Does anyone measure the Specific Gravity of their brine?
I am making up a heavy brine for my parm and wonder what SG the rest of you pros use?
My SG is currently at 1.134.
The Beverage Peoples brine page states SG 1.148-1.169 for a heavy brine.
What are the recommendations for parm?
I settled on a brine SG 1.148
I also added sufficient citric acid to drop the pH to 4.73
So far, so good. My 6 gal parm is floating fine. I've pulled it out a couple of times and the parm has firmed up nicely. The edges are getting a rind already.
Its not rock hard, but has a good solid density and at the edges are starting to get a bit hard.
I will soak these wheels for 30 hours.
Sounds goog Wayne, I would measure if I was maknig a brine other than saturated. I usually add like 3 cups of salt per gallon or something like that. As long as salt is at the bottom over night I'm good. I did try once to measure but I must have had too much salt as it went off the scale of the hydrometer. I don't lower my PH but my brine after 1 weeks with parm in it is crystal clear, I wonder if I should?
Wayne,
I do the same as Carter but for the anal retentive cheese maker I supply the following...
1 U.S. gallon of saturated brine contains 2.6 lbs. sodium chtoride
1 ft3 (7.481 U.S. gailons) of saturated brine contains 19.4 lbs. of sodium chloride
1 pound of sodium chloride (NaCl) contains 5,994 grains of sodium expressed as CaC03
Completely saturated brine is a 26.4% solution of NaCI with a specific gravity of 1.20 at 20°C
(NOTE: At 25°C,35.9 grams of NaCl will dissolve in 100 grams of H2O; therefore, 35.9g/135.99 = 26.4% solution of NaCl)
CC
Captain I didn't realize you spoke a foreign language. ;D
That is my native tounge :D
I always wanted to be fluent in Klingon, but apparantly Rosetta Stone doesn't offer that course yet.