The salami we made back at Christmas time is ready for consumption.
After hanging in the ‘curing chamber’ for 6 weeks it was time to see what it tasted like.
The Curing Chamber
The change in 6 weeks was remarkable.
 Fresh Salami |
 Cured Salami |
It went from soft greasy tubes of raw gray pork to firm wrinkled red salamis.
Salami curing involves just letting raw pork hang at around 55-60 degrees until it loses about 30% of its weight. You mix in bacteria to encourage the good bacteria[1] to grow as well adding curing salt to prevent spoilage. Preservatives are a good thing!
There’s no putting it off now. It’s time to slice the salami and find out if we’ve created porky deliciousness or deadly poison.
Sliced Salami
It looks good! Wholesome red color with nice chunks of fat. I like the way the pieces of fennel are visible.
Salami Slices
A few more slices. It’s looking tasty with peppercorns and red peppers flakes visible in these slices. It smells good, like cured meats. There’s no more putting it off. Time for a taste!
Down the Hatch
There was no hospital visit and I’m still here to write about it, so it must not have fallen in “deadly poison” category. The salami was good. It tasted like, well, salami. It has a rich earthy flavor and the ratio of meat to fat is good, giving it a pleasantly unctuous mouth feel.
It was definitely a success! Now what to do with 5 pounds of salami?
1.“Good” bacteria is the kind that won’t kill you when you eat it.
When you are doing the taste-testing on these things, does Debbie stand around with the phone set to 911?
She mainly watches with a look on her face that says, “you’re not really going to put that in your mouth, are you?”
Yeah, that’s how I read it, too.
Looks Delicious!right out of an old world deli.
How long will it last? Save a piece for me!