I got that Salami feeling again

[Huskybill]

Add some mustard and relish to your sammiches. I think it’s the G brand.

 

[user 122190]

2020 Salami. I have been making pizza and found my DIY Homemade Salami was running dangerously low.

Here is 20lbs of ground pork Butt&Shoulder and the seasoning I will be trying. Also more Cracklin (is really pork skin).

 

[user 122190]

Now the wait. These will hang for about 30 days, til they lose about 30% of their weight. I had to lick my fingers a few times, and these are tangy, spicy, and with just the right amount of salt.

 

[user 122190]

I moved the chubs out to the 1/2 root cellar, where they will hang for about a month. I weight one of the lighter chubs (25 ounces) and after 24 hours it has lost an ounce so far.

One simple tool I made to accelerate the cure dry, and should make for more uniform drying, was to take sewing needles and duct taped them to a wine cork. With about 15 to 20 needles I was able to quickly and completely prick the casings. Attempts in past years, I did without such a tool, and I am sure my casing piercings were halfhearted.

 

[user 122190]

2 weeks since these got started. 12% done. Slower then past years, but we have been unseasonably cool and humid. Should start to gain some speed. Chubs are quite tacky. I think that is due to the slow dry-cure and the pin pricked casings, as the chubs are uniform in density. In the past the ends would be more firm now. I am optimistic that these are going to be great.

 

[user 122190]

4 weeks and about 8.5 Oz of weight lose is accomplished. For chub shown -- target loss is 11.43 Oz for a final weight of 26.7 Oz.

Chubs are growing mold nicely, tacky feeling is nearly all gone, and the squeeze test is showing these to be firming up uniformly. Another 2 weeks? Maybe.

 

[user 122190]

Nearly 6 weeks and they are done or an ounce or less away from being done. Very firm, and juicy. Not sure why they appear so wet, but I did use a different recipe, so maybe. Bottom line, what really matters, is they are delicious. I freeze these and pull them out when desired. The freezing does complete the process -- makes them more firm and does remove some of the surface wetness.

 

[Huskybill]

Had a meat lovers calzone with ham, salami, cheese, mushrooms, pepperoni, meatballs it was awesome. I haven’t had a loaded pizza in 50 years, the eight of us were drag racing and had $1.25 each left. We bought a large pizza loaded with eight cans of coke, we were broke after taking the dates home. Lol memories.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

That mold.... yeahhhhh... no thanks!

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

When I worked in a deli we would wash the slab bacon when it got moldy.

I had bacon go moldy that I left in the fridge too long.
I trashed it. NO way I was chancing getting sick over $20 of bacon.

 

[Huskybill]

The slab bacon gets an outside mold. We washed it good, scrapped the first slice. I wonder if pepperoni would do the same thing?
What did they do to store this stuff before fridges? Cool basements.?