Curing Chamber

  One of the first things needed to start curing most types of meat is some form of a curing chamber. There are a few exceptions to this, such as having an area where humidity and temperature stay somewhat stable at around 55-60*F and 70% RH. Temperature is important because if is too hot, there is a greater chance of mold and the meat could cure too fast. There is not necessarily that big of a problem with it being too cold (to an extent) since it will only slow down the cure, which can increase the flavor. Humidity is similar, if it is too humid, there could be mold growth or the meat could get wet while curing, but if it is dry and the meat is in a casing, it could dry out and crack.  

  I decided to buy a wine cooler off of Craiglist since it requires minimal space and is already designed to run in the 50-65* temperature range, which is perfect for red and white wines. Another option is to buy a full sized fridge and modify it to run in the correct temperature range, but this takes up a lot more space and requires $200+ worth of parts. There is a guide to this which can be found here.

  Since I went the wine cooler route, the only thing I had to worry about was stabilizing the humidity in the chamber. One of the easiest ways to do this was to put in a tray of wet salt. The salt should be mixed with water until it will not absorb any more and there is no excess water on the surface, which could lead to mold. A wet salt solution should hold a RH of 75%, releasing moisture or absorbing excess out of the air, depending on the RH in the chamber. 

  The next item which is required is a hygrometer. The easiest way is to buy one that will display both the temperature and humidity, so that they can both be verified. I purchased one for under $10 off of Amazon.com Hygrometer.

  The only other thing I use, which is not totally necessary, is a 12v computer fan which I spliced onto a 12v cell phone charger (make sure the amperage is similar or the fan could overheat). This will help move the air around, since there can be a temperature variance between the top and bottom of the chamber.

 Once this is all complete and the curing chamber is stabilized to around 55-60*F and 70% RH, the only thing left to do is decide which type of meat to cure first.