Weight-loss tracker
Weigh it when it goes in the chamber, then every few days. See where it stands and when it should reach target.
This is a calculator, not a tested recipe. Weight loss tells you how much water has left, not whether the product is safe. When in doubt, follow an established recipe from a trusted source.
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Why this matters
As a cured product dries, water leaves and salt concentrates — that falling water activity is what keeps it safe on the shelf. Weight loss is the practical stand-in you can measure at home. Tracking it on a schedule also catches problems early: a stall usually means the chamber is too humid, and a sprint in the first week can mean the outside is drying faster than the inside (case hardening).
Notes
- Contested: target loss. Published guidance for dry salami and whole muscle mostly falls between 30% and 40%; some use 25–30% for thin sausages and some go past 40% for a firmer bresaola. We default to 35%. Loss is a proxy — USDA FSIS treats a product as shelf-stable on water activity and pH (for example aw ≤ 0.85, or pH ≤ 5.0 with aw ≤ 0.91), which a scale can't measure. If shelf stability matters, measure aw.
- Contested: which weight is "start". We measure from the weight when it goes into the chamber (after curing, or after stuffing). Some recipes count from the raw green weight before salting, which gives a higher percentage for the same piece. Use whichever your recipe uses, and be consistent.
- Projected date: fits the diffusion drying curve — loss grows with the square root of time, as water has further to travel out of the center (Fick's law). Current pace: straight-line from your last two weigh-ins. Drying slows as it goes, so current pace is the earliest plausible date and the projected date is the likelier one. Real drying can slow further near the end. It's ready when it hits target and feels evenly firm through the center — not when the calendar says.