My First Salami

[akesingland]

Hi All

Happy New Year. My first attempt at salami making started this Sunday. With 800gm of pork shoulder and 200gm of pork back fat in hand and Franco's Milano mix and 0.5g of LS25 starter I managed 5 sausages ranging from 180g to 220 g. My incubator was a cardboard box on a chair next to a radiator. My humidifier was a small baking dish with wet salt. This arrangement gave me 28-30 degrees C and about 65% RH. The salamis came out the following day and all had lost 20% in weight. They are now in my out house at 10-15 degrees C and a good 70-80% RH.

On inspection they seem fine, they have reddenend but are a little squidgey. Have they lost too much weight in my not-so-humid incubator? I may invest in a baby humidifier.

Will post pictures.

Cheers
Adam

[saucisson]

I'm thinking of adding one of these to my meat/cheese store:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?Mod ... 5&doy=12m1

I'd have to switch it on and off manually but it's the cheapest solution to increasing humidity I can come up with, especially considering I have one already

Dave

[Spuddy]

If they are still soft then they are still OK. When they have lost about 30% they are useable (although up to 45-50% has been known for a hard salami).
If they end up harder on the outside and too soft on the inside then put them in a plastic bag and pop them in a freezer for a couple of weeks or vac pack them and put them in the fridge for a few weeks.

[akesingland]

Hi All

Ten days after my salamis were made all had lost about 30% of their starting weight. I cut into the smallest yesterday and ate it all. As a first attempt I was very pleased. As I said I used Franco's Milano Mix, has it got mint in it? Well the centre of the cut salami was still moist so I rehung the remaining four. In your experience (all) if the case hardens too much is it then hard to get the interior of the salami to dry? Pictures have been taken but still need to put them up. Any thoughts?

Cheers
Adam

[akesingland]

Hi All

As promised here are some pictures of my first salami. In the background is one of my larded pancetta







Cheers
Adam

[Fallow Buck]

They look great.

Seems like you got a good result regardless of it being the first time.

FB

[paco2046]

hi akesingland:

I also made my first salami a week ago. now they look ok.

Just a bit curious seeing your photo, is there any white mold on your salami?

[akesingland]

Hi paco2046

Don't get worried about the absence of a mold. I know it claimed it's a good thing, especially the white ones. Look on Len Poli's site http://home.pacbell.net/lpoli/page0002.htm. I have heard of people buying a comercially prdouced salami with a white mold and hanging it with their own.

Cheers
Adam

[paco2046]

ha, I have got 'my mold' on salami few days ago, but I can't find it on your photos, does it appear now on your salami?

[akesingland]

No never had mold, I don't think absence of mold is a problem.

Cheers
Adam

[paco2046]

oh, I get your point now

[paco2046]

just too curious, so I cut the small one to see whats happen!! looks all right tho, but still have 'hard rind' and the mould is wet?

[akesingland]

What does it taste like??

[tristar]

Paco,

I would be concerned with a damp mould, it would probably be advisable to wipe them down with a vinegar soaked rag and dry them afterwards. The hard rind is normally due to too low a humidity or too high a curing temperature, but these conditions normally wouldn't allow a wet mould to form! Is the temperature and humidity stable where you have dried the salami?

To fix the problem of the hard rind, follow Spuddy's recommendations upthread and just place the salami in a plastic bag, this will allow the moisture in the salami to equalise from the centre to the outside.

[paco2046]

@ akesingland: It tastes like a plain salami, doesn't has the strong and characteristic aroma as shop-brought one I hope my next salami will be better

@ tristar: thanks for your advices, yes they have put in plastic bag for a couple days now And I am also very concern about the mould, tho I use shop-brought salami skin as starter culture ... ... for safty, I remove the ring before I eat it.