Have you ever wanted to make your own salami? In this post we will be making a more traditional version of salami, one that doesn’t use any nitrites, nitrates, or starter cultures. There are some safety issues we need to cover as well as a few techniques I will share with you. If you follow these simple rules you can make this amazing salami safely at home

Choose your meat

For this type of salami, you will want to use the freshest meats possible. Stay away from any discount meat or big box meats. My advice here would be to go to your butcher and get the cuts you need the day they get fresh product. Older meat will have unwanted contaminants and that’s certainly something you don’t want to add to your salami.

Clean and sanitize your area

Wash everything down with soapy water and come back with a spray sanitizer. This will ensure that you don’t add any unwanted critters to your tasty salami. We use a sanitizer called iodophor, but any sanitizer will do the trick.

Wine and Garlic are your friends

Wine and garlic play a very important role in this salami. The wine is added for flavor and for acidification. Also, the sugars in the wine will help feed the natural bacteria that will be fermenting your salami. Speaking of bacteria, garlic is a great source for lactic acid producing bacteria. By adding fresh organic garlic, you will not only be adding beautiful flavor, but you’ll be adding a source for LAB’s. This will help out greatly during the fermentation process

Get your hands dirty

While it’s very easy and convenient to mix your salami meat with machines these days, don’t be afraid to mix with your hands. Our hands contain natural “friendly” bacteria that are a part of us. By mixing with your hands, you will be adding that bacteria as well which will not only influence the fermentation, but it will also allow you to put your own signature on this salami. What I often do is mix the very chilled meat for 5 or so minutes, then I transfer it to a machine (if I’m feeling lazy).

Ferment with confidence

Natural fermentation with wild bacteria isn’t an exact science. It’s generally much slower and a lot less predictable. I like to test my ph along the way with a pH meter from Apera Instruments PH60S-Z. This Pocket pH Tester has blue tooth capability, can be calibrated for extreme accuracy, and is very easy to use. They also make a (non Bluetooth version) PH60S. This lets me know if I’m on the right track. The great thing about pH meters is that you can use them for all sorts of things other than salami making. We use ours to make beer/wine, cheese, fermented foods (Kim Chi, sauerkraut, hot sauce), kombucha, and gardening/hydroponics. There are many different styles of pH meters but if you stick to the ones that I linked above (the Swiss spear units) you can do everything i mentioned without a problem.

Dry your Salami

The last thing and quite possibly the most important thing you need in order to make this salami is a place for it to dry. A typical salami can take between 4-6 weeks to hit its target, so you will need an area to hang your salami where the temperature and humidity (as well as air flow) are nearly perfect. Salami was often hung in basements or cellars as the temperature was typically cool with a fairly high humidity and minimal air flow. If you have a basement or cellar that’s not very drafty and has an average of 55F (13C) with a high humidity (80%) then you can hang your salami in there with no worries, but for the rest of us, the best option is to have a drying chamber. A drying chamber provides a controlled environment so that your salami can dry evenly. Building a drying chamber is relatively easy but if you don’t want to build one and have some rainy-day money laying around buying a drying/curing chamber is even easier.

Follow basic salami preparation practices when making this sausage.

Clean and sanitize all of your equipment.
Use only fresh ingredients for this recipe
Keep your meat and grinder parts super cold (below 34F or 1.1C) during the grinding and mixing process
Mix your very chilled mincemeat, 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 of each salami link
Brush with protective mold culture
Ferment the salami for 1-2 days
After fermentation, 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

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 6 months to 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 its 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 Handheld 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 option allows you to use a small handheld sealer with special bags that can be reused time and time again.

Enjoy the video and the recipe. If you have any questions, feel free to ask away.

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