Salami Recipe

Ingredients

35% chuck/needle – 360 grams
35% of pork – 360 grams
30% pork belly fat (fat without the skin) – 280 grams

It is possible to change the percentages to obtain a product with less fat. But the ideal is to maintain at least 10% of fat.

You can only use pork meat, preferably from the shoulder or shank.

It is recommended not to use bacon/smoked bacon, as the taste will be incorporated into the product. Choose raw, fresh fat.

Basic seasonings and additives

20 g of salt
2.4 g of type 2 curing salt (6% of nitrite, 3% of nitrate and 93,75% of salt)
2.5 g of sugar
2.5 g black pepper
1 g starter culture (6.25% of nitrite and 93.75% of salt) for salami
30 ml of red wine

The amount of salami culture may vary depending on the supplier, follow the recommendation indicated on the packaging. The starter culture will help with protection and enzymatic action that enriches the aroma and flavor of the final product.

Casing/Gut

I recommend using collagen casing for salami or natural cattle casing. Pork tripe is generally thinner, but depending on the region of the intestine it can vary in size, the same happens with cattle tripe. To start the tests, I recommend the thinnest casings, as they speed up the drying process. Thicker salami takes much longer to dry.

Natural casings must be rinsed well to remove the salt used to preserve them. The synthetic collagen casing does not need rinsing, just immersion in water for a few minutes to hydrate.

For natural tripe, after rinsing, place it in a basin with warm water and leave it to hydrate while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

Salami preparation

• Cut the meat into 1 cm cubes and remove all excess sinew and fat;
• Trim the fat (pig belly without the skin) and cut into 1cm cubes;
• Add the meat and seasonings and place in the freezer until semi-frozen (close to 0ºC);
• Place the fat in the freezer until it is semi-frozen (close to 0ºC);
• Grind the meat on the fine disc of your grinder, return it to the freezer;
• Grind the fat with the fine disc of your grinder, add the previously ground meat and beat at low speed with the hook or flat blade of your orbital mixer for 5 minutes, or mix well with a spoon until the mixture is sticky;
• Let the mixture rest for 24 to 48 hours in the refrigerator;
• Fill the collagen or natural casing with this mixture; how to fill sausages?
• Tie the ends and separations with a string or attach a metal clip;
• Read below to understand how to proceed with maturation (curing, incubation and drying);

Salami maturation

Salami matures in three distinct phases: curing, incubation and drying. Ideally, each phase should have a specific temperature and humidity. Ideally, the pH of the salami should be below 5.3 after the first few days, meaning it should quickly become acidic. This way, there is no risk of botulism. Acidification can be achieved by adding wine, vinegar or citric acid to the recipe.

The salami cure

The curing process begins when the curing salt is added, and this happens even before filling the casing. Ideally, the meat should rest (before filling) for 48 hours in the refrigerator. In addition to curing the meat (giving flavor and color), the curing salt will prevent the emergence of possible harmful organisms that have contaminated the meat. After this initial curing period, the mixture is filled into the casing. The cure will continue to act during the following processes (incubation and drying).

Salami Incubation

Incubation is the beginning of salami fermentation. For the starter culture added to the mixture to begin to act, let the salami rest for 2 days in a dark place, with an ideal temperature close to 25ºC and relative humidity close to 80%. You can use a humidifier to keep the environment always humid. It is essential that the bacteria in the culture thrive and begin the production of lactic acid, which will modify the pH of the product and inhibit the proliferation of harmful organisms. As previously stated, this step can be skipped by adding an acidifier to the recipe such as wine, vinegar or citric acid.

Salami drying

After the incubation period, the salami begins to dry, which aims to reduce the product's moisture. The process is carried out in a cold and dark environment, with a temperature close to 14ºC. This phase can be done in the refrigerator, but be careful with the power of the refrigerator, as too much cold can excessively slow down the process and dry out the product.

The drying stage “wrinkles” the salami as it removes around 45% from the initial weight of the product and generally takes 20 to 60 days to reach a good level, but it can take up to 8 months for very thick salami and low-porous casings.

It is very likely that mold will appear around the salami. This is natural and very desirable in flavor generation. The general rule is that white, dry mold is “good” and “green,” “dark” or slimy mold is a negative sign. To decide what to do with a product with “strange” mold, I recommend that you research and read about the types of mold, as it is essential to know exactly what is happening before consumption. If you want to remove mold, even white mold, rub a cloth with brine around the salami. Read more about mold in the post Mold on salami and other sausages.

Recommended literature
Salumi: Savory Recipes and Serving Ideas for Salami, Prosciutto, and More
Salumi: The Craft of Italian Dry Curing