This very simply seasoned salami packs a tremendous amount of flavor!! The secret is in the casing. The Budello Gentile (hog bung). This thick casing allows for a nice slow drying period, and as we all know the slower it dries the more flavor it develops!
Follow basic salami preparation practices when making this sausage.
- Clean and sanitize all of your equipment.
- Keep your meat and grinder parts super cold (under 34f or 1c) during the grinding process.
- Rehydrate your starter culture (in non-chlorinated water) for 30 minutes prior to use.
- Mix your very chilled mincemeat (under 34f or 1c), seasonings, and starter culture till the mince becomes very tacky.
- Tightly stuff the mince into casings and prick out any air pockets.
- Record the starting weight and the target weight of each salami link.
- Brush with protective mold culture (unless you plan on cold smoking)
- Hang the salami to ferment.
- After the pH target has been hit, hang the salami to dry till the weight loss target has been achieved.
- Remove from the drying chamber, slice thinly, and enjoy.
Here are a few things you might find useful when making salami.
- Bacteria Starter Cultures
- Protective Mold for Salami
- Budello Gentile (Casing for this salami)
- Insta Cure #2 (Curing Salt with Nitrites/Nitrates)
- EcoCure #2 (No Nitrite Curing Salt)
- Dextrose
- Iodophor Sanitizer
- MK4 Thermapen (Accurate Thermometer)
- Sausage Pricker
- Apera pH Meter with Bluetooth
- Dry Curing Cabinet
- Kotai Chef Knife
- Sausage Stuffers
- Meat Grinder
- Meat Mixers
- Stuffing Horn Cleaner
- Butcher Twine & Dispenser
- Small accurate Scale for spices
- Large Capacity Scale (33 pounds)
- Meat Slicer
- Drying rack and tray
- Custom Cutting Board
- InkBird Controllers temp & Humidity
- Dehumidifier Eva Dry 1100
- Humidifiers
- Hand Held Vacuum SealerHeavy Duty Kitchen Vacuum Sealer
If you want to see the different things that we use in operation our be sure to check out our new Amazon Store.
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We had another go at this salami but using the appropriate casing. Check it out here.
Gentile Salami
The "Kind" Salami
How much do you want to make? 1000 grams
Ingredients
- 800 g lean pork
- 200 g pork back fat
- 22.5 g salt
- 2.5 g Insta cure #2
- 2 g black pepper
- 3 g garlic powder
- 2 g dextrose
- 30 ml white wine
- Flavor of Italy Starter Culture re-hydrate 1/4 tsp of starter in 1/4 cup of distilled water for every kilo (2.2 pounds) of meat/fat. Let this rest for 30 minutes
- mold 600 re-hydrate 1/2 tsp of mold in 1/2 cup of non-chlorinated water. This will do about 5-10 pounds of salami. Let sit at room temp for at least 5 hours before use
- Hog Bung This traditional casing is known as the budello gentile
Instructions
- Prepare the casing by rinsing and soaking in warm water for 4-5 hours.
- If you are using a mold culture (mold 600) prepare at least 2-3 hours before you need it. This will give it a chance to "wake up".
- Clean your meat of any sinew or silverskin and cut the meat and fat into small chunks (small enough to fit into your grinder)
- Chill your meat to below 34f (1.1c). Grind chilled meat and fat through a course plate (10mm). Rechill after grinding.
- Rehydrate the starter culture in non-chlorinated water for 30 minutes prior to using.
- Add all of the spices, cure, dextrose, wine, and starter culture to the chilled ground meat. Mix well until everything is thoroughly incorporated. It should feel tacky and stick to your hand if you turn your hand upside down, when finished.
- Stuff the mince tightly into your casings, prick with a sausage pricker, and if you plan on using mold this would be a good time to brush it on. Also weigh your salami and record the weight. Record your target weight as well. For a firm salami I would target a 40% weight loss.
- Ferment your salami by placing them in an environment that between 75F (23.9c) and 85F (29.4c) with high humidity for 18-24 hours. You can achieve high humidity by wrapping your salami in cling film. This locks in the moisture. A good place to ferment is in your oven with the light on but the oven off. (EVERY STARTER CULTURE IS DIFFERENT. THESE INSTRUCTIONS ARE FOR THE FLAVOR OF ITALY STARTER CULTURE). The goal of fermentation is to reach a pH between 5.2 and 4.9.
- Once you have reached the target pH you can transfer your salami to the drying chamber.
- The drying conditions should be set to 55F (13c) and 80% humidity. Leave it in here till you lose 40% moisture loss.
- once you hit your weight loss target, slice thinly and enjoy
Storage Instructions
- To store your salami, remove the casing and wash the salami with either vinegar or wine. Place your salami stick in a vacuum sealed bag and refrigerate.
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When I change the amount I want to make the on-line calculator works however when I go to print the printed copy reverts back to 1000. I’ve tried to change the print version in the box however it does not recalculate.
Hey Georgs, Is it working for you? On my end it’s working fine. You might want to clear the cache on your computer and see if that fixes it. My web folks were working on the problem yesterday.
Eric,
Just now watched this video – not sure how it got past me so far; in answer to your one question and your one implied question:
Nowadays, I generally use pork shoulder for fresh sausage, but in limited quantities in salami – it seems to finish with a “brassy” note that I am not sure how to describe. My salami (if it is 100% pork) will now generally use about 25% shoulder (max) with the rest being loin and belly – this seems to produce the creamy sensation that we like with our salami.
Your implied question regarding the casing brings up a number of thoughts. I have gone almost exclusively to beef bungs for salami based on my experience with Kulen Salami. (I will comment on that recipe as well in a bit). The added aging/curing time for a large diameter salami adds so much flavor AND nuance to the end product that it is well worth the additional drying time in my opinion. My salami batches are normally oriented towards 10 pounds of farse, so I will normally have a pound or two left after filling the beef bung, and that will go into a smaller protein lined casing; this also gives me the opportunity to compare the end product as I often vacuum store the smaller diameter until the larger one is ready. The difference is pretty significant in my mind.
I have a Genoa Salami in a beef bung in the drying chamber right now – I can let you know how that turns out in 95-100 days probably.
I haven’t yet tried the Hog Bung, but will do so after this video.
Regards,
pjk