salami selection

[Franco]

This a selection of salami that was made 5 weeks ago, I'll post the pics of the full process when I get a minute.

From this



to this



to this


Franco

[aris]

Very nice! The green mould in the picture from the other thread does look a bit worrying though. Does this happen in commercial salamis?

[Franco]

as long as the mould isn't black it should be ok, I just rinsed them with vinegar and they were fine.

Franco

[aris]

Did you use any acidophilus on the outside of the salamis before hanging?

I wonder if artificially encouraging a white mould on the salami would prevent the green mould from forming.

[Franco]

Aris,

you don't need to add any acidophilus at any stage of the process, if the room is humid enough the starter culture will be sufficient to start the fermentation. acidophilus isn't added to commercial salamis and isn't neccesary in home production.

Franco

[aris]

Fair enough. Perhaps I got my bacteria/mold names mixed up. I was thinking of what Len Poli mentions in this page under 'mold':

http://home.pacbell.net/lpoli/page0002.htm

Fungal species of the genus Penicillium are a frequently used as commercial starter cultures for mold ripened foods, especially cheeses. Penicillium roqueforti, for example, is used in cheese to develop characteristic blue veins such as in Roquefort Blue, Danish Blue, Gorgonzola, Stilton and other blue style cheeses. It is common practice to use mold starters for salami-type products, especially in Europe�.after stuffing, the salami casings are sprayed or dipped in the mold culture before they are sent off for fermentation. Three species of these fungi, P notatum, P. nalgiovense and P. chrysogenum have been isolated from both European and U.S. dry-cured salami. These molds help in flavor development by decomposing excess lactic acid and inhibiting the growth of other undesirable molds.

[Jonty]

Aris,

I think that maybe you could have heard of that in the HFW salami recipes (without cure 2) where acidophillus is mixed with the meat prior to stuffing to produce a mold bloom.

[othmar]

These salamis look very good to me, makes me hungry.
Salami and other cured meats have to develop mold. Unfortunatly there are so many health scares and hygine paranoia that many people get scared when they see a little mold or meat that does not have the "standart" colour.
I get such and many other "scared" questions every day from costumers.

Again this sausages look very good, good work Franco, that is what I strife to achieve with my "students" in my sausage making seminars.

Regards
Othmar

[Platypus]

othmar,

I recently discarded a batch of salami because of mould.
I am happy to see white or green mould on them but this batch also started to develop light brown mould as well (the colour of cafe latte).

Was I right to bin them? Would you have kept them?
I did consider wiping them in vinegar to remove the mould but was not confident about their viability so chose the cautious route.

[aris]

Franco,

What was the humidity & temperature like in the basement where you were maturing them?

[othmar]

othmar,

I recently discarded a batch of salami because of mould.
I am happy to see white or green mould on them but this batch also started to develop light brown mould as well (the colour of cafe latte).

Was I right to bin them? Would you have kept them?
I did consider wiping them in vinegar to remove the mould but was not confident about their viability so chose the cautious route.

Platypus.

Don,t think me ignorant for not answering right away. It is just that we are so busy at work that I recently barely find the time to slep, let alone think.

It is very important to remind everybody, IF IN DOUPT DISCHARGE.
You mention brown mold, it is hard to say but it could be rott setting in. I also would like to remind at this point, that smell is important too. As a butcher I always smell my sausages. If they smell right and look good than they are good. If they look "ugly" but smell good then I might cut a slice off and put it in my mouth, if it tastes good then it is good.
Good mold is white, gray, light green. It is very important to keep a close eye on the temperature and humity during the aging process. These should be constant.
I do not think that vinager does any harm but neither do I think it does much good. If you need to clean a sausage try salt water, about a table spoon to one pint glass of water. The salt water not only will clean the sausage but also give it some prodection.

Hope that this answer is of some help to you.

Regards
Othmar

[Platypus]

Thanks othmar,

The smell wasn't bad but they didn't smell like salami much either, there was just a hint of mouse! You know, that smell you get when the hamster cage needs cleaning

Anyway you have put my mind at rest that I did do the right thing.

Cheers
Platypus

[othmar]

Thanks othmar,

The smell wasn't bad but they didn't smell like salami much either, there was just a hint of mouse! You know, that smell you get when the hamster cage needs cleaning

Anyway you have put my mind at rest that I did do the right thing.

Cheers
Platypus

Hi Platypus.
I am glad I could help you.
Just one more word about smelling on the sausage. If you smell a salami on the outside, then it will obviously smell "bad" if it is covered with mold, even good mold. To smell the quality you got to cut a sausage and smell on the cut surface. It is this smell and the looks of the inside that will let you right away know or the sausage is destined for your belly or the belly of the trash can.
The best example I can refeer you to is the pictures on top of this posting. Look at the salamis and imagine to smell on them when they are covered in mold "pew what a smell". But then look at the pictures below, where the salamis are cleaned and cut open. Only from looking at them I can imagine how good they must smell. In fact I am getting hungry just looking at the pictures.

Regards
Othmar

[TobyB]

Totally agree re mould. I made my first salami a while ago and they looked almost indentical to franco's (ie lots of green mould).

I wiped them off with vinegar and ate the lot and have fed them to a huge number of people. Nobody has had any side effects and they were absolutely delicious.

They did however smell awful on the outside prior to cleaning and even after cleaning they still didn't smell great on the outside (you could still smell the mould albeit mixed with vinegar) but when you cut into them they smelled absolutely fantastic and looked great (I tried sending piccies to Aris but it seems he never got them and I can't post them from my computer but they looked like the ones on the left hand side of the piccy above). I do however peel them prior to eating as the sking is very tough and was very mouldy!