Notes from the Cure Meats and Salmi Making Course at Sausages Made Simple

19 May 2018

 

 

Salami

The Meat

• Sausages Made Simple (SMS) can supply meat, they sell everything else needed
• always aim for highest quality and fresh meat as possible
• use the best parts that you can get for salami
• neck is better but more expensive – $25/kg
• aim for meat with 15-25% fat
• shoulder is minced (by them or butcher if you want), with back/belly fat which is the best
• only female pig is used in Aus. Moving slowly towards castrated males as well, but not there yet
• pickup your meat on the day you make salami or day before
• mince and use immediately – don’t let it sit minced for too long

Mincing

• ensure your mincer doesn’t heat up and therefore heat up the meat. It’s the sign of a poor machine
• mince should come out effortlessly, machine shouldn’t struggle
• 6mm holes is fine, 10-12mm is coarse

Mixing Mince and Ingredients

• 35g salt per kg normally
• demo was making Venetian style – ingredients = garlic, cinnamon, spices, light red wine
• if using chilli, use dried chilli only
• mix ingredients with salt
• salami curing is a fermentation process that happens with natural bacteria in the meat
• additional culture (good bacteria – lactose vasilis) can be added to give you some insurance that fermentation will complete
• recommend to use nitrate salt and added bacteria as it protects against toxins. They sell these.
• mix ingredients, salt and culture into the meat evenly and thoroughly. Really important!!!
• should smell nice at this stage
• must be sticky

Casings

• can get natural dried casings
• can use real gut, harder to work with and doesn’t peel off as well
• most people buy dry casings
• SMS sell all types of casings, string, crimps, etc
• beginners should start with smaller size casings
• place in water for 15 min first

Filling

• poke the and of the casing first
• use a good filler, pack the mince in
• fill the filler snuggly with the mince
• slowly fill the casing, compacting as you go. Takes practice
• tie-up when down, double knot
• casings are normally 30-40cm
• tie-off at the half-way mark, you will notice they will go harder
• SMS recommend using netting, need a netting tube for this
• tie-off and hang
• pierce them evenly, not too much
• first 3 days of hanging the salami should be around 20 deg, then drop to 16 deg
• you can warm up the air around them on the first day (small fire)
• they will be firm and lighter when ready
• can cryovac at that point

 

Capi Colo (Salumi – neck)

• use quality meat, should display marbelling, distributed with fat
• 1kg – 2kg recommended
• the piece should have nice rounded edges
• 1kg of salt for 1-2kg meat
• can mix some nitrate into coarse salt
• coat the meat thoroughly with the salt/nitrate and place in a nice-fitting container
• put it in the fridge for 24 hours
• after 12 hours, turn over
• rinse off with cold water
• demo was making Roman style: ingredients = 2ts coriander, 1ts ground black pepper, 1ts chilli flake, 1ts white pepper
• grind with pestle and mortar
• coat the meat with the mix and rub it in
• put the meat into a large casing
• then insert into netting
• 6 weeks to cure (check this?)

 

Panchetta (Pork belly)

• 1kg – 2 kg wight recommended
• remove ribs and skin yourself or ask butcher to do
• if you roll it then flavour is more succulent and it’s softer
• rolled will take longer to ferment, flat will ferment quicker
• coat with coarse salt (with nitrate, again, recommended)
• leave in fridge for 12 hours, toss after 6 hours
• wash off salt with cold water
• Southern style mix – pepper paste, paprika, white pepper
• mix in bowl and then rub it all over the pork belly
• roll pork belly tightly with skin on the outside
• use 2 pieces of collagen (casing) to encase the PB, tightly tuck in the sides with pressure
• where the collagen is dry, apply some water. The paste will dampen it to an extent
• put into netting, size 18 is good for 1-2kg
• if the netting goes loose during fermentation, then swap for a tighter one
• can wrap in a special stocking to protect against flies
• hang
• 8 weeks to cure
• it will lose 30-40% weight

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