Shelf Life and Storage

Post by **Butterbean** » Sat Sep 27, 2014 17:54

Going back to the beginnings and the basics of curing sausage I have a few questions.

1. What is the average shelf life of the dry and fermented sausages regarding quality and is there any rules of thumb you can use to estimate this?

2. How would the people in times gone by store these sausages? Reason I ask is I have some hanging and they are pretty old and have gotten very dry and have constricted to the point they are squeezing oil from them. I'm figuring this oil is from fats other than back fat which is why back fat is important when making something you will keep for a long time.

Also, it seems some of the spice based flavor is now gone and has been replaced more by the flavor of the meat. Not a bad thing but it sure was better when the sausage was fresher. This makes me wonder if when making something I know I'll allow to age if I shouldn't up the spices some. Thoughts?

Just mainly interested in some ideas on how to best store these dried and/or fermented sausages where they will keep the quality up without having to store them using any electricity.

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Sun Sep 28, 2014 03:11

pork fat is a complex mixture of several fats with small differences in structure. I once saw the analysis of chicken fat being sold as animal feed and they named about 12 fats that made the whole mixture. I should think that the cooks during times past determined that it was time to make soup from some of the older hardened sausage . I think that the cook and the master of the house controlled the food supplies.

Post by **Butterbean** » Sun Sep 28, 2014 03:41

This is what I think heaven looks like and I can't help but wonder how they keep them from getting hard. Or is hard really a problem?

When you see your cured ones getting on the hard side does anyone just cryo-vac them to stop the drying? I know they used to submerge them in lard here but I don't want to go that route.

Post by **redzed** » Sun Sep 28, 2014 05:43

Yeah, I've had that happen a few times when the dry sausage starts oozing an oily exudate, and what that meant was that it was dried too long. I now keep my salami six to eight weeks in the curing chamber, and if it is not eaten by then, it's vac packed and frozen, Because there is so little moisture in the meat by that stage it freezes very well, in fact better than smoked sausage.

And that is a great picture! Would love to sample all of that hanging goodness!

Post by **Butterbean** » Sun Sep 28, 2014 14:33

Picture is heavenly isn't it? Its of a shop in New York. Forget the name.

Do you think freezing is necessary? I know it would be the safe thing to do but if the AW is right it should still be shelf stable in the vac bag and the bag would keep it from drying anymore till use.

Post by **redzed** » Sun Sep 28, 2014 16:32

You could vac pac the product and probably store in the fridge for a while. Commercial salamis are sold that way and not frozen for months. But then I suspect they add preservatives.

Or you could hang it from the rafters and use a hatchet to chop off a piece once in a while!

Post by **Butterbean** » Sun Sep 28, 2014 17:32

Am familiar with the hatchet. Have a ham that celebrated its one year anniversary back in 2010. Gave it to a friend and he has it hanging in his barn. From time to time they will whittle slices off it.

I agree the salami wrapped could probably stay indefinitely in the fridge but it would seem wrapping it would simply halt any further drying and it would be just as safe in the bag as it would hanging - assuming the AW was right and it was cured correctly.

I would just like to be able to halt the drying process when the sausage is at its peak and store it without refrigeration. Am thinking the cryo-vac would be the way but I'm not positive. I can't see how it would hurt since it shouldn't be a suitable environment for pathogens and all you are doing is halting the drying. Sortof like slathering a ham down with lard to stall the drying.

Post by **Bob K** » Sun Sep 28, 2014 17:50

I have stored vac sealed salami/pepperoni in the fridge for 5-6 months and if anything it evened out the moisture and the flavor improved...but that requires refrigeration.

The Marianski book stated that they can be stored at 50-59f if you have an area that cool.

Shuswap · Post by **Shuswap** » Sun Sep 28, 2014 18:50

redzed wrote:Or you could hang it from the rafters and use a hatchet to chop off a piece once in a while!

Reminds me of the mountain roads in Ecuador where you could stop beside a full hanging smoked pig carcass and buy a slice - their idea of jerky

Post by **Butterbean** » Sun Sep 28, 2014 19:06

Bob K wrote:I have stored vac sealed salami/pepperoni in the fridge for 5-6 months and if anything it evened out the moisture and the flavor improved...but that requires refrigeration.

The Marianski book stated that they can be stored at 50-59f if you have an area that cool.

That's what got me thinking. I guess in the day they would do this in the fall and make enough to keep them through the winter so temp wasn't a problem. I also suspect many had root cellars.

Just thinking out loud here, I've seen heat bring humidity which can "wet" the meat and make it suitable for wild molds but if the meat was sealed and the available water content was low enough to prevent the growth of normal pathogens, and cure was used, acidity right, would temperature even be a factor? I'm just thinking out loud.

I really need to dig a root cellar.