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 600re-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
114 mm beef bungthis salami is traditionally stuffed into the hog stomach or the hog bung (budello gentile)
Instructions
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".
Also rinse, flush, and soak your casing for several hours prior to using.
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 the coarsest plate you have. I used my kidney spacer plate, and it worked out great. Alternatively, you can hand chop all of your meat. (You will get better results if you grind your meat) Rechill, keep the meat below 34f (1.1c)
Rehydrate the starter culture in distilled water for 30 minutes prior to using.
Add all of the spices, cure, wine, dextrose, and starter culture to the chilled ground meat. Mix well until your meat gets very sticky and tacky and will 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, brush on the mold culture. Also weigh your salami and record the weight as well as the target weight. Target a 40% weight loss for this salami.
Ferment your salami by placing it 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. This salami is unique in the sense that after you lose 40% moisture, you'll let the salami age for several more months. Technically at 40% weight loss you can eat it, but the beauty of this salami is the aging period that extends past the initial drying stage. How long you dry this is up to you, but I would let it hang for at least 5-6 months.
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 in a vacuum sealed bag and refrigerate.
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2 thoughts on “Ventricina Salami”
John
As this is a brand new recipe that you’ve shared and I haven’t gotten fully set up to make salamis, I can’t rate this recipe. It sounds great though! I would like to ask a question to get your opinion on dry curing. I have seen a number of people that are running their dry cure chambers at 39-40 F as they claim that while it will slow down the drying process, that will in fact give more time for flavors to develop. What if anything would that do to fermented sausages? Also what is your opinion on this. One advantage to doing this is that I can move my curing to the dry chamber and free up space in my home fridge. Just have to be a little more patient waiting for the slower drying.
The idea of flavor development comes from bacterial activity. While in theory a slower dry time would increase the flavor of the meat, the reality is that those temps are too cold for any significant flavor to be developed as the bacterial activity is very slow. In my experiments at having salami in the refrigerator for 6 months I did not notice a significant flavor improvement.
I’d love to see their chambers because at those temps the humidity plummets and it’s very difficult to maintain the proper 80% humidity.
As this is a brand new recipe that you’ve shared and I haven’t gotten fully set up to make salamis, I can’t rate this recipe. It sounds great though! I would like to ask a question to get your opinion on dry curing. I have seen a number of people that are running their dry cure chambers at 39-40 F as they claim that while it will slow down the drying process, that will in fact give more time for flavors to develop. What if anything would that do to fermented sausages? Also what is your opinion on this. One advantage to doing this is that I can move my curing to the dry chamber and free up space in my home fridge. Just have to be a little more patient waiting for the slower drying.
The idea of flavor development comes from bacterial activity. While in theory a slower dry time would increase the flavor of the meat, the reality is that those temps are too cold for any significant flavor to be developed as the bacterial activity is very slow. In my experiments at having salami in the refrigerator for 6 months I did not notice a significant flavor improvement.
I’d love to see their chambers because at those temps the humidity plummets and it’s very difficult to maintain the proper 80% humidity.