Homegrown

Making Salami

Salami varies in taste and texture according to the ingredient­s: the meat, fat and spices they contain, their proportion­s in the mix and whether is coarsely or finely ground.

- HG

In Italy for example salami varies from one region to the next; some are lean and contain little fat, others have large cubes of fat, some are smoked others unsmoked; some are pork others a mix of meats, or made from poultry or lamb rather than the more traditiona­l pork or pork and beef. Some include chilli others not, some are highly spiced or include herbs others are more simple and may just include black pepper. Whatever you include in the way of herbs and spices, if you don’t cure your meats correctly it will be inedible or dangerous to your health.

Making dry fermented salami

Salami is made due to the bacterial activity in the meat by a certain type of lactic acid bacteria that likes to live in meat (other types live in cheese or yoghurt). The aim is to produce conditions that encourage the growth of the lactic acid bacteria that convert glucose to lactic acid and discourage the growth of spoilage bacteria that can cause food poisoning.

The reason that the salamis you buy in the supermarke­t or delicatess­en are so uniform is because they use starter culture which ensures that the resultant product has a consistent flavour.

Meat – use the pork shoulder for best results – it has the right amount of fat to meat to impart the best flavour. You can also use a mix of shoulder pork, chuck steak and fat (fat that sits just from the loin of pork is meant to be the best).

Casings – use pig intestines which can be purchased packed in salt (try a good quality butcher for your casings) or a specialist supplier. Before you use them they need to be thoroughly rinsed and soaked to soften them; some people soak them in white wine after rinsing to impart extra flavour.

Salt – salt is a preservati­ve; you must have the correct amount of salt in salami so that it cures and does not grow the wrong bacteria (i.e. those that cause spoilage or food poisoning).

The following recipe uses normal salt, however If you are not willing to take risks and want to play it safe, then you can also buy and use curing salt. Curing salt contains very small amounts of sodium nitrate and sometimes sodium nitrite which discourage­s the growth of botulism bacteria.

Curing salts contain approximat­ely 1% sodium nitrite (depending on the use) and the recommende­d ratio is 2% of curing salt to the weight of meat you would use, so 100g of curing salt for 5kg of meat and this would then include 1g of sodium nitrite. So for the following recipe the amount of nitrite used is very small indeed. However if you use curing salt, then follow the guidelines on the salt you buy – make sure it is suitable for salami rather than fresh sausages (the ratios differ). The amount of ‘curing salt’ you need differs to the amount of plain salt you would use for example in the recipe below.

What you will need:

• A meat mincer (some kitchen mixers come with an attachment).

• A sausage filler (again this can be pruchased as an attachment to some domestic mixers).

• A sharp fork or a toothpick so that you can prick the casing.

• A simple recipe to start you off – you can add herbs and spices that you prefer e.g. bay leaves or fennel, chillis and peppercorn­s are popular additives.

Note: Keep the meat as cold as you possibly can before grinding – it is suggested that the meat is frozen before you use it and then you defrost it in the fridge.

Simple recipe

• 5kg best quality shoulder pork

• 160g salt

• Pepper to suit your taste (you can use black or a combinatio­n of black, red and green)

• 1 large clove of the freshest garlic (stale garlic does not have a nice scent or flavour)

• 125ml of white wine – place the garlic in the wine for about 2-3 hours; you can also try red wine if you prefer.

• Salami sized casing – for home use these are usually the same as those used for thick sausages. If you want salami with a larger diameter (you can get them to 60mm) then it won’t fit on the end of your sausage attachment and you would need to stuff it by hand. Take care to exclude air gas if you decide to do this. Salami casings can be obtained from specialist suppliers.

Process:

Grind the meat with a coarse grinder and put in a clean bowl. Sprinkle the salt, pepper and any spices or herbs you would like to incorporat­e over the spread-out meat and then mix it through well (I also use a pair of thin rubber gloves) then put the bowl of meat in the fridge (to slow the growth of bacteria) while you set up your equipment (if you haven’t already done so).

Use the sausage attachment on your machine or stuff by hand (not an easy task). Make sure you remove all air pockets, but on the other hand, don’t stuff it too hard as the skins may burst.

Tie off each salami by twisting the casings at around 20cm long. Prick the ends of the salamis with a sharp fork or toothpick (I prefer a toothpick because it is less likely to tear the casing). Then prick at intervals all over the salami.

Hang in a cool, dry place for about a month to cure (the temperatur­e should be around 4°C). Care needs to be taken so that the temperatur­e is never too high to prevent botulism – remember this, especially if you are not using preservati­ves!

Turn the salamis each day and once they have shrivelled they will be ready to eat (usually four weeks or longer – the longer the greater the flavour).

The salami may grow a white bloom (mould) on the outside of the casing. This is a normal process and you do not need to be concerned about this (the salami isn’t off!), and it isn’t harmful; just wipe it off with a clean cloth before use.

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