Follow basic salami preparation practices when making this sausage.
- Clean and Sanitize all of your equipment.
- Keep your meat and grinder parts super cold (below 35F) during the grinding process
- Rehydrate your starter culture (in non-chlorinated water) for 30 minutes prior to use.
- Mix your very chilled mince meat, 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
- Hang the salami to ferment for 18-24 hours (these parameters are for Flavor of Italy starter culture)
- After the pH target has been hit, cold smoke for 4-8 hours, then 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 this salami
- Iodophor Sanitizer
- Digital Smokers (I use the model 4D WiFi)
- Bella’s Cold Smoke Generator
- MK4 Thermapen (Accurate Thermometer)
- Sausage Pricker
- Dry Curing Cabinet
- Kotai Chef Knife (for 15% off use discount code – 2guys )
- Sausage Stuffers
- Meat Grinder
- Meat Mixers
- Stuffing Horn Cleaner
- Butcher Twine & Dispenser
- Small accurate Scale for spices
- Large Capacity Scale (33 pounds)
- Drying rack and tray
- Custom Cutting Board
- Apera pH Meter with Bluetooth
- Dextrose
- InkBird Controllers temp & Humidity
- Dehumidifier Eva Dry 1100
- Cool Mist Ultrasonic Humidifier
- Heavy Duty Kitchen Vacuum Sealer
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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Smoked Rabbit Salami
Ingredients
- 500 g rabbit
- 200 g pork shoulder
- 300 g pork back fat
- 25 g kosher salt
- 2.5 g Insta cure #2
- 2 g dextrose
- 3 g black pepper
- 2.5 g garlic powder
- 1.5 g dry sage
- 2.5 g coriander powder
- 1 g orange zest
- Flavor of Italy Starter Culture re-hydrate 1/4 tsp of starter in 1/8 cup of distilled water for every kilo (2.2 pounds) of meat/fat. Let this rehydrate for 30 minutes
- Protein Lined sausage casings I use 61mm casings
Instructions
- Debone and 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 the meat and fat separately. Grind chilled meat through a course plate (10mm or 8mm). Then grind the fat through a course plate (10mm or 8mm) separately. Rechill after grinding.
- Add all of the spices, cure, dextrose, and the rehydrated starter culture to the mince meat. Mix till it starts to get tacky. Finally add the chilled fat to the meat and continue mixing (30 seconds). 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 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 5.3 and 4.9. Once you have reached the target pH you can cold smoke your salami.
- Cold smoke your salami for 4-8 hours under 90f (32c). I smoked mine for 6 hours using oak and cherry wood.
- After cold smoking 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 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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