Homemade Sausage Making

After fermenting and dry curing italian sausage and soppresata, can i vacuum pack with a food sealer to keep the product from getting any harder? Sometimes i have to throw them out. Is it necessary to refrigerate them? How long will they keep? thank you....Chich

i have vacuum sealed and froze. They seem to stand up fine. Taste may be altered slightly but better than tossing.

Hey all
Great question, I vacuum sealed a hot fermented dry cured salami a while back and then refrigerated it. A month later I opened the package one evening, the salami seemed to be a little mushy or slimy texture! I threw it out, concerned it may have gone bad, didn`t want to chance it. Next time if I vacuum seal, I will keep the salami packaged in a 50 degree environment, and not refrigerated, seems to work in the grocery stores this way. I will put this to the test soon! At the pace I`m at now, I should have about 30 lbs of cured salami in the upcoming weeks.

I have been concerned about an over abundance of this stuff. I think that it was made to be consumed withing the year because fall butchering would happen and start the cycle all over again. If the sausage does turn to stone it can still be used in soups. I can think of no reason to throw away cured meat because it is too dry. It can't get drier than a ten year old country ham. They just need a week to rehydrate. rancid would be the worst result of over age.

If the sausage does turn to stone it can still be used in soups

SSorllih
On my part, I don`t think an over abundance of this stuff would be a problem. Every time I make it, it goes quick. I was curious on vacuum sealing, and maybe keeping it in a 50 - 60 degree environment, like the stores carry it. I also notice that the stores do not keep fermented/cured salamis in the coolers. But they are vacuum sealed and kept in the deli / cheese isle here at our local grocer.

Stone soup

Much of it is just left out in its casings. But I think that those are plastic casings, not fiberous.