Newbie Salami / Fermentation Question.

[dbaggs]

Hi.

I'm fairly new to dry curing and have a question for the experts. My first salami was made using a dry salami recipe taken out of the Rytek Kutas book. My chamber is a converted wine cooler with a humidifier.

When fermenting the sausage the temperature was about 76 degrees with a humidity ranging from 85-90%. Because of the low temperature I let the sausage ferment for 2.5 days and then lowered the temperature to 54 degrees with a RH of 74%. I'm really kicking myself for not taking a PH sample but I did not have the equipment to do so. After two weeks the sausage is developing the right powdery white mold and had two tiny spots of green mold which we wiped right away with a vinegar solution. So far it has not reappeared.

Everything looks good but I'm wondering about the low temps for the fermentation and the fact I didn't check the PH. Should I check once the sausage is done? I'm a little worried as the sausage recipe did not use a quick fermenting agent.

What would the experts recommend I do.

Thanks in advance.
DB.

[larry]

Did you happen to watch the color during the fermentation? What can you tell us about that? If it started sort of pink-ish during the mixing/stuffing, and then went to a brownish color before fermentation, and then went back to the pink-red colors during and at the end of fermentation, you probably got the process going as it should. If they stayed brown throughout, and are still brown, the culture may not have taken hold. This is all guesswork, but I base it on my successes and my failures and what I remember about the color during fermentation.

I would wait it out regardless, and see what happens as they cure. The worst case scenario is that you wait until they should be ready, and cut into one and see what happens. Tight and pink with no gaps would be a good sign. Brown with holes and gaps would be a bad sign.

I usually test with ph paper, which is not terribly accurate, but I'm looking for a decrease in ph, hopefully to 5.0 or below. I use distilled water to moisten the product, and I understand the ph of water is around 7, which might artificially raise the reading. I've not had much success getting a reading on ph paper without moistening the meat.

[dbaggs]

Thanks Larry

I didn't watch the process but it looks red and pink now. I'll post some pictures at the end and hopefully someone will give me a sense if it looks right or not.

Thanks

[larry]

During the fermentation there are two things going on. The starter culture, if you used one, is feeding on whatever is in your recipe so it can take hold, and the cure is also taking hold. If the starter culture happens to fail, and the curing powder takes hold as it should, you might end up with something perfectly edible, but not very interesting. If everything's still pink, they will probably be safe. Some starters absolutely require the high temperature, and some just start slower if the temperature is a little low. Another hint at this stage is the aroma. Do they smell like they will be good?

[Chainsaw13]

So if the sausage isn't given enough time to ferment, it may still be good, just not the flavor that one would expect? I made my first salami this past Friday and let it ferment for 24hrs at 75F. I was following a recipe out of Salumi, where it calls for fermenting for 12 hours. I let it go for 24 since I've read a lot of other recipes that call for longer fermentation times, and because the temp was on the low end. Should I have gone longer?

[larry]

It might depend on which starter culture you were using. It would be good to do a search of the name of the starter culture and see if you can find more detailed instructions regarding temperature range and duration. I remember that the Charcuterie book recommends using a very large quantity of starter for the size of the batches, supposedly to be sure it mixes thoroughly. I've seen other instructions from the manufacturers' sites that call for much less (I'm thinking of Bactoferm FRM-52).

If your starter calls for a very high temperature, such as 85 or 90F, and it only hit 75, the extra time might not help. If the minimum required temperature is not reached, it may not matter how long you leave them to ferment.

I just read that if a starter fails to fully ferment, it can cause problems in the binding of the meat and can result in a soft center (from a USDA-FSIS website).

You might have to wait and see how they come out. When you think they're ready, when you cut one open, if it's pink and firm, I'd say you're o.k. If it's soft and brown in the middle, I'd toss it.

[Chainsaw13]

Thanks for the response Larry. I was using Bactoferm FRM-52. 10g was added to my mix of around 4lbs of meat/fat. I did find the instructions from B&P over the weekend, after putting the sausage in the drying chamber. Says its good from 68-95, with 85 being optimal, and 48hrs of fermentation.

I reread some of the recipes in Charcuterie and noticed the larger quantities of starter they call for. Makes sense what you're saying about proper mixing. I diluted mine in 30ml of distilled water before mixing. Didn't take long in the KA to get a good bind.

I guess I'll just wait and see.

[larry]

I use much less starter than the Charcuterie book recommends, and I just make sure it is thoroughly dissolved in a little water. The stuff is too expensive to blow that much on one batch. If you got over 68 for 48 hours, it should be o.k. I think the issue at that point is not whether it fermented, but how much it fermented, which I think is more about flavor than safety or texture.