Modernizing older salami recipes

Air dried cured Meat Techniques

Modernizing older salami recipes

Postby DougS » Sat Feb 01, 2014 5:10 pm

Hello,

My question. Both sets of my grandparents immigrated from the Torino area just south of the french border. My grandfather was a butcher in the city of Canavese and made traditional northern italian salami as well as fresh sausages. He had a butcher shop here in America for forty years until he died.

I have his recipes and I routinely make the sautissa ed bra, cotechino, salam piccante, salam patata, etc. from his recipes with great success. He has some salami recipes (Salam d' la duja being one) that I would like to re-create since I have not eaten them in 15 years.. I feel that I need to "modernize" the recipes for good safety practices. He NEVER used sugars or starter. The shop cooler was full of salami from italy and france thus I am sure it was already loaded with beneficial bacteria (although he NEVER hung sausages at temperatures I see recommended today. It was always colder, around 40 degrees).

I have friends who make salami from deer and wild boar, and I have not been impressed with the fast acting cultures. They are sour and not at all reminiscent of french and italian salami I ate for the first 30 years of my life.

I know that the recipe must change so that Cure #2 WILL be added to the existing recipes.

Do I need to add sugar? My grandfather and father never did. Do I need starter cultures? As I stated, I do not find them particularly "traditional" tasting. If my questions are too broad, is there a good resource for making dried sausages the traditional way that someone could point me to?
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Re: Modernizing older salami recipes

Postby NCPaul » Sun Feb 02, 2014 1:07 am

Welcome to the forum. :D This sounds like a great project! I like the culture Bactoferm F-LC as one that does not produce an overly sour salami, have you tried it? It addition to the use of cure # 2, the overall salt level may need to be adjusted up to 2.3 %.
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Re: Modernizing older salami recipes

Postby quietwatersfarm » Sun Feb 02, 2014 8:44 am

HiDoug and welcome!

I would love to see some of your families recipes, sounds great.

As Paul says there are starters that do not produce such a sour taste and that can be used in much longer term curing.

Rather than any general rule I think it is a case of looking at individual salami recipes and deciding what would work best to keep their unique qualities whilst being safe.
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Re: Modernizing older salami recipes

Postby BriCan » Sun Feb 02, 2014 9:48 am

It seems that I must agree with both my leaned friends on this but it goes strongly against what I know and practice ...

I agree most heartily on using cure #2 but as for starter cultures ....................
But what do I know
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Re: Modernizing older salami recipes

Postby ped » Sun Feb 02, 2014 10:11 am

Even on large bore Salamis Robert?, do you rely on the addition of wine and things?
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Re: Modernizing older salami recipes

Postby DougS » Mon Feb 03, 2014 1:17 am

NCPaul wrote:Welcome to the forum. :D This sounds like a great project! I like the culture Bactoferm F-LC as one that does not produce an overly sour salami, have you tried it? It addition to the use of cure # 2, the overall salt level may need to be adjusted up to 2.3 %.


I have not tried the salami on my own. I make the fresh sausages and reproduce them very well, although many of the original recipes call for 2% salt and I feel that 1.5-1.8% is enough salt for my tastes. While his sausages were sold, the salami was always kept for family and friends only.

Most of his salami's were simply ground meat, salt, and spices. No cures (although he insisted on using an imported salt that may have had some natural nitrates? I don't know) and certainly no sugar or starters. This worked for him but he had a nice shop full of good salamis as well as a temperature controlled cooler that had some humidity as well. I am going to have to bang this out in a curing chamber in the garage, hence my need for extra safety.

My familiarity with starters have been mostly summer sausages my friends who hunt like to make. They are okay, but not what I remember and certainly do not have a classical "salami" taste.
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Re: Modernizing older salami recipes

Postby BriCan » Mon Feb 03, 2014 5:33 am

ped wrote:Even on large bore Salamis Robert?, do you rely on the addition of wine and things?




on large -- how do you mean :?: :?:

I will be doing that Duck salami -- real soon --


i have been holding off pending the move but getting real pi**ed off right now that I need to have a diversion

So yes, salt cure #2 and spices plus the liqueur
But what do I know
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Re: Modernizing older salami recipes

Postby ped » Mon Feb 03, 2014 10:22 am

80mm +
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Re: Modernizing older salami recipes

Postby BriCan » Mon Feb 03, 2014 3:58 pm

ped wrote:80mm +


80mm x 65cm is as large as I have gone
But what do I know
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Re: Modernizing older salami recipes

Postby ped » Mon Feb 03, 2014 4:06 pm

Thanks for this Robert but my question was, no cultures?, do you rely on the addition of wine and things?
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Re: Modernizing older salami recipes

Postby BriCan » Mon Feb 03, 2014 6:50 pm

ped wrote:Thanks for this Robert but my question was, no cultures?, do you rely on the addition of wine and things?

The short answer Peter is 'No' I do not use starter cultures -- I have occasionally, but not my style/taste

The three that I have been making (Italian, Hungarian and Cervelet) have red wine, brandy and rum respectively and in a sense used as a flavor enhancer as well as helping kick start the fermentation

Is not using starter cultures at home ok, in my honest opinion I would say no as home sausage/cures need all the help they can get – the big guys have pushed for using them as they can get the products to market faster and in a sense (not always the case) have no need to keep an eye on things which is not the case when not using starter cultures

On a side note; a very good friend who’s family are long time sausage makers (he is 5th generation Italian) and supplies us with the casings etc. has commented on the salamis that we make to the fact that they are the best around (taste wise)

HTH
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Re: Modernizing older salami recipes

Postby ericrice » Tue Feb 04, 2014 12:43 am

Robert - I do realize not using cultures isn't best practice but I can appreciate that may not equate to the best product as you stated. I've had earlier posts that the sopressata I attempt doesn't have the depth of what I get from the local Italians and I know they don't use cultures (or cure for that matter). Wouldn't risk no cure either but you made a comment you wouldn't suggest for the home curer. Is that geared towards anything specific (ph monitoring)? I'm intrigued and considering trying without cultures but given your experience I value any advice you have to help or to discourage.
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