Salami 101

[seamad]

I vacuum seal mine, prevents it leaking everywhere.

That was one of the reasons too, thanks.
Might get one started tomorrow, got some really nice (fatty) belly, made 4.5kg of pork/apple snags today with some shoulder and the belly and saved a chunk of the belly for a pancetta.

 

[Mercs Own]

I wouldnt vac seal them as during the process of curing you want the meat and salt to be able to work together to do their thing ie salt draw the moisture out and getting the flavours in. You vac seal things to stop the aging process so therefore I am wondering if vac sealing for the curing proces would in fact retard the curing process.

On that basis I wouldnt do it.

That said I have never done it so I dont know if my assumption would be correct.

 

[benno1973]

I wouldnt vac seal them as during the process of curing you want the meat and salt to be able to work together to do their thing ie salt draw the moisture out and getting the flavours in. You vac seal things to stop the aging process so therefore I am wondering if vac sealing for the curing proces would in fact retard the curing process.

On that basis I wouldnt do it.

That said I have never done it so I dont know if my assumption would be correct.

I've done it ever since I can remember, never had any issues with the curing process. I learnt from Vince "the king of flesh' Gareffa here at Mondo's and at his classes, he hands out vacuum sealed meat in cure, as a 'take home' experiment for the students. Vacuum sealing just prevents oxidation, so I wouldn't imagine that would have much to do with the curing process?

 

[fortmonty]

Just posting some pics of the outcome of my venison bresaola. As with all my cured meats I love dressing them in a combo of crushed chillies,paprika and
coarse cracked black pepper. As you can see it's very lean and I have to say absolutely delicious. I will post some more pics up once I have sliced it
up nice and thin.

 

[scon]

Looks awesome fortmonty. Made some coppa recently with a coating like that... it was delicious.

 

[fortmonty]

Yes it's my standard coating for all my cured meats , ie prosciutto, capocollo, pancetta, guanciale etc , helps to minimise bugs when drying out, and imparts lovely flavour and a bit of kick
to the final product.

 

[shaunous]

This has been good reading men, have never ventured here before, only skipped past. I'm getting myself a decent set of butchers knives for an early Xmas present, always been a hunter, but have never butchered my own meat, don't hunt with anyone who does so haven't had the learning chance. Pretty much teaching myself from YouTube vids and will give it a decent go once the quality knives turn up.

Then it's onto following this thread and curing, sausage making etc.

Have a smoker and I regularly smoke meats and have recently ventured into making my own jerky. Would be good to do this with my own stalked, hunted and butchered meats.

 

[Mercs Own]

I finally bought my own slicer so I don't have to go to my local and ask them to thinly slice my pancetta and coppocolla. Some may say it is excessive - $450 - but it is a life time buy and better than that I can slice my meat any time any how and anywhere - as long as I am at home! I will use it to slice my corned beef/pickled pork for jerky also! The meats are the fruit of my winter labour and are tasting awesome even if I do say so - but so say all the blokes down Mornington Peninsula Brewery when I have taken some samples down for Friday night drinks!

 

[doon]

Damn that looks tasty!

 

[shaunous]

I finally bought my own slicer so I don't have to go to my local and ask them to thinly slice my pancetta and coppocolla. Some may say it is excessive - $450 - but it is a life time buy and better than that I can slice my meat any time any how and anywhere - as long as I am at home! I will use it to slice my corned beef/pickled pork for jerky also! The meats are the fruit of my winter labour and are tasting awesome even if I do say so - but so say all the blokes down Mornington Peninsula Brewery when I have taken some samples down for Friday night drinks!

I want one.

nearly got one at a closed butcher auction, but failed to register properly and it was given to the next bid, would got it for a steal to.

 

[scon]

I bought a hobart slicer 2nd hand from Gumtree for $160 - next cheapest 2nd hand price I could find was about $700.

This is it:

And this is what it does to some loin cured in orange, garlic and fennel:

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Saw this on ebay - ends today. If I lived in SYD, I might get this past the missus to start curing.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Meat-Slicer-/131071674778?pt=AU_SmallKitchenAppliances&hash=item1e847b099a&_uhb=1

 

[Not For Horses]

Saw this on ebay - ends today. If I lived in SYD, I might get this past the missus to start curing.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Meat-Slicer-/131071674778?pt=AU_SmallKitchenAppliances&hash=item1e847b099a&_uhb=1

I've got one of those. Paid 10 bucks for it at a clearance!
They're a good bit of kit if anyone is interested.

 

[shaunous]

Off Topic Q about the meat slicers.

How is the moon shaped blade sharpened, as I'm guessing they'd need it regularly like a good handy knife. Or do you buy new ones, they look like they'd be tricky to sharpen, but I have never looked at one close up.

Like Seinfeld, has anyone's missus tried to slice a slither off their high heels to even them up

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Set them in a sharpening jig and rotate them against a stone.

 

[shaunous]

Now that sounds technical...

Say if your a lazy prick who hates cutting roasts to serve, these work for that? I'm guessing they do, but just incase this is a stupid question and it wouldn't cut cooked, warm, softish meat.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

It will.

A mate of mine who was a butcher told me that cutting cooked meat will blunt a knife a lot quicker than with raw meat. And he proved it to me.

 

[shaunous]

I've noticed most have an inbuilt sharpener, handy!

 

[punkin]

Yes, they have adjustable sharpening stones built in on the commercial models.

 

[chalky]

After reading all 28 pages of this thread last Sunday, I got excited and have since purchased a mincer, a sausage filler and a pile of books. Thanks to all who have contributed

I have already made 2 batches (totalling 8kg) of fresh sausage as sausage filling practice before Salami season.

Has anybody used these - and lived to tell the tale?
http://www.drybagsteak.com/shop-umai-charcuterie.php

--Chalky