had a fist-sized piece left and we bought all of it. 

For the uninitiated, 'Nduja is a spicy, spreadable pork sausage from the region of Calabria in southern Italy. To me it's like a spreadable cross between salami and pepperoni. I was looking into making my own when I stumbled across this recipe for "fake" 'Nduja that sounded like it was super close to the real thing. We like to spread it on a slice of baguette, often with a slice of cheese. Add some of this to your next charcuterie board and you won't be disappointed.

The key ingredient for both real thing and this faux recipe is Calabrian hot red peppers. Those and the Fresno pepper may be the hardest things to find, but fortunately Calabrian hot red peppers can be found in specialty grocery stores and on Amazon. I had to substitute a red jalapeno for the Fresno pepper. 

Here's the recipe as I made it:

Yields about 1 1/2 cups 

Ingredients 

200g (7 oz) Boars Head Genoa salami, cut into cubes 

110g (4 oz) Volpi chopped uncured pancetta 

48g Bob's Red Mill Sweet Cream Buttermilk Powder 

28g Paprika 

1 medium Fresno pepper (sub red jalapeno if you can't find Fresno peppers), stemmed, seeded, and chopped

2 to 4 Calabrian hot red peppers in oil - drained, stemmed, chopped (start with 2, add more for more heat)

6g Kosher salt

1 -2T Olive oil (start with 1 and add another if needed)

Directions

1. Add everything in a bowl and stir to roughly combine. You can also do this in your food processor, but I had a hard time getting the buttermilk powder mixed in uniformly. 
2. Process in a food processor with a metal blade for about 30-40 seconds. If it seems too dry and crumbly, add a tablespoon of olive oil. It should resemble a coarse paste. You do not want it as smooth as a typical pate.
3. Taste it and if you want more heat, add another Calabrian hot red pepper and process again to mix.
4. Transfer to a small container and refrigerate to firm up.

Serve it with bread, crackers, and cheese. I've heard it's also great added to spaghetti sauce, but haven't tried that yet. 

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Tropic Prince Saison

Today I'm brewing a beer inspired by Tropic King from Funkwerks out of Fort Collins, Colorado. Tropic King is an Imperial Saison and I'm shooting for something a bit lower ABV than it is, more of a table strength Saison, so I'm calling it Tropic Prince. I'm a sucker for limited release yeast, so for this beer I'm using a yeast strain I've never used before, White Labs WLP546 Marañón Canyon Wild Cacao Yeast. White labs describes this yeast as follows:

This yeast was isolated from the thought to be extinct Pure Nacional variety of cacao. In 2007, this rare variety with white beans was rediscovered in the remote Marañón River Canyon in Peru. The fruity, phenolic, and wild-like characteristics of this strain make it an ideal choice for farmhouse and saison-style beers.

I used to brew Saisons more often than I do now, the primary reason being I judged Belgian beers at a local homebrew comp years ago, and most of the entries were so over the top with esters and phenolics that it ruined "Belgian" character for me. They were the equivalent of early on when IPA popularity started to surge and every brewery was trying to make the most bitter, high IBU beer possible; basically the beers you don't see offered anymore because they literally assaulted your palate. I liken it to smoked foods; smoke can add complexity to food, but you have to be careful not to overdo it and end up with something reminiscent of liquid smoke, ash tray, or fire pit. A little bit can be great, but more is not necessarily better. 

One of my favorite approaches to Saisons is to use a traditional Saison strain paired with a cleaner strain or paired with brett. Blending strains and lower fermentation temperatures helps keep the esters/phenolics in check, and I've been really happy with the results. I'll be employing that same method on this beer by pitching a blend of WLP546 and US-05. US-05 will also help ensure complete fermentation as WLP546 has a reputation for stalling out a little early. Lastly, I'm excited to use Rakau hops in this beer as I don't believe I've used it anything other than my NZ Pilsner recipes in the past. It adds lots of tropical fruit notes, hence the Tropic King/Prince name, Here's the recipe as I'm brewing it today: 

Target OG: 1.050

Target FG: 1.008

IBU: 30

ABV: 5.9

6.375# Proximity 2-row Pale

1.375# Weyermann Munich II

0.375# Rahr White Wheat Malt

0.25# Briess Cara-Pils Malt

1g BrewTan B in mash

19g Rakau (60 min)

14g Rakau (10 min)

4.66g BCAA (10 min)

Whirfloc

Yeast nutrient

19g EKG (Whirlpool)

19g Rakau (Dry-hop)

White Labs WLP546 Marañón Canyon Wild Cacao Yeast

US-05 Yeast

Mash at 150F, 90 minute boil. Start fermentation at 65F then ramp up 1F per day over five days.

Water Profile

Target Water Profile
Ca	Mg	Na	SO4	Cl	HCO3
50	20	50	100	100	0

To 10 gallons RO water, add: 

• 4.0g Gypsum
• 4.3g Pickling Salt
• 4.2g Epsom Salt
• 2.5g Calcium Chloride
• 0.2g Chalk

Brewing Notes

No real issues. Out of habit, I added about 2.5ml phosphoric acid to the mash, but I should have checked the pH first. As a result, mash pH was a bit lower than usual (I usually shoot for right about 5.20). That said, it really shouldn't be a big issue. 

OG came in a little higher than expected which is nice considering the last bunch was several points lower than expected. I made it a point to slow down the sparge compared to the last batch. I didn't time it, but it was in the neighborhood of 50-60 minutes which is typical for me. 

It's still winter and the groundwater temps are pretty cold and I ended up slightly overchilling the wort (~58F) so I'm heating the wort back up to 65F then I'll pitch the yeasts.

Session Readings
Beginning mash pH	5.04
Ending mash pH	5.04
1st running gravity	21.7 (1.088)
Pre-Boil gravity	9.5 (1.037)
Pre-Boil pH	5.09
Post-Boil gravity	13.4 (1.053)
Post-Boil pH	5.10

Update 2/20/2024

I forgot to post an update yesterday but fermentation really took off and is super active. I set little bit of WLP546 aside into a 250ml starter in case I want to brew another batch with this yeast before the next time White Labs releases it. I’m guessing I’ll be dry-hopping on Friday (2/23).

Update 2/22/2024

I pulled a small sample today. Refractometer reading is ~7.0, which translates to ~1.012 after factoring in the refraction error. Both aroma and flavor present a very pleasant "Belgian" ester and phenolic profile. I think the combo of WLP546 and US-05 with coolish temps has worked well. I'll probably add the dry hops later today. 

Update 2/29/2024

Dry hops were added late in the day on 2/22. I kegged it today with some Biofine and have started chilling it. I do my transfers under pressure with CO2. To accomplish this, I fitted my SS BrewTech buckets with optional domed lids and I have a ball lock keg post to tri-clamp adapter. I set the pressure just high enough that it slowly bleeds off excess pressure, so I can smell a little bit of aroma off the beer as well. This beer smelled really good...bright tropical fruit notes from the hops mixed with fruity esters from the yeast. I'm really looking forward to trying this beer once it's cleared and carbed.

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Czech Premium Pale Lager 2024

First beer of 2024, and first brew in quite a long time. I've been wanting an easy drinking lager, so today I'm brewing a Czech Premium Pale Lager  inspired by Pilsner Urquell. This recipe employs a double-decoction mash. Water is especially important with this style; you want a very soft water profile so you’ll notice below that there are only very small salt additions. Here's the recipe as I'm brewing it today.

Target OG 1.051

Target FG: 1.013

IBU: 35

ABV: 5.0

8.375# Weyermann Barke Pilsner

1g BrewTan B in mash

2.75ml HopShot (90 min)

56.7 Saaz (20 min)

28.3g Saaz (10 min)

4.66g BCAA (10 min)

28.3g Saaz (0 min)

Whirfloc

Yeast nutrient

Wyeast 2001-PC Pilsner Urquell H Strain

Decoction Mash

1. Protein rest at 125F for 15 min
2. Pull first 1/3 decoction and heat to 158F and hold for 15 min. 
3. Proceed to boil and hold for 10 min.
4. Return decoction to main mash and hold at 148F for 30 min.
5. Pull second 1/6 decoction and heat to a boil.
6. Proceed to boil for 10 min.
7. Return second decoction to main mash and hold at 158F for 30 min.
8. Mash out at 168F

90 min boil, chill to 48F.  Raise temp 1F over 6 days to 54F. 

Water Profile

Target Water Profile
Ca	Mg	Na	SO4	Cl	HCO3
7.0	1.0	8.0	9.0	11.0	1.0

To 10 gallons RO water, add:

• 0.7g Gypsum (CaSO4)
• 0.6g Pickling Salt (NaCl)
• 0.1g Calcium Chloride (CaCl)
• 0.1g Chalk (CaCO3)

Brewing Notes

I’m definitely a little rusty having not brewed since July, so I’m glad that there weren’t any crazy issues. I fly sparge and I definitely collected the 6.75 gallons much quicker than I normally would. I may have miscalculated the efficiency and grain bill as I came in 8 points under target. Kind of a bummer, but I’ll still have beer in the end. This is closer to a Czech Pale Lager than a Czech Premium Pale Lager. Also, I thought I had more Saaz on hand than I actually did. I ended up doing about 30g at 7 minutes, instead of 28g at 10 and 0 minutes. I’m toying with the idea of dry hopping with some Saaz…TBD. Long story short, not the ideal brew session but it still felt good to finally brew a batch again. I’m propping up more yeast so I’ll probably give this beer another shot in the not too distant future.

Session Readings
Beginning mash pH	5.52
Ending mash pH	5.44
1st running gravity	22.8 (1.093)
Pre-Boil gravity	8.0 (1.031)
Pre-Boil pH	5.58
Post-Boil gravity	11.0 (1.043)
Post-Boil pH	5.58

Update 1/21/2024

I transferred this beer to a corny keg fitted with a dip tube screen on top of 28g of Saaz. I’m planning on dry hopping in this keg for about 48 hours then I’ll transfer off the hops to a serving keg.

Update 1/23/2024

This beer got transferred to the serving keg along with some finings today. 

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Canadian Bacon 2023

I haven't posted much lately because I haven't brewed much lately. Long story short, too many things going on and I just haven't had the time to brew. That said, I have a few things planned so I should have a brewing post in the not too distant future. 

For today, I have a food-related post. I bought a pork loin and I'm going to be trying three variations on Canadian Bacon.  The first two are based on the recipe from Amazing Ribs and are essentially the same recipe, but one is Canadian style and one is Irish style with the Irish style being roasted in the oven rather than smoked. The last one is one I found online that sounded interesting so I thought I'd give it a try. I plan to use these in one of our favorite dishes, Eggs Benedict but will use them in other things like breakfast sandwiches, pizzas, etc.  

Canadian Bacon based on Amazing Ribs recipe

3.0# Pork Loin, about 3.5" thick

9.6 Cups RO water

8.74g Prague powder #1

90.0g Sugar

104g Kosher salt

5.83g Garlic powder

1. Mix all ingredients and stir until salts and sugar are dissolved.
2. Chill brine.
3. Add loin to chilled brine and brine for 6.5 days in the fridge.
4. Rinse the loin.
5. Optional: truss your pork loin so that it ends up more round than oblong.  
6. Smoke at 325F until the internal temp in the middle of the loin reaches 145F. I used apple wood and smoked it on my kamado smoker with acacia wood charcoal.

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Acid Tripp Experiment - Fruited Kettle Sour

I've been super busy this Spring so I've barely even brewed lately. I recently picked up a pouch of WLP6420 Acid Tripp which is the house kettle souring culture at Tripping Animals out of Doral, Florida. I reached out to White Labs because there seemed to be some contradictory information on their website, but I confirmed it's a blend of bacteria and does not contain any yeast. 

I'm planning on this being a very fruit-forward kettle sour, but I haven't settled on which fruits I plan to use. I may split this up into smaller sized batches and put them on a couple different fruits. I have a bunch of freeze-dried strawberries, and that's definitely the frontrunner right now. Anyway, here is some info re Acid Tripp from White Lab's website:

For the first time, Tripping Animals Brewing in Doral, FL is giving you access to one of their hottest house strains! We’re so excited to partner with our passionate and creative friends at Tripping Animals to bring you WLP6420 Acid Tripp, the ultimate blend of organisms perfect for your next kettle sour. 

This proprietary house blend is used in all of Tripping Animals’ renowned sour ales, and is now available to you!

This culture is unlike any other and offers an extraordinarily complex flavor profile resulting in balanced acidity with moderate tropical and pomme fruit aromas. This complexity allows for a range of flavor profiles that can be achieved depending on how it is blended with other yeasts or added to different beer styles. 

Optimum fermentation temperature range is between 40-43℃/105-110℉ and typically sours the wort within 12-24 hours. 

 

Complex flavor profile resulting in moderate tropical (pineapple) and pomme (apple) fruit aromas.

An extremely quick pH drop! Souring is typically achieved in less than 24 hours, dropping the wort from a pH of ~5 to ~3.5.

It is recommended to add hops after the lactic acid fermentation so the organisms are not inhibited.

One note, I believe this blend contains at least one heterofermentative strain that will produce a small amount of ethanol, so don't let it go too long as you'll end up boiling off any of the ethanol that's produced. 

Target OG 1.058

Target FG: 1.011

IBU: 11.2

ABV: 6.2%

8.0# Rahr North Star Pils

3.0# Spelt Malt

2.0ml Hopshot (60 min)

WLP6420 Acid Tripp

US-05

Wyeast Nutrient

Fruits TBD

Day 1

Single infusion mash at 154F. Collect ~6.75 gallons. Bring to 170-180F and hold for about 15 minutes to pasteurize. Chill to 110F before pitching Acid Tripp. Check pH at least once in 24 hours.

Day 2

Check the pH at least once in the first 24 hours. Proceed with boil when you've reached your target pH (I'm shooting for 3.50). 90 min boil, then chill to 67F and aerate well before pitching yeast.

 

Water Profile

Nothing fancy here, just 50/50 blend of carbon-filtered tap water and RO water.

Brewing Notes

I got distracted and held the mash around 125F for about 10 minutes before ramping it up to 154F for the duration of the mash. I created a 1L starter of Acid Tripp, partly because I wanted to save some of the blended culture in case I really liked the results. I ended up collecting right about 7 gallons that was chilled to about 110F before pitching 500ml of starter at 7pm on 7/2/2023. I kept the souring keg in my garage because it has the warmest consistent temps right now.

7:20am 7/3/2023: 12 hours in and pH has dropped to 3.66 while gravity has dropped to 10.2 (1.039*). This is a pretty impressive pH drop. I just use ambient temps when kettle souring and with my typical cultures (Yakult and GoodBelly) I often do the first brew day on Sunday, then the second brew day on the following Friday or Saturday by which time I usually hit a terminal pH of 3.2-ish. I tasted the sample and there's some nice tartness and I can pick up some pineapple and pomme fruit character.

5:00PM 7/3/2023: 20 hours in and pH is at 3.41. I lost a few points during souring (I suspect due to heterofermentative strain(s) in the blend). I'm guessing if I caught it at 3.5 the gravity drop would have been reduced. My boil also wasn't quite as vigorous as normal, so that also factors into the lower than target gravity. On the plus side, the tropical fruit aroma was super intense (more so than earlier in the morning) with huge passion fruit, guava, and pomme fruit. Based on aroma alone, I would say this blend is much more complex than a typical kettle sour culture. I think I'll try this culture in a future batch as more of a traditional post-boil sour giving this culture a 12 hour head start followed by a sacc/brett blend.   

Session Readings
Beginning mash pH	5.60
Ending mash pH	5.56
1st running gravity	16.2 (1.064)
Pre-souring pH	5.66
Pre-souring gravity	10.7 (1.042)
12-hour souring pH	3.66
12-hour souring gravity	10.2 (1.039*)
Pre-Boil pH	3.41
Pre-Boil gravity	9.7 (1.036*)
Post-Boil pH	3.42
Post-Boil gravity	11.7 (1.046)

*Corrected gravity

Update 7/4/2023

I was only able to chill down to about 75F, so I left it overnight to get down to 67F. Yeast was pitched this morning.

Update 7/9/2023

Fermentation has slowed so I pulled a sample this morning. The tropical fruit character is amazing on this beer; definitely much more complex than your typical kettle sour. I’ll probably let this go for a week then I’ll transfer onto fruit. I may even leave part of it unfruited as the base beer is really interesting.

Updated 7/15/2023

I kegged this beer into two 3.5 gallon kegs that are fitted with dip tube screens just like my Kegmenters that I use for fruiting. It's based on Scott Janish's method for dry hopping in the keg and really helps minimize losses due to clogged dip tubes and/or posts.

Keg #1 that I'm calling Citra Tripp got treated with 0.33g lime zest, 0.33g orange zest, 0.66g grapefruit zest, and 3g Citra hops in 2.25 gallons of base beer. Basically I'm looking for some interesting citrus and Citra hop character to compliment the big tropical fruit character from the souring blend. Since there aren't additional sugars being added to this version, it should be ready to drink as soon as it carbs up.

Keg #2 that I'm calling Strawberry Tripp got treated with 1# of freeze dried strawberries (10# fresh fruit equivalent) into 2.5 gallons of beer. I most worried about this one due to the issues in fruiting beers with strawberries. I'm really hoping the strawberry character doesn't turn into something farty or fade too much. I should get a secondary fermentation from all the sugar in the fruit, so this will probably go a few weeks to allow that to wrap up and maximize extraction.

Update 7/19/2023

I pulled a small sample of Citra Tripp. I went pretty conservative on the citrus peels primarily because I just want some fruity complexity rather than it being a citrus bomb. So far so good, there's pleasant citrus character but you don't feel like you're drinking furniture polish/stripper.

I pulled a small sample of Strawberry Tripp the day after transferring onto the fruit, and both the aroma and flavor were great. The secondary fermentation kicked off pretty quickly and I haven't tried it again since then. I'll probably let it go a few more days before trying it again.

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