Homemade Sausage Making

So I'm finally all set up for Dry curing Salami. I thought I would start by Making a nice Salami di Alessanddra Which is better known as Genoa Salami. If it was not for "Project A" I probably would not have done this as soon as it gave me the confidence to start my first Dry cured salami.
So here we go from Start to the Fermenting stage.

The recipe is as follows:
Salami di Alessanddra by Stan Marianski

2.0 kg (4.4 lbs.) pork butt
2.0 kg (4.4 lbs.) beef chuck
1.0 kg (2.2 lbs.) pork back fat (or fat trimmings)
140 g. salt (3%)
12 g. cure #2 (do not use cure #1 in this recipe)
10 g. powdered dextrose (glucose)
15 g. sugar (3%)
15 g. white pepper
0.6 g. (1/4 tspn.) Bactoferm™ T-SPX
----- Bactoferm™ Mold 600

Optional: Note: To make 5 kg. sausage, about 7 g. of spices and 4 g. of herbs are needed.

120 ml. (1/2 cup) quality red burgundy or other dry red wine (Do not exceed ½ cup).
4 parts coriander (spice)
3 parts mace (spice)
2 parts allspice (spice)
1 part fennel (spice)
3 parts marjoram (herb)
1 part thyme (herb)
1 part basil (herb)

Started by Grinding Some Pork Back Fat




Then I ground some Pork Loin (used it because i had it in the freezer instead of Pork Butt)



Then on to the Chuck steak



Some of the Ingrediants going into the Salami





All mixed up and ready to stuff



First Salami out of the stuffer today



And finally hanging in the dry cure cabinet for a 3 day run at 85% RH and about 68° F for the fermenting process



The weight on the salamis is from left to right A thru D and I am looking for about a 30% weight loss over a 2 to 3 month period.
A= 2 Lb-14.4 oz
B= 2 Lb-15.6 oz
C= 2 Lb-14.2 oz
D= 2 Lb-7.4 oz

I will post pictures periodically of the progress

I like your set up.

Keymaster, that is incredible and lots of hard work eh? I have a question. What type of casings are you using? Your curing chamber is gorgeous. Are you using Bactoferm Mold 600? Did you remember to use only distilled water?
Keep up the great work!

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Chuckwagon wrote:What type of casings are you using? Your curing chamber is gorgeous. Are you using Bactoferm Mold 600? Did you remember to use only distilled water?

Im usig the 3" Fiberous casings that are protien lined from Sausagemaker. I am going to spray the Mold 600 on day three so it will be less likely to drip all over everything in the higher humidity of Fermintation. Distilled water all the way and even in the humidifier Do you think i should spray the salamis now with M-600, kinda unsure what to do with that.
Thanks for the compliment on the cabinet, searched Craigslist for 6 months to find it for $50. Forgot to mention I cut the casings down to 17"

Hey Aaron you sure are off to a good start. Waiting thre months is going to kill ya

Keymaster wrote:

If it was not for "Project A" I probably would not have done this as soon as it gave me the confidence to start my first Dry cured salami.

Keymaster, I really admire your approach to making dry cured salami. Most people don't bother to study and read the finer points of the craft and then proceed with their project using some of the knowledge and experience of others who have run the gauntlet. "Project A" was a lot of fun, but it was also a wonderful learning experience for nine folks who were baptized by fire! None failed although there were some sausages that were thrown out. They did not fail because everyone gained experience and knowledge just as you will. Three months from now you'll bite into the best salami you've ever tasted, believe me... IF... you follow the rules and don't cut corners. With your intelligent approach to the project, something just tells me that you will succeed with results higher than your expectations. Don't be afraid to ask these nine "Allysandra accomplished aces" any questions that come up. They will all be willing to help, I know. They are fine folks. Good luck pal, and as they say, "break a leg"!

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Looks outstanding Keymaster. You are certain to be a success. I would spray with mold ASAP personally.

I pulled some of my salami from project A out of the fridge and brought it work just this week. The guys couldn't get enough.

Nice going

Dave Zac

Dave Zac wrote:Looks outstanding Keymaster. You are certain to be a success. I would spray with mold ASAP personally.

I pulled some of my salami from project A out of the fridge and brought it work just this week. The guys couldn't get enough.

Nice going

Dave Zac

Thanks Dave, I'll run to the store this morning and get some more distilled water and get the M-600 on the salami's.
Thanks everybody for the nice compliments.

Aaron

Aaron My RH went so high, mold all dripped off. That's why I applied it again latter.
If your RH is stable yes I would spray it.

Keith

Brewoz wrote:Aaron My RH went so high, mold all dripped off. That's why I applied it again latter.
If your RH is stable yes I would spray it.

Keith

Thank you Keith, Seems pretty stable, RH was 90% this morning so I turned the Humidity control down ever so slitely. Just waiting on the M-600 to wake up for a couple hours then I purchased a spray bottle I will get them sprayed down after lunch.
FYI other forum members, Keith Directed me to this fine forum and I have Been to his place where he makes Sausages,Salamis and Land jaggers and those are just a few things.

I put a data logger on the top shelf of the Cabinet yesterday where it is warmest in the cabinet as heat rises. It is a few degrees warmer than where the Salamis are hanging according to the weatherstation in the area of the Salamis.
I think I'm right on track with the temperature I need to be at. Here is a graph from the Data logger.

This is a picture of day 5, Im wondering if that mold is going to cover the rest of the salami or if I need to give it another dose? On day two I used a spray bottle of diluted m-600 per package instructions and saw no signs of mold on day three so I reapplied it using a two cup pour method over the salami while holding a cup under the salami to catch run off. Should I just leave the salami alone for now? the humidity was right at 85% before I opened the door and the humidifier kick on.

Hi Keymaster,
Just let nature take its course. Wait a few days and you won't believe your eyes. You'll have mold everywhere. Watch for any off-colored spots indicating other types of microorganisms such as yeasts. If you keep the moisture constant, you'll have perfect salami in less than 3 months. Did you weigh the fat and lean separately? If so, what was the per-cent fat content?
We're all behind you in this endeavor. Keep up the good work and don't be worrying about every little thing. It will work just fine if you've followed the correct procedure.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Chuckwagon,
Thanks for your help!! I used 2.2 pounds of Back fat so thats about 20%. Had one exactly 2.2 # I previously trimmed and package out of this box below and it was certified Poke to boot

Keymaster, Actually that salami looks disgusting if I were you I would throw it out and try again. Being I'm such a nice guy I will swing by your house tonight and take it off your hands. Looks great.

Keith