Salami 101

[Aces High]

Fark that looks amazing, how long did that take to cure ??

Did you do it in a metered box or just hung in the shed?

its takes about 2 weeks to cure in the fridge, then I put it in a temperature / humidity controlled fridge for about 4 to 6 weeks to dry. You should b able to hang it in a shed to dry in winter. I might try it myself this year

When you slice it thin it just melts on your tongue

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Its a shame the winters up here in gods country is not suited to Salami's.

I grew up in Leeton in the Riverina NSW and the winters there where good for Salami

Nice long cold nights and cool days for 2-3 mnths

Had Italian neighbours, mostly immigrants and bought all that knowledge with them

They used to make one sausage with just pork, garlic and chilli....some where almost pure fat with a meat core....so many different types

Still remember the days when I was a kid and we would do share kills. ( We did a Steer, they did a Pig and another bloke did a few sheep ) and coming home to see rows of sausages and salami's hanging up under the verandah.

To think, 20-30 yrs ago I was eating organic beef, pork & lamb as a kid, because it was cheaper that way.


But those salami and sausages where just to die for....



Then it got trendy....

 

[dkaos]

Found a PDF that shows how to use a wine cooler, humidifier and hygrostat to setup the right curing environment. It's basic but is a good idea and has some recipes too.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/jimmycharcuterie/dmc.pdf

 

[Truman42]

Well this weekend is my first journey into salami territory. Ive brought some cure #2 and some culture from eBay because I want to be safe for my first few batches, then I might have a go at salt only. And my mincer and hog casings come tomorrow.

I opened up my 2nd fermenting fridge which will be my curing chamber and it had black mould all over the walls. So had to pull the cover off the evaporator and sprayed the shit out of it with star San and wiped what I could. Don't think I got it all but hopefully the star San will at least neutralise it.

In the bottom of the fridge on the first shelf slot I have an ACM panel (aluminium composite) with a hole cut in the middle for a fan. I'm going to use a spotlight I have for brewing (with glass front covered with a metal disc to block out the light) under this plate which will keep ferment temps at 22C for the first 3 days. The fan will blow air past the light and out the front and up along the door to recirculate the air.
Then if needed I can put a bowl of salty water next to the lamp and a damp towel sitting on top of the plate to create extra humidity.

I've been doing tests the past few days and can hold 22C and 85% humidity no problems.

I'm also going to do a pancetta with some pork belly. Looking forward to giving this a crack and this thread has been awesome for advice and ideas.

 

[beercus]

2015 vintage done and hanging. we bought 50kgs of pork this year. Over 2 days we prepared and made bacon, pancetta, fresh sausages and 3 different salami. Bacon will be ready in a week and the rest will be ready to taste in about 4 weeks. Need to go brew some beer to go with the meat!

 

[Mercs Own]

beercus why do you stuff and net the salamis?

 

[beercus]

beercus why do you stuff and net the salamis?

The nets allow constant pressure on the meat while drying. The net shrinks as the meat shrinks. Allows you to avoid air pockets within the salami reducing the potential for aerobic bacteria to exist .

Beercus

 

[Mercs Own]

bad photos of this years pancetta and capicollo. The pancetta's are about 1.3 kilos each.

 

[Mercs Own]

Just stuffed 10 kilos of pork, beef, red wine, garlic and black pepper salami's!

 

[DU99]

:icon_offtopic: anyone been to this place in north melbourne

 

[beercus]

:icon_offtopic: anyone been to this place in north melbourne

She has all the equipment and other stuff you need, but I think the classes are overpriced

 

[beercus]

First time capicollo for me this year, excited about this one....

 

[Mercs Own]

:icon_offtopic: anyone been to this place in north melbourne

They have Cellar Plus near the Vic markets on Peel street. I get my supplies there although last week when I went in they were out of a lot of stuff as they are moving premise up the road on Victoria Street. As for the classes and price $155 seems okay when you think about the Australian BBQ school charges $400 pp and a mob down here doing two day salami classes charges $550 pp and you don't even get to take a salami away!!

 

[beercus]

Not a huge fan of cellar plus, I have been to their Epping store. I used "home make it" this year. They are in reservoir and claytom I think. I think cellar plus, home make it and the sausage lady are all in the same family....

I can not justify that much money for classes, I would rather spend that on books and do my own research.

Beercus

 

[Truman42]

The missus and I had a salami making day today. Certainly was good weather for it here in Melbourne.

Ended up with around 11 salamis and also did a pancetta. Took a bit getting used to the sausage stuffer so we ended up with some fat salamis and some that were longer and skinny.

 

[Truman42]

:icon_offtopic: anyone been to this place in north melbourne

I just brought some salt, spices, stainless hooks and string from this place. Used their click and collect so saved $18 on postage and had one of our drivers at work pick it up for me.

 

[Truman42]

Is anyone using hog casings? We used 38-42mm hog casings and had all sorts of dramas with them slipping through the bubble knots.

A couple that didn't slip through ended up breaking at the knots instead. I'm thinking that perhaps we made them too long and heavy. For now I'm leaving them on a chopping board in my curing chamber whist they ferment. Then hopefully once they are ready to age the casings will be a bit dryer and tougher and I can hang them in a couple of days.

 

[beercus]

Is anyone using hog casings? We used 38-42mm hog casings and had all sorts of dramas with them slipping through the bubble knots.
A couple that didn't slip through ended up breaking at the knots instead. I'm thinking that perhaps we made them too long and heavy. For now I'm leaving them on a chopping board in my curing chamber whist they ferment. Then hopefully once they are ready to age the casings will be a bit dryer and tougher and I can hang them in a couple of days.

Net them and then hang off the netting.

Beercus

 

[Truman42]

I worked out that I didn't really do my bubble knots properly. Next time I'm going to tie the dirt knot then flip the casing over a skewer and tie the second knot then remove the skewer so I have a definite loop in my casing.
Someone also suggested using fencing pliers and stainless hog rings which should also work well.

After 48 hours my salamis had dropped to a ph of 4.7 so I've dropped the temperature in the chamber down to 13C and the humidity seems constant at 90%. I have my fan running at a slow speed for air circulation and I open the door before work in the morning and again at night. I'm worried I'm going to struggle getting the humidity down to 80% after two weeks although maybe it's just up around 90% due to the moisture coming out of the salamis. They always look wet. Should they be looking more drier by now?

 

[beercus]

I worked out that I didn't really do my bubble knots properly. Next time I'm going to tie the dirt knot then flip the casing over a skewer and tie the second knot then remove the skewer so I have a definite loop in my casing.

Tonight on Vasilli's garden he had a guy making salami. He used cable ties on the salami, then tied off that. Cable ties look nice and efficient and no cut hands from tying.....

Beercus