www.sausagemaking.org

Hi, i've been reading up on sausagemaking before we get the meat for our first try at sausage making/bacon curing, and there is a total lack in salami curing. I read on, and the author mentioned that he left out the salami section, because they use chemical cures, which can cause illness? My dad is set on making salami, so please tell me if I have to break his heart! How can it be avoided? (Sorry if this is a bit long winded!)
Kirsty

Firstly welcome to the forum Kirsty I hope you will enjoy.
There are plenty of salami links on this forum and franco even sells the cures on this site. Also remember that food is only as dangerous as the person handeling it. So as long as you read the instructions and ask for help on here,you can't go wronge.


Reagrds
Shaun

Hi Kirsty,

again, welcome to the forum. Just like Shaun says, the cures aren't dangerous as long as you use them according to the instructions. All you need to do is to ensure that the meat to cure ratio is accurate and you'll be completely safe. In fact, the use of cures (cure 2 in salami making to be exact) is a lot safer than opting for the 'natural' method by relying on salt alone and maybe acidophallus. The cure kills nasties such as botulism which would possibly remain present if you didn't add cure 2 to your salami.

There's plenty of people here who will be more than happy to help you out. If you need any recipe suggestions or more help with the curing issue just ask and I'm sure that your questions will be answered.

Good luck

Hi Kirsty, welcome to the forum.

I started out wanting to produce my own salami and bacon so that I could avoid all those chemicals that seem to be present in our foodstuffs today.

I looked into lots of methods and researched what went into each.

For bacon and salami your main aim is to prevent spoilage and extend the period it can be stored for (whilst giving it a lovely taste ). To do this there are basically three methods that are employed;

Drying - bacteria find it difficult to grow when dessicated.
Salting - has a drying effect and can also kill some bacteria
Curing - adding nitrites/nitrates to kill the bacteria

One or all of these will be used to produce the desired effects, and each of them has benefits and risks (as does not doing any of them).

In the end I decided that, having understood the risks and benefits, If I am going to continue eating bacon and salami I am much better off making them myself and so have complete control over what goes into them.

So after all this which methods do I use?
All three!
BUT...
I calculate very carefully how much salt and cure is needed (with help from oddley).
I measure everything out very carefully.
I make sure I cure things for the correct amount of time.

And the results?
MUCH better than supermarket stuff and definately worth the effort.
I would certainly encourage you to try.

There is lots of discussion on this forum about all this so have a look around and if you have any questions, just ask.

....and thanks again guys! So happy I dont need to go breaking DF's heart, 'specially after fathers day! No doubt I will have more questions in the near future, so I guess i'll speak to you soon.
Many thanks!