Salami x3

So, yesterday I decided to make some salami. Now last month I did this for the first time and I feel it was a failure. The reasons being; 1. I used a salami spice mix from one of the local meat suppliers (this includes the cure/pink salt and a mix of ground spices of unknown ratios) 2. I added a healthy glug of red wine. The wine issue can be viewed either way, either to cook the wine down before use (so as not to have such a strong wine taste) or to add it sparingly. 3. I left it too long. I am using small casing in my salami experiments as they mature much quicker and it gives me the opportunity to try various formulas and get it 'right' before doing a 'real' larger salami. In any case, I did not fancy them at all, the flavour was way too winey and they were too hard. The spices were all out of balance for my palate.



Moving swiftly on. I bought 3kg of good meat and some fat, and decided to really experiment. I made three salamis;

1. Spice pack Salami (leaving out the wine)
2. Italian Style Salami (own choice of spices, similar to Italian sausage - dominantly fennel)
3. Sage and Porcini Salami (I saw mention of in The Sausage Debauchery)

Salami 1:

Formula:

1kg Pork (lean meat - all sinew/fat removed)
42.3g Salami Spice Mix
2.81g Cure
x4 Garlic, crushed
+/-300g Fat - hard (Fat back or belly fat)

Always keep meat cold, pop in the fridge when busy with something else. Freeze fat so it doesn't smear. Grind meat to desired thickness, mix in spices (don’t mix with hands as the fat will melt). Stuff and poke. Hang @ 18-22`c for 2 days then @ 14-18`c for 1 week (because of the small casings).

Salami 2:

Formula:
800g Pork (lean meat - all sinew/fat removed)
+/-300g Hard Fat
Dash of Red Wine
x3 Garlic, crushed
Cure
1tsp Black Pepper - ground
1Tbs Salt
1/2 Tbs Fennel, ground

Follow same process as Salami 1

Salami 3:

Formula:

800g Pork (lean meat - all sinew/fat removed)
+/-300g Hard Fat
1/2 cup White dry Chardonnay
x3 Garlic, crushed

Cure
1tsp Black Pepper, ground
1Tbs Salt
x2 med-large 'petals/pieces' Dried Porcini, ground into powder
1tsp Sage, dried

 Follow same process as Salami 1

This is my incubation box - an old wooden toy box that I leave on the heated tiled floor - this maintains a perfect temperature of 18-23`c

After a few days in the curing room (aka store room, which maintains a nice cool temp. and humidity is high) Left: Italian Fennel, Middle: Spice mix, Right: Porcini/Sage, Far Right: Coppa. Notice the bloom starting.