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Saucisson Sec

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Follow basic salami preparation practices when making this sausage.

  1. Clean and Sanitize all of your equipment.
  2. Keep your meat and grinder parts super cold (below 35F) during the grinding process
  3. Rehydrate your starter culture (in non-chlorinated water) for 30 minutes prior to use.
  4. Mix your very chilled mince meat, seasonings, and starter culture till the mince becomes very tacky
  5. Tightly stuff the mince into casings and prick out any air pockets
  6. Record the starting weight and the target weight of each salami link
  7. Hang the salami to ferment for 18-24 hours (these parameters are for Flavor of Italy starter culture)
  8. After the pH target has been hit hang the salami to dry till the weight loss target has been achieved.
  9. Remove from the drying chamber, slice thinly, and enjoy

Here are a few things you might find useful when making this salami

How do you store your salami when it’s finished

Storing your salami properly is just about as important as making your salami. You’ve spent so much time patiently waiting for your salami to dry properly the last thing you want is to have it ruined by storing it incorrectly. In all my years of salami making the advice I’m about to give is from personal experience.

I have found that the best way to store your salami is by vacuum sealing it then placing it in your refrigerator till you are ready to eat. This method will keep your salami in “stasis” for as long as a year! By vacuum sealing your salami will keep it from losing any more moisture and as an added bonus the time it remains in the refrigerator will help equalize the moisture that inside and allow the salami to “age” which will develop it’s flavor. It’s a win win!

Can you freeze your salami? Technically you can and many people do BUT freezing your charcuterie (salami or whole muscles) will affect the texture when it’s thawed and eaten. As the salami thaws moisture crystals (that were frozen) will be released changing the overall texture. I don’t personally recommend freezing but if you don’t mind the texture change it is certainly an option.. If you are looking for an affordable vacuum sealer consider checking out the Heavy Duty Kitchen Vacuum Sealer from the Sausage Maker. This vacuum sealer is versatile and really does a good job. It has lots of features and really makes a tight seal on your meats (which is what you want). A more economical option for more short term storage is this Hand Held Vacuum Sealer with Zip Lock Bags also from The Sausage Maker. This is a great option for fast convenient vacuum sealing especially if you plan on taking slices off your salami frequently. This options allows you to use a small hand held sealer with special bags that can be reused time and time again.

The only thing you need to remember about vacuum sealing your salami is that all of the exterior mold coverage needs to be removed. Mold needs oxygen to survive and the moment you vacuum seal a salami with mold on it, the mold will begin to die and turn slimy. To remove the mold just wash the outside of your salami with vinegar. That should take care of it..

Enjoy the video and the recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask away. If you make this at home I’d love to hear about how it came out!!

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4.34 from 6 votes

Saucisson Sec

A French Salami
Prep Time2 hours
Drying time61 days
How much do you want to make? 1000 grams

Ingredients

Metric – US Customary

Instructions

  • If you are using a mold culture prepare at least 2-3 hours before you need it. This will give it a chance to "wake up".
  • Clean your meat and cut the meat and fat into small chunks (small enough to fit into your grinder). Chill your meat to 32f-34f.
  • Prepare the casing by soaking in luke warm water and prepare the starter culture as it needs to rehydrate for a least 30 minutes
  • Grind chilled meat and fat through a medium plate (6mm) separately. Rechill after grinding.
  • Add all of the spices, cure, dextrose, wine, and the rehydrated starter culture to the mince meat. Mix till it starts to get tacky. It should stick to your hand if you turn your hand upside down, when finished.
  • Stuff the mince into your casings, prick with a sausage pricker, and weigh your salami. Record the weight then subtract 35% and record that number.. (that's your finishing weight) If you like a more firm salami you can let it dry to 40%.
  • Ferment your salami by placing them in an environment that's between 75F (24c) and 85F (29c) with high humidity for 18-24 hours. You can achieve high humidity by wrapping you 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 dry the salami.
  • The drying conditions should be set to 55F (13C) and 80% humidity. Leave it in here till you lose 30% – 40% moisture loss. The more moisture that is lost the harder your salami will be. I personally like 35% – 40% weight loss.

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19 thoughts on “Saucisson Sec”

  1. JUAN CARLOS.

    Estimado charcutero 2 guys & cooler.
    Recibo y guardo todas tus recetas de embutidos, el uso de fermentos preparados es buenisimo pero aqui en argentina, no tenemos facilidad de conseguir…mi pregunta es si para incorporar bacterias lacticas al momento de preparar la masa, puedo usar unas cucharaditas de yogurt natural y esto ayude a la fermentacion.
    Agradezco tu respuesta. Saludos
    J.C VILLELLA

    Reply
    1. Eric

      I’ve never tried yogurt but in theory it should work. As long as the bacteria have food to eat. You should see if there are any places that sell cheese cultures. Maybe you can use a mesophilic culture or even thermophilic culture to ferment the meat safely.

      Reply
  2. Charles Bruckerhoff

    Hey Eric,

    Great instructions/recipes/videos on sausage making. You’ve got me going, with 4 different kinds of sausages in my drying chamber now.

    I have this question.

    Some recipes call for Flavor of Italy and Bactoferm Mold 600, like this one, Saucisson Sec, while other recipes recommend only Flavor of Italy, or other cultures. Is there a guide you can recommend for making the right choices and combinations, or options, for a given sausage, regardless of the sausage maker’s published recipe?

    Thanks and Merry Christmas,
    Charles

    Reply
    1. Eric

      Hey Charles. So you have two different things going on here. One is a bacterial starter culture (that’s for the meat only) and the other is a mold culture (that’s for the outside of the salami). The bacterial starter culture (regardless of which one you choose) is a must for salami. This ferments the meat and makes it safe to start drying. The mold culture is always optional but highly recommended. This adds a layer of white protective beneficial mold to the outside of the salami, protecting it from bad molds. If you don’t add the mold culture then wild molds will grow on your salami. Adding the mold simply means that you are choosing which mold you want to grow.

      As far as Bacterial cultures go you really have a couple options. Traditional European salami cultures (TSPX, Flavor of Italy, FLC, BLC-007) or American Style/Acidic Salami (FRM52, FLC, LHP-Dry). It doesn’t matter which one you choose, just remember to follow that specific culture’s fermenting and sugar requirements. I personally like Flavor of Italy because it’s fast and very predictable. When I want to make a tangy sausage like summer sausage or pepperoni I like to use LHP dry, but like I said. It doesn’t matter..

      Reply
  3. Mr.chit

    4 stars
    I wanna make this salami but i dont find too much significant to make this a French salami. I havnt done any home work but comparing the cultural twists your other salami recipes have from other countries. The kids will love the lack of pepper but ill have to find out what the nuts are you spoke of..
    Best sausage/meat channel ever!

    Reply
  4. Elana Lombard

    Hi Eric! We are very excited to try many of your recipes. I’ve seen Saucisson Sec recipes made with TSP X culture. I don’t own the Flavors of Italy culture (and it’s quite expensive) and was wondering if I could substitute TSP X for the Italian culture.

    Reply
    1. Eric

      not necessarily. How big is the diameter of the sausage and how long did it take to dry. If it’s a small diameter and takes less than 30 days you are good to go, but if it’s a large diameter and takes more than 30 days to dry then you can always pull it from the drying chamber after a few weeks (semi dried) and use it as a pizza topping or a cooked sausage…

      Reply
    1. Eric

      in theory you can but the wraps are fairly thin and delicate. You would certainly have to wrap them in a netting to help keep their shape while they dry..

      Reply
  7. Maluhia

    5 stars
    Aloha Eric
    First I wanted to say thank you for all the amazing videos and recipes,
    I am making this saucisson sec and am past the fermentation stage and just about 1 week into drying,
    I am seeing a weird white liquid that is oily and seems to be fat but isn’t covering the entire salami but is dripping off.
    Is this what smeared fat looks like? they are looking good in terms of redness and PH was good and i cant really find examples of this happening, also casing is looking good as none of them are separating.
    Should i toss them? or keep it going to see how it turns out?
    Thank you very much for the time,
    Mahalo

    Reply

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