The days are getting shorter at Mawson, everyday 15 minutes a day of light is yielding to night and the moon is still seen high in the sky in the afternoon.

The weather is also getting colder, this week -30 with wind chill.  It is hideously cold.  The windows are triple glazed but there are little hairline cracks in the outside panes.  Into the panes creep little bits of moisture that freeze on the glass and make the most magical patterns.  Like little ferns and snow flakes pressed between the panes of glass.

 

 

Usually in Australia the days getting shorter and colder means Salami time.  Antarctic is no different!!  So yesterday we cut up a pig and made small goods!!!

 

I made brine for the ham, salt, brown sugar, a little molasses, peppercorns, cloves and bay leaves.  As usual I left it to the last minute to make and it was to

hot to dunk the hams into, I went to put it in the fridge to cool off and suddenly realised that outside would be so much quicker.  So bucket of brine on the back step to cool off.  It was nearly frozen in 20 minutes.

Onto the bacon, two different types, chilli bacon and standard.  We made a 50/50 mix of salt and brown sugar and then added chilli flakes and paprika to one batch and fennel seeds and cloves to the other.  Coat both sides of the bacon generously and put in the fridge for a few days until it cures.

Then the Salami, we used the shoulders and some belly fat.  Minced it all with the mixing attachment and then added nitrates, salt, spices, red wine and tomato paste.  They have been carefully left in the bread proofing oven overnight toget started and then I will hang them in wombat the disused science building to dry for a few weeks.  Slightly nervous because it is so dry down here that I don’t want to make sticks of jerky instead of salami but we can only try 🙂

On the plus side of it being so dry the biltong only took 24 hours and it was done!!!