by dougal » Sun Jul 09, 2006 3:16 pm
Creating *controlled* cool and rather humid conditions is the problem you must solve somehow!
The UK weather cannot be relied upon!
Autumn and Winter are traditional times for such activities because the weater is more likely to be appropriate.
Many people use a modified fridge or freezer as a curing chamber.
Go too hot and the meat spoils. Too cool and it doesn't cure properly and dries very slowly. Dries? In humid conditions? Yep. You're aiming for something like a 25/30% weight loss from drying as part of the preservation scheme. If the conditions are too dry, the outside of the salami will dry more quickly than the sausage's moisture can equalise (and eventually the hard outside traps moisture in the centre, which can then rot). So you have to dry it slowly, which means humid conditions. But if its too damp, you'll have lots of rotten mould...
We have never done this before, we have the equipment and all the ingredients (we think) are there any problems with making salami in our weather conditions? 