Italian salami cacciatore recipe

Cacciatore It means hunter in Italian and originated from the consumption of this salami during hunting, as it was easy to transport and did not spoil. It is usually 15 to 18 centimeters long and is cured with spices, wine and herbs. It's great to accompany a good cheese and Italian bread.O cacciatore salami It is a fermented salami that is relatively easy to make, but can be challenging due to temperatures and humidity. It is thin, embedded in pork casing that facilitates the curing/drying process. Thicker salamis usually use beef casing or collagen casing, which are widely used in commercial meatpacking salami. You can cure this salami in two weeks, but ideally you should wait at least a month to get a better result.

You can change the seasonings however you prefer, we just recommend not changing the salt, curing salt and sugar, which are the key ingredients in the production process.

Environment and utensils

• A humidifier or a place with air humidity close to 85% to ferment the salami;
• A place to cure/dry the salami after fermentation, preferably with humidity close to 80% and temperature between 12ºC and 14C;
• Collagen casings measuring 50mm, 30cm long, cut and stapled or tied on one side;
• A meat grinder with a coarse disc or a very sharp knife to finely chop the meat;
• A bagger/cannon or a funnel to stuff the salami.

Italian salami cacciatore recipe

• 1.8 kg of pork (shoulder, shank);
• 400 g of pork fat (belly);
• 40 g of salt;
• 20 g of sugar;
• 6 g of curing salt (6% of nitrite, 3% of nitrate and 93.75% of salt);
• 6 g of antioxidant based on sodium erythorbate;
• 2 g of powdered or dehydrated garlic;
• 1 g of cumin;
• 3 g of black pepper;
• 3 g of sweet paprika;
• 0.1 g of starter culture (lactic acid bacteria); 
• 60 g of water;
• 60 g of red wine.

Preparation of Italian cacciatore salami

• Refrigerate the meat and fat for one hour. Preferably leave it in the freezer for a while so that it is almost frozen (4ºC);
• Cut the meat and fat into approximately 2 cm cubes. Remove as many nerves as you can;
• Mix the meat, fat, seasoning, salt and curing salt and refrigerate again for one hour. It is essential to always keep it well refrigerated so that the fat does not melt during the process;
• Grind using a coarse disc or chop very finely, about half a centimeter;
• Add the starter culture to the water and leave for 5 minutes;
• Remove the meat from the refrigerator and place it in the mixer (preferably orbital with a flat paddle), add the starter culture mixed with water and wine, mix at low speed for 2 minutes or until the mixture becomes sticky;
• Place the mixture in the sausage bagger and fill the casing. Leave some space to tie the end with string;
• Pierce any air bubbles that appear with a fine needle;
• Now you will need to start fermenting the added starter culture. For the process to occur it is necessary to maintain high humidity, hang and use a humidifier to maintain humidity in the environment;
• Leave for 24 to 48 hours. This moment is important because the starter culture must prosper by preventing other colonies from proliferating;
• At the end of fermentation, start curing/drying in a cold environment (between 12ºC and 14ºC) and with medium humidity (between 70% and 85%), but not completely dry. Let it dry for 2 to 6 weeks before trying it;
• The salami will be ready when it loses between 30% and 40% of its initial weight.
• Store in the refrigerator or vacuum-packed in the freezer.