Salami preserved in paraffin or beeswax

Preserving salami in paraffin is a very old technique for preserving salami and other matured sausages. Paraffin or beeswax can be used, the important thing is that the material used can be melted and applied to the finished sausage, so that, when it dries, it forms a perfect seal on the outside of the salami, protecting it from excessive moisture loss. and against contamination. It is similar to a vacuum, but with the added benefit of also protecting against light, which is one of the inducers of oxidation (rancidity).

It is possible to use this technique on any salami that has undergone a long maturation process, that is, that has lost a good amount of water, such as, for example, a salami that has lost 45% of its weight during maturation. Shorter maturations, with smaller losses, result in products that still contain a lot of water, and are consequently more unstable and susceptible to the proliferation of pathogens. To maximize the efficiency of this preservation process, I recommend that the salami is well matured, with a loss of at least 45% in weight.

Any salami recipe can be used, below is the one we used.

Ingredients

1kg Pork shank with fat
20g Salt
4g Black pepper
4g Smoked paprika
3g ground coriander seed
3g Curing salt 2 (6% of nitrite, 3% of nitrate and 93,75% of salt)
3g Antioxidant (with erythorbate)
100ml Cognac

Salami preparation

Cut the pork into small pieces or pass it through the grinder with the cutting disc with 10mm holes.

Add the condiments with the meat and fat and mix well until it forms a sticky, sticky dough with a good binding. This step is important so that the salami becomes more rigid, without falling apart when cut.

Use a funnel or sausage bagger to place the salami in natural or collagen casing with a caliber between 45 and 60mm, depending on the desired thickness. After embedding, pierce the areas with air bubbles with a needle. The air inside will oxidize the meat and fat, leaving these areas dark and with an altered flavor.

Hang in a cool, damp, dark and airy place until the salami loses at least 45% of its initial weight. If you don't want to follow the weight, press regularly and when it feels firm when pressing, it's ready. I hung it in a temperature-controlled minibar, you can also use a mini wine cellar for 12 wines, which is a great environment. Add a few pots of water to increase humidity. It is also possible to use a regular refrigerator, but in this case follow this other recipe. Handmade salami made in the fridge.

Prepare a long, cylindrical container, which can be a pipe or stacked cans, to place the melted paraffin and dip the salami, so that you can submerge all the salami in the paraffin. For this recipe I used 3 cans of condensed milk stacked.

Melt the paraffin at 80ºC, place it in the container and dip the salami until it is completely covered. Repeat the operation until there is a good layer of paraffin stuck to the outside of the salami. You can dip more or less times depending on the thickness of the desired outer layer.

Store at room temperature or refrigerated, whichever you prefer. This way it will last at least 90 days.