Keeping this in basic simple terms if you will, for myself, am I missing anything here to keep from poisoning and killing myself. Well aware there’s no 100% guarantees with anything in life.
For Salami Sausage for eg
1. Use Salt 2.75%, Cure #2 0.25% and a starter culture at the correct % per kg
2. Keep temps very low when grinding the meat and making the sausage.
3. Move stuffed and tagged with weight sausage to a warm/hot humid area for 24 hours or so? (so many different ideas about this one, suspended in plastic bags with vinegar in the bottom sound the easy way?).
4. Move to a cool humid well ventilated drying room.
5. Once 35% weight loss is achieved... BING the dinner bell can ring, provided it does not look and smell like old road kill!
I am aware that there are many books out there, some of which I am currently reading and find they do contradict each other. To try an summarise the whole business in 5 sort lines is in no way an attempt to belittle the whole complex business. I just do not wish to study food science ie "handbook of fermented meat and poultry". But I don't wish to be so cavalier as Steve Lamb from the river cottage, but I am more swaying to his side, just I am adding nitrates and a starter culture.
I want to keep it safe and you guys have convinced me to use the Cures and the Starter cultures. Cheers for your input.