# I got that Salami feeling again



## MontanaResident (May 3, 2018)

This time of the year the temp and humidity is just right for doing dry-cured meats. This year it is Landjager Salami.

About 8lbs, following an internet recipe. I was treated to some Deli made Landjager last year and was it ever good!!! Will see how well I do. This is my 3rd year making dry-cured (various) Salami, Capicola, Pepperoni, etc. Once you do this there is no way I will ever buy Salami from a Grocery Store. Even my lesser successes are better then I can buy.

A good 4 hours of grinding, mixing, and stuffing this is my results so far. The big ones I will flatten (for a few days) as is customarily done with this type of Salami, and then the links and the Chubs, I will let ferment and then hang for the 30+ days til they lose about 30% of their weight.












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## svk (May 3, 2018)

Looks delicious!


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## chipper1 (May 3, 2018)

svk said:


> Looks delicious!


Reminds me of opening a saw I just got today. I pulled everything out of the box and then I saw a bag of jerky on the table right by another bag that came with the saw, I was like  oh. I was a bit confused, but then realized it was the jerky I had bought yesterday and left it on the table . It was really good .


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## MontanaResident (May 4, 2018)

Looks like I over stuffed the Chubs. They are not flattening out like I had hoped. I don't dare put more weight atop, or risk rupturing the casings. I will try my hand at string tying the chubs for the extra professional deli look. The links hung over night and have turned a shade of brown (fermentation happening). Beef turns brown, pork a shade of red or pink. Later today, I'll move them to my almost root cellar for the long cure.


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## MontanaResident (May 4, 2018)

Now the wait. In about a week some white mold should start to appear, a week later the mold should almost cover as the chubs show shrinkage and the small room begins to smell sweet and tangy.


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## MontanaResident (May 9, 2018)

White mold starting to appear. Shows fermentation is progressing, and lactic acid developing, which is also apparent by the sweet tangy smell.

I opened and started eating some venison/pork salami I made 2 years ago. Wow!


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## ChoppyChoppy (May 9, 2018)

Ramen noodles in the root cellar.

Gotta preserve that flavor haha!


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## MontanaResident (May 10, 2018)

I call it my 1/2 root cellar. Along one side it is dug into the side of the hill. It's always cool in there.


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## MontanaResident (May 18, 2018)

2 Weeks in, and 2 more to go, and these will be finished or very close. No longer tacky feeling, Chubs and Links are getting firm, and the mold is growing nicely.


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## MontanaResident (May 24, 2018)

One more week to go. The links are very firm, and done. I'll cut into one for confirmation and taste in a few days. The Chubs are unyieldingly firm at the ends, and towards the center getting firmer every day. They should be done next week or soon after.


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## MontanaResident (May 28, 2018)

Neighbors brought over some canned tomatoes and canned peaches from their garden this morning. In returning the favor, we cut out one of the salami links and sliced into it. Very firm, looks and tastes great. Chubs are firming up, maybe another week and 2018 salami will be complete.


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## MontanaResident (Jun 4, 2018)

It is all finished. Dayum, Good Eating too.


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## svk (Jul 10, 2018)

How do you get the correct mold to grow? Does it just naturally appear.

Meat looks great BTW


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## MontanaResident (Jul 10, 2018)

It naturally occurs. I know that for others it doesn't occur. I guess, I'm just lucky. I made Tuscan Salami a few years ago and the mold was thick and it was making a mess.



svk said:


> How do you get the correct mold to grow? Does it just naturally appear.
> 
> Meat looks great BTW


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## Huskybill (Jul 14, 2018)

Looks good. My misses just returned from vacation in Italy to meet the relatives she brought home salami, super sod it looked like yours very tasty. There’s no stores in Italy like here everything is homemade. Italian fresh bread can be purchased there. My grandfather from Italy would make a meal from provalone cheese, salami, Italian bread and homemade wine.


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## Deleted member 150358 (Jul 15, 2018)

Think I got me some of that there white mold growing in the wood pile. Don't think that elms gonna have much flavor and be awful stringy.

Great job on those for sure. Makes my mouth water and long for some beer stix.


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## svk (Jul 15, 2018)

So when you eat it, you just peel that skin off?


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## MontanaResident (Jul 15, 2018)

The casing usually gets a bit moldy, a darker less appealing look, beneath the white (good) mold. I strip the casing off and make sure the fuzzy green or even black mold has not effected the meat. If all looks good I double wrap it and put it into the freezer. Tainted meat, ala botulism is nothing to fool with. Salt is the main ingredient that prevent this deadly bacteria. The more the safer. Of course if to much is used the taste is not palatable. The rules are 2.5 to 3% salt by weight, and with proper sanitary steps and a proper curing environment the risks are minimal. Over the years, of the dozens and dozens of Salami Chubs, I've only tossed a couple. Safety first.

Here is a picture of a very very large batch, I made of a few years ago, that I am still eating.

Fun to do, great to eat, but you got to do it right. Making the first batch is a bit scary, but results are well worth it.

If you have the proper set up, 60% humidity + 60% temperature over a 30+ day period, and want to try this, I recommend a kit.

This is what I first tried and the results were spectacular, and it was off to the races afterwards.

Salami Kit -> https://www.amazon.com/consisting-P...F8&qid=1531694959&sr=8-15&keywords=salami+kit

I reviewed this kit on Amazon, and there are more pictures hosted by Amazon.








svk said:


> So when you eat it, you just peel that skin off?


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## svk (Jul 15, 2018)

Great info, thank you


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## Huskybill (Aug 8, 2019)

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


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## Huskybill (Sep 12, 2019)

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


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## MontanaResident (May 15, 2020)

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).


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## MontanaResident (May 16, 2020)

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.


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## MontanaResident (May 17, 2020)

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.


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## MontanaResident (May 30, 2020)

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.


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## MontanaResident (Jun 13, 2020)

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.


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## MontanaResident (Jun 25, 2020)

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.


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## Huskybill (Jul 18, 2020)

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.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Jul 18, 2020)

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


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## ChoppyChoppy (Jul 18, 2020)

Huskybill said:


> 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.


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## Huskybill (Jul 18, 2020)

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.?


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