I have a curing chamber for dry curing salami that I made from a frig many years ago when i got into this hobby. You need a full size frost-free frig to start with or a store type display cooler. Then a temperature controller and a humidity controller with a humidifier. Depending on where the unit is located you might also need a heater.
When making fermented sausage such as salami you need a high humidity chamber, 90-95% RH, and depending if you are using no starter culture or a fast or slow bacteria culture a controlled temp between 60-104F for a period of 1-4 days until the pH drops sufficient for the type of sausage. Then the chamber must be brought down to a temp for drying of around 55F and 75-85% RH for the time required to lose at least 30% of original weight.
Of course, if you have natural conditions where you live that give the required conditions of temperature and humidity then you can do all this without equipment. Where I live in southern Ontario I found that I can make sausage in the late fall by fermenting in my curing chamber in the garage for a few days at 70F at high humidity (the humidity is provided by the fermenting of the sausages expelling moisture) and then drying in a neighbors fruit cellar for a few months over the winter. If I made sausage in the summer my curing chamber would be running hard to keep the temperature and humidity correct. In the summer when the temperature is favorable I make smoked sausage. If I used the curing chamber in the winter I would need to run everything including a heater. This becomes awkward as the controllers fight with one another to hold the correct temp.
If I can figure out the procedure to post pictures I will show the equipment that I have.
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Topic: ANyone here build a curing chamber? (Read 451 times)