www.sausagemaking.org

I'd have thought that binding is more to do with myosin development. Packing it tight will be to avoid air pockets. But tight enough to smear the fat, now that's tight! Natural casings let you know when it's too tight by depositing your salami mix all over the floor!

Phil

I tried to get mine as tight as possible this time. Gripping the casing tight on the horn every 3-4 inches and letting it build pressure before moving on. That's one benefit of using artificial casings though
Whenever I do anything in sheep casings there are always a few pinholes that become gushers before you can slide that section away from the horn.

Thankfully my salami skills are better than my photography. They've taken forever to get firm even though they're now under 50% of starting weight But I'm happy with the definition of fat and lean and the taste continues to improve as the moisture content decreases and the balance of salt and spice comes up. (pepperoni near, fennel salami far)

Beautiful! I'm glad you persevered.

I'm also struck by how much nicer these look compared to the Genoa on the previous page. These look both to have a nice ratio of meat to fat and to have nice color development from the fermentation. Pizza in your future?

Thanks Paul. I knew they were safe so this time I was prepared to just let them hang in the drying chamber until rapture if they didn't progress I got scared that the ends where I tested initially were showing a bit of case hardening so I unplugged the computer fan even though it's on a timer.
I'm not sure about pizza, that almost seems like it would detract from the pepperoni. I'm more thinking of expanding my horizons on some exotic cheeses to sample with them.

And then figure out what to get in the pipeline next. If these took nearly 5 months to get where I want them I have to make sure I don't run out before the next batch is ready...

They're fantastic. Congratulations.

Phil

vagreys wrote:I'm really enjoying following this. Thanks!

Me too! Next week I start installing the equipment for my fridge conversion