Making Salami...things I have learned over the past year.

[indaswamp]

When you are not cutting or grinding meat, slow down and take your time. There is a lot going on and you gotta get it right.

Pre measure out your spice mix for the amount of salami you want to make. I do this the night before. I mix the cure with the salt and seasonings but I leave the dextrose out. I figure out to the best of my ability the sugar sources from my ingredients that the bacteria will use for fermentation. Chili Pepper powders (sweet and hot) contain a fair amount of simple sugars...wine has sugars as well.

Case in point-
The recent Ciauscolo salami I made finished with a pH of 4.8. I was shooting for around 5-5.1. while mixing, I adjusted on the fly and added more Saba. The Saba is sweet and added more sugars, and I got a bigger pH drop then I wanted. It's still a good salami, just a little too much tang. I should have just stuck to the recipe I had worked up and waited until it dried to judge....lesson learned.

Add the wine, seasonings salt, and cure to the meat and mix. THEN check the pH and calculate out how much fermentable sugars you need. I had to review the calibration procedure for my Milwaukee 102 pH meter. I was missing a step...I was not pushing the CFM button after each calibration. Somehow I had forgotten that step. That explains the wild pH readings I have been getting lately.

Use sample cups for your pH calibration solution. I have started saving the used 7.01 and 4.01 solution after calibration in separate 200ml containers. I use this for a second rinse after first rinse in distilled water. It will be closer to the cal. solution and won't affect the calibration as much when using 1/2 TBSP. of calibration solution for calibrating your unit.

Until you feel you have your chamber dialed in and have a feel for how the salamis should progress...weigh them daily on a schedule every 24 hours and track the weight loss. It'll be 1.25-1.5% loss per day at the start and it should slow down over time. If you are 2-3 weeks into drying and still getting those numbers on a salami larger than 42mm then you are drying too fast.

Become very familiar with spices. So you have a ball park to work with. If you don't know what 1g of garlic powder will do to flavor 1kg. of meat, start experimenting....etc....

If you soak garlic cloves in wine for the garlic flavor, if you press the garlic and wine through sieve or cheese cloth, the garlic flavor will be about 3X more potent because you are extracting more garlic juice...learned that lesson on the Napolitana.

When using natural casings, the salami will start weeping some fat right around the 30% weight loss mark. Some Italians refer to this stage as angel tears... the fat is broken down from enzymatic activity (lipolysis) from the microbes, the mold, and the enzymes in the meat itself. If you start seeing fat or grease coat your salami before 30% weight loss, then you have something going on...either fat smear, or the pigs diet affected the fat which sped up lipolysis.

When using beef middles, there will usually be some fat on the casings. Be sure to put this on the outside of your salami so it does not affect the flavor of your salami as it will adhere to the meat when the salami dries if on the inside.

Do not use fresh spices. They will have bacteria on them and may contaminate your salami. Use dried spices.

Don't hold your chamber parameters too tight if you are using a frost free unit. Your compressor needs time to cool off. If you have a bunch of new product in your chamber and try to target 80%RH, your dehumidifier will run almost constantly. This will heat your chamber up faster, and your unit will cycle faster and the compressor will not get a break if you have your parameters too tight. At the start, I use a 5-7*F swing...or even 10*F; the extra few degrees will compensate for the dehumidifier running to pull moisture out, and the compressor will get a longer rest to cool. Also- if your unit is cycling too fast, you will have too much air flow, and your product will dry too fast and you might get case hardening. Most home chambers are not perfect...it's a balancing act between all the parameters for optimum conditions as best you can.

Over 85%RH and mold will grow too fast. You will get a strong ammonia smell. The mold will be too active and too much protolysis and lipolysis will occur and you might get a soft outer edge just under the casing that will have off flavors.
You can adjust your temp. down about 5*F for a week and increase outside air exchange and the smell should dissipate.

WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING! Keep meticulous notes! You will refer back to them if things go wrong (or if they go very well and you want to repeat that salami)...and you want everything you did on that pad!

Start with one culture. Learn it and how it behaves, how long it takes to ferment at various temps. Then move on and try another. Don't skip around with cultures as it will be harder to learn them. JMHO

If you want the fat and lean to be the same size upon drying, then the lean must be ground 35-40% larger than the fat. This is because the lean will shrink a lot more because it has a lot more water than fat... like fat thru 6mm plate and lean through 10mm plate.

Mix your salami grind very well!

That's enough for now...I'll add more as I think of stuff....

 

[Brokenhandle]

Sounds like alot of great info! Still above my head but I sure love watching all that you make!

Ryan

 

[Wurstmeister]

WOW!! That was an outstanding lesson. Thank you for taking the time to write it. I really appreciate it.

 

[Robert H]

Thanks for the tips. That is one thing I will have to keep in mind(keeping notes) as I am a fly by seat of my pants type. Hoping to do some salami's soon.

 

[Mmmm Meat]

Thanks for the tips. That is one thing I will have to keep in mind(keeping notes) as I am a fly by seat of my pants type. Hoping to do some salami's soon.

A lot of gold nuggets in your ideas. Thanks for taking the time to explain in detail your lessons learned. I, (of course), have a few comments or questions in response:

RE: pH meter - I happened upon a vid by Two Guys and a Cooler today that discussed pH meters in a bit of detail. I was dismayed to hear that the speaker suggested that a pH meter is only good for a year to a year-and-a-half, after which time it will need to be replaced. He discussed the concept of Slope of the meter and how it changes and becomes less reliable over time. You've probably seen this vid. My Apera meter apparently will display the current slope, though I've yet to see that reading. Hanna instruments lower end meters don't provide the information to compute it. Anyways, some variability and difficulty in calibration might suggest that the unit is nearing the end of it's useful life (my understanding of what I heard).

RE: preparing spices and salts the night before processing: I did exactly that two nights ago when I was splitting a planned 5 lb grind into separate 3 lb and 2 lb recipes. I had everything bagged up and ready to go for each of the two different recipes I was attempting. I decided that pre-cutting the meat into 3 -4 inch chunks the night before and removing obvious sinew and unwanted unidentified matter helps shorten the final dicing process prior to the grind and minimizes the warming of the meat during final prep. ( I don't feel comfortable cutting the meat up into very small pieces may hours before the grind. Those big muscles are pretty pristine (bug-free) until they get cut into smaller and smaller pieces. Bacterial contamination can become a big problem once the exposed surface area of the meat is exponentially increased too far in advance of the grind).
When I measured out my spices, salt, curing salt etc., I based it on my weights from the evening before the grind. After final preparation the next day, I found I'd lost another 6 oz. of miscellaneous matter from my five pounds of meat prior to grinding, which meant my pre-mixed spices/salts were no longer accurate for the pre-grind weight. Not a huge concern for the spices, but I immediately understood that final calculation of curing salt should wait until the meat is weight just prior to going into the grinder.

RE: pH targets before and just after fermentation (and prior to drying). I'm still a bit iffy on the concept of when a slow ferment/T-SPX or similar inoculated grind has arrived at the point that it is time to move it to the curing chamber. I don't see much use in adjusting pre-ferment pH levels unless the readings are above 6 or so. Acidulating with wine or adding dextrose/sucrose can help reduce starting pH if necessary - that is plainly useful in fast ferments done at high temps. In slow ferments though, it is the inoculating culture that is primarily responsible for driving the reduction of pH down to safe levels before a maximum amount of time has elapsed .

Marianski brothers (The Art of Making Fermented Sausages) often discuss the 5.3 pH level in many of the fermentation processes, as it, along with a reduced water activity combine to make a salami/salumi safe to eat without cooking. I may be incorrect, but it seems that once a ferment has reached a pH of 5.2 or less, the meat can be moved to the curing chamber to dry. If fermentation is allowed to progress down to pH 4.8 or lower, the taste of the meat will become tangy/acidic so it makes no sense in letting it get that low. My first two batches of salami were below pH 5.2 after 48 hours at 70F and near 100% RH. Though my book readings state that the slow ferment can proceed up to 72 hours in these conditions, it seemed more appropriate to stop the ferment at 48 hours and move into the curing chamber.

I think I'm looking for clear guidance on when it's time to end the ferment, but it appears there really is none, as long as the ferment doesn't exceed the U.S. Standards for times spent above 60 degrees F. Does anybody have comments/suggestions to clarify what the magic numbers are in deciding when to end the ferment?

 

[indaswamp]

I don't see much use in adjusting pre-ferment pH levels unless the readings are above 6 or so. Acidulating with wine or adding dextrose/sucrose can help reduce starting pH if necessary - that is plainly useful in fast ferments done at high temps. In slow ferments though, it is the inoculating culture that is primarily responsible for driving the reduction of pH down to safe levels before a maximum amount of time has elapsed .

The wine will add some acid because the wine is acidic, but the dextrose/sucrose will not. It is food for the bacteria which will convert it to lactic acid.

As far as fermentation time, it is recommended to follow the degree hour formulas. This will limit the growth of Staph. Aureus and other spoilage bacteria.

In traditional old world slow fermented salami, since the pH drop is small, the wine was added to lower the pH. It is more important to add wine when not using a starter culture as was done traditionally.

Also, the wine plays a part in the flavor development. All those flavor molecules add to the soup of starter molecules which the microbial action transforms into hundreds of flavor compounds. Garlic too is important for the sulfur, magnesium, and manganese as these fuel the favorable creation of pleasant flavor compounds by the microbes. At least this is what I have learned.....

 

[indaswamp]

Marianski brothers (The Art of Making Fermented Sausages) often discuss the 5.3 pH level in many of the fermentation processes, as it, along with a reduced water activity combine to make a salami/salumi safe to eat without cooking. I may be incorrect, but it seems that once a ferment has reached a pH of 5.2 or less, the meat can be moved to the curing chamber to dry. If fermentation is allowed to progress down to pH 4.8 or lower, the taste of the meat will become tangy/acidic so it makes no sense in letting it get that low. My first two batches of salami were below pH 5.2 after 48 hours at 70F and near 100% RH. Though my book readings state that the slow ferment can proceed up to 72 hours in these conditions, it seemed more appropriate to stop the ferment at 48 hours and move into the curing chamber.

Sanitation and good safe handling practices is your first hurdle. This keeps the initial bacterial load low. The salt and cure are the second hurdle and these two are the only hurdles keeping the meat safe during the start of fermentation until acid drop occurs. Once acid drop occurs, another barrier is in place and all the hurdles work in a synergistic manor enhancing one another. This is why fast ferment salamis can use only 2.5% salt and end with a higher Aw yet still be safe. The lower acceptable salt level is because acid production is fast. The salt only need to slow the bacteria until the acid is produced. And that low pH speeds drying dramatically by lowering the ability of meat to hold onto water. Yet just 2.5% salt in conjunction with the acid wreck havoc on the ability of bad bugs to perform vital functions by inhibiting the osmotic pressure of the bad bugs. It becomes increasingly harder for them to absorb necessary water. The drying is the 4th hurdle and as more water leaves the salami, both the salt and acid become more concentrated and there is even less free water available for the microbes. It finally reaches a point where they can not take in water...the osmotic pressure is now reversed and the bacteria start drying out. This is when they start to die and/or become inactivated.

Drying actually starts once salt is applied to the meat...dropping Aw to about 0.97. It intensifies once the meat is stuffed into casing and pricked as the salami goes through the dripping stage. It is paramount to keep RH% high because if Aw drops below 0.95 then acid production will slow to a crawl. Roughly 3% weight loss is equal to 0.1Aw so if you lose around 6% during fermentation then there is a chance that fermentation can stop prematurely.

Slow fermented salamis main safety hurdle against spoilage is salt, cure, and drying to Aw below 0.85 which is around 35-38% weight loss. Even though the pH stays above 5.3, there is enough acid created to affect spoilage bacteria and slow them down until drying stops their growth. This higher pH is necessary for the Staphylococcus strains Carnosus and Xylosus to do their job creating flavor compounds.

The flavor of a slow fermented product is more complex than a fast fermented one.

 

[indaswamp]

RE: pH meter - I happened upon a vid by Two Guys and a Cooler today that discussed pH meters in a bit of detail. I was dismayed to hear that the speaker suggested that a pH meter is only good for a year to a year-and-a-half, after which time it will need to be replaced. He discussed the concept of Slope of the meter and how it changes and becomes less reliable over time. You've probably seen this vid. My Apera meter apparently will display the current slope, though I've yet to see that reading. Hanna instruments lower end meters don't provide the information to compute it. Anyways, some variability and difficulty in calibration might suggest that the unit is nearing the end of it's useful life (my understanding of what I heard).

Yes, I watched that youtube. I actually went back and retested the pH on some of my finished salamis for a mental note. The unit calibrated nicely and after checking 3-4 salamis, I put the probe in new cal. solution and it was only off by +0.02 at both the 7.01 and 4.01 spots. So technically, the slope is perfect @100... (7.03-4.03)/(7.0-4.0) = 3/3 = 1.00 X 100 = 100

I like the Apera. Might get one at some point. But the Milwaukee has a plug in probe that is replaceable...no need to buy a new unit, just replace the probe. The Hanna, there is no way to change the slope so cajuneric would have had to buy a new unit. I can send the Milwaulkee back to the manufacturer to recalibrate the slope if it gets out of whack.

 

[Mmmm Meat]

The wine will add some acid because the wine is acidic, but the dextrose/sucrose will not. It is food for the bacteria which will convert it to lactic acid.

As far as fermentation time, it is recommended to follow the degree hour formulas. This will limit the growth of Staph. Aureus and other spoilage bacteria.

That is what I was referring to regarding adding sugar/dextrose. .1% addition can be expected to reduce pH by .1 Adding sugar results in a reduction in pH (because of the lactic acid produced.)

As far as fermentation time, I'm not sure I buy the argument that we should stick to the minimum degree/hour recommendations. The reason there is a maximum allowable time above 60 degrees is that spoilage/pathogenic bacteria are multiplying in the mix along with the lactic acid and flavor producing bacteria. The way I see it, the sooner the meat reaches a desired pH ( below 5.3) and is then put in a lower temperature environment, the less time bad bugs have to multiply. At that point, the meat has the salt, pH values, and lower temperature all working to keep bad bugs at bay. All that is left it to get the product dry/reduced water activity to make it stable. If the pH doesn't get down to the magic 5.3, then leaving it at root temperature for the full 72 hours seems more reasonable.

Fermentation doesn't stop once placed in the 55 - 60 degrees in the curing chamber, but it is likely slowed to a crawl. The only reason I can see to extend the fermentation time at 68 - 70 degrees once a pH of 5.3 or less has been achieved might go along the lines of giving the starter culture more time for curing/coloring/flavoring bacteria more time to do their work at an optimal temperature. Whether that is the case (or whether there is some other reason to pick a target pH in advance of the ferment) or not brings me back to where I started.

Great responses though. Thanks for taking the time to elucidate.

 

[indaswamp]

That is what I was referring to regarding adding sugar/dextrose. .1% addition can be expected to reduce pH by .1 Adding sugar results in a reduction in pH (because of the lactic acid produced.)

As far as fermentation time, I'm not sure I buy the argument that we should stick to the minimum degree/hour recommendations. The reason there is a maximum allowable time above 60 degrees is that spoilage/pathogenic bacteria are multiplying in the mix along with the lactic acid and flavor producing bacteria. The way I see it, the sooner the meat reaches a desired pH ( below 5.3) and is then put in a lower temperature environment, the less time bad bugs have to multiply. At that point, the meat has the salt, pH values, and lower temperature all working to keep bad bugs at bay. All that is left it to get the product dry/reduced water activity to make it stable. If the pH doesn't get down to the magic 5.3, then leaving it at root temperature for the full 72 hours seems more reasonable.

That is what the degree hour tables are for-limiting the amount of time fermenting above 60*F...to control Staph Aureus growth....

Fermentation doesn't stop once placed in the 55 - 60 degrees in the curing chamber, but it is likely slowed to a crawl. The only reason I can see to extend the fermentation time at 68 - 70 degrees once a pH of 5.3 or less has been achieved might go along the lines of giving the starter culture more time for curing/coloring/flavoring bacteria more time to do their work at an optimal temperature. Whether that is the case (or whether there is some other reason to pick a target pH in advance of the ferment) or not brings me back to where I started.

Great responses though. Thanks for taking the time to elucidate.

Correct...unless you use GLD acidifier, which commercial producers will do, then fermentation will continue at those temps, albeit at a much slower rate. Fermentation can be practically stopped if the chamber temp, is pushed below 53*F. But acid production is also influenced by drying. Below 0.95 Aw, little acid production will occur....which is around 5-6 days into drying. So I guess if you want a hard stop end to fermentation, that would be it....when Aw drops below 0.95.

The good Staph. strains will continue flavor development down to Aw 0.86 as they are more resistant to low moisture.

 

[indaswamp]

When you start fermentation, salamis larger than 55mm will have a longer lag time...takes longer for them to warm up to fermentation temps. You can bump the temp. up 5*F at the start for the first 8-10 hours of fermentation to kick start acid production.

Form your sample pH test piece into the same dia. of your largest salami fermenting. And hang it down halfway the length of your salamis....I use cling film. This will insure that the test sample warms at the same rate as your salami.

 

[indaswamp]

The way I see it, the sooner the meat reaches a desired pH ( below 5.3) and is then put in a lower temperature environment, the less time bad bugs have to multiply.

True, but flavor creation will be optimum in slow fermented salami which usually never reach 5.3.

It is best to use a combination of sugars when making slow fermented salami. The dextrose (glucose) will give a quick small pH drop, say below 5.5, then the sucrose or other complex fermentable sugar will take the microbes some time to break down. This will slow the acid drop and allow the good Staph bacteria time to do their work.

Say 1/3 dextrose, 2/3 sucrose of the total sugar....flavor will be much improved using this ratio.

As long as the culture you are using can process both dextrose and other complex sugars like sucrose.

.1% addition can be expected to reduce pH by .1

This is only true for fast fermented products. For slow fermented products a more accurate rule of thumb is 0.62g (0.062%) of sugar will drop the pH 0.1.....according to the experts (Ockerman, Felder ?).

Flavor of Italy is a unique culture. You get the fast acid drop for a strong safety hurdle, but the subspecies of staphylococcus carnosus utilus is said to be able to work below pH 5 down to 4.7 range. So even though it is a fast/medium culture, it mimics that of a slow culture by allowing flavor development below pH5. This is a new culture and appeared on the scene after the book The Art of Making Fermented Sausages was in print....

 

[indaswamp]

I may be incorrect, but it seems that once a ferment has reached a pH of 5.2 or less, the meat can be moved to the curing chamber to dry.

Correct....

 

[Mmmm Meat]

That is what the degree hour tables are for-limiting the amount of time fermenting above 60*F...to control Staph Aureus growth....


Correct...unless you use GLD acidifier, which commercial producers will do, then fermentation will continue at those temps, albeit at a much slower rate. Fermentation can be practically stopped if the chamber temp, is pushed below 53*F. But acid production is also influenced by drying. Below 0.95 Aw, little acid production will occur....which is around 5-6 days into drying. So I guess if you want a hard stop end to fermentation, that would be it....when Aw drops below 0.95.

The good Staph. strains will continue flavor development down to Aw 0.86 as they are more resistant to low moisture.

I don't have a way to measure free water - I doubt most home-based enthusiasts even consider ever measuring that value. The equipment/devices necessary to do so are prohibitively expensive for anyone outside the commercial production so this number is essentially meaningless to us without a way to measure it. I'm really looking for real-world ways to decide when it's time to stop one process and begin another, or perhaps how to attempt to try adjusting one variable while staying within the known safety ranges .

I've read enough books and articles to make me feel familiar with the numbers proposed in those discussions. As I said previously, I was majoring in microbiology in college prior to being accepted into dental school (way back when). I spent the next 27 years dealing with disease processes that were primarily bacterial in origin (outside genetics and trauma). I don't need to understand the meat curing numbers at the level professionals do, but I do understand their importance. This material is not taxing my mind trying to comprehend the issues at hand, but I see that every variable in the mix has ranges that are acceptable. I presume that is also the case with the endpoint pH of the fermentation process. Perhaps each cured meat product has it's own method of production and expected progression to a safe conclusion. There may just be an acceptable range of numbers for each product and there is no point questioning the standards - that's just how it has all shaken out. I don't know. (?).

Back to the original question - whether it is OK or not advisable to stop fermentation in a T-SPX based ferment earlier than the 72 hours recommended (and once the pH has dropped below a safe 5.26 or so) and what effect that might have on taste, color, aroma, etc. I'm okay with the answer " 'leave it for 72 hours at 68 - 72 degrees, cause that's the way it's always been done". I understand these processes were developed over hundreds of years and refined again with new bacterial cultures in the last one hundred. Commercial producers have their processes down to a science but home gamers are relegated to a 'best practices" approach, which is fine too, but it leaves some wiggle room in the mix. I wasn't looking for a complex answer, just a workable one. I hit up the "2 guys and a Cooler" with the same question. It seems they/he likes the 5.0/4.9 pH level because it brings the right amount of acidity to the mix (that gives and "old world taste"). I responded by asking what difference (taste, color, aroma) they might expect if the ferment was stopped at a pH 5.26 or so - perhaps a response is forthcoming.

Aside from all of that, my curing chamber seems to be running like a champion. Your suggestion of a second pH controller was a great idea - I have very few problems keeping my RH within recommended parameters - I have to tweak the numbers a bit when I introduce new meats into the curing chamber, but I expect that a week from now, I'll be on the downhill slide as the meats coast into their final (and hopefully) yummy endpoints.

 

[indaswamp]

I don't have a way to measure free water - I doubt most home-based enthusiasts even consider ever measuring that value. The equipment/devices necessary to do so are prohibitively expensive for anyone outside the commercial production so this number is essentially meaningless to us without a way to measure it. I'm really looking for real-world ways to decide when it's time to stop one process and begin another, or perhaps how to attempt to try adjusting one variable while staying within the known safety ranges .

I've read enough books and articles to make me feel familiar with the numbers proposed in those discussions. As I said previously, I was majoring in microbiology in college prior to being accepted into dental school (way back when). I spent the next 27 years dealing with disease processes that were primarily bacterial in origin (outside genetics and trauma). I don't need to understand the meat curing numbers at the level professionals do, but I do understand their importance. This material is not taxing my mind trying to comprehend the issues at hand, but I see that every variable in the mix has ranges that are acceptable. I presume that is also the case with the endpoint pH of the fermentation process. Perhaps each cured meat product has it's own method of production and expected progression to a safe conclusion. There may just be an acceptable range of numbers for each product and there is no point questioning the standards - that's just how it has all shaken out. I don't know. (?).

Fermentation, at the right temperature with high humidity, is limited only by the amount of sugars you add...even with tspx, if you add 1.5% dextrose, your pH will drop to 4.5; it will just take a while because the culture is slow acting. You can push the pH as low as you want it to go-even with a slow fermenting culture just by adding more sugar. But generally speaking slow ferment products don't use acid drop as a significant safety hurdle...they depend more on drying which is why they are dried to 35-40% weight loss to ensure safety.

You have a 0.2 Aw window for effective fermentation, between 0.97 and 0.95.

Though not exact, because there are a lot of variables in play to determine Aw, generally at 30% weight loss, Aw is between 0.90 and 0.86. So if you take the middle of the road the value would be 0.88Aw @ 30% weight loss. That is a delta of 0.9Aw. So 30% divided by 9 is 3.33%. So for every 3.33% weight loss, you drop 0.1 Aw.

This is not exact math, only a guide. Once the salami has lost roughly6.5-7% weight, the Aw is roughly 0.95....and fermentation stops....even if sugar is still present. This can be seen where humidity was not maintained at a high level during fermentation where the casing and outer edge of the salami dries too fast and the salami will have a grey ring.

Back to the original question - whether it is OK or not advisable to stop fermentation in a T-SPX based ferment earlier than the 72 hours recommended (and once the pH has dropped below a safe 5.26 or so) and what effect that might have on taste, color, aroma, etc. I'm okay with the answer " 'leave it for 72 hours at 68 - 72 degrees, cause that's the way it's always been done". I understand these processes were developed over hundreds of years and refined again with new bacterial cultures in the last one hundred. Commercial producers have their processes down to a science but home gamers are relegated to a 'best practices" approach, which is fine too, but it leaves some wiggle room in the mix. I wasn't looking for a complex answer, just a workable one. I hit up the "2 guys and a Cooler" with the same question. It seems they/he likes the 5.0/4.9 pH level because it brings the right amount of acidity to the mix (that gives and "old world taste"). I responded by asking what difference (taste, color, aroma) they might expect if the ferment was stopped at a pH 5.26 or so - perhaps a response is forthcoming.

The lower the pH drops, the stronger the safety hurdle.
If using tspx, what combination of sugars are you using? If you use more dextrose than sucrose, say 2/3 dextrose and 1/3 sucrose; the pH will drop lower and faster than if you were to use say 1/3 dextrose and 2/3 sucrose-which is recommended. A fast pH drop is not advisable using tspx as the staph. strains in that culture perform better above pH 5.5 so the longer you can hold off the pH drop the better. But you do want some pH drop, and this is the reason for the use of the dextrose, to give a small pH drop to about 5.5 for at least some safety from acid creation while letting the staph strains perform with the best possible conditions for flavor development.

Cajuneric loves Flavor of Italy because it gives a fast pH drop to 4.9-5.0; yet with the staph. carnosus utilus strain, it can still perform with those acidic conditions.

As far as a difference from pH5 to pH 5.2, I doubt there would be much using tspx...but I don't know for certain.

 

[indaswamp]

I'm really looking for real-world ways to decide when it's time to stop one process and begin another, or perhaps how to attempt to try adjusting one variable while staying within the known safety ranges .

Generally, the longer you hold tspx in fermentation, the more flavor develops as long as pH stays above 5.5... once pH starts dropping, the staph bacteria slow down.
The hard stop as mentioned are the degree hours for control of Staph. Aureus and 6.5-7% weight loss to ensure enough free water for the acid producing bacteria to function.
You can drop the pH to 5.2 in say 48 hours, but flavor creation will suffer using tspx......
You will have to play with parameters to see the flavor profile you like.

But to answer you question-no, there is no set time when fermentation ends and drying starts. The two overlap. Drying is happening even during fermentation in the dripping phase where the salami will lose 3-4% weight just from dripping. Fermentation will still happen if you pull them early and move to drying...at a slower pace...until either all sugars are consumed or Aw reaches 0.95 which is about 6.5-7% weight loss.

 

[indaswamp]

You can push the pH as low as you want it to go-even with a slow fermenting culture just by adding more sugar.

Technical note: you can push the pH anywhere on the spectrum below the pH of the meat and down to pH of 4.5, which will be to lowest you can achieve with the lacto bacteria. They stop performing when the pH gets that low......

 

[Mmmm Meat]

Technical note: you can push the pH anywhere on the spectrum below the pH of the meat and down to pH of 4.5, which will be to lowest you can achieve with the lacto bacteria. They stop performing when the pH gets that low......

Good discussion. I'm going to try Taste of Italy culture once I feel like I got my money's worth out of the T-SPX. I've got a lot of eating to do before then....

 

[indaswamp]

Don't forget to prick your salami after trussing and weighing! I forgot to do this one time...luckily I caught it only 4 hours into fermentation and went back and pricked them.

If using a coarse sugar like turbinado, it is best to grind it into a fine powder for a more even distribution into the meat....more even acid production for safety.

The Italian Norcini Institute has a lot of instructional youtubes posted. Most are in Italian, but you can use the auto translate feature to get an idea of the thrust of the instruction....it is not perfect, but good enough. I have learned a ton watching those...especially on the trussing. Wow they are masters at that craft!

When using fruit and fruit peel, it is best to dry it before hand.

 

[indaswamp]

Lactic acid production during fermentation follows a logarithmic scale, it is not linear. Yes, 1% dextrose will drop the pH from 5.9 to 4.9; but 1g will not drop the pH 0.1.....2g. will not drop pH 0.2....
It takes less than 0.5% (5g./Kg.) dextrose to go from 5.9 to 5.2-5.3...closer to 2-3 grams. And if you add things like wine, hot red pepper powders, or pepper pastes then you will need even less...maybe no dextrose at all as these additives will have significant amounts of simple sugars.

When using dried citrus peel, the peel will swell a little when stuffed into the casing, expanding to it's original size by absorbing moisture from the meat. This will plump up the salami and give a very firmly stuffed link.

If you are buying pepper pastes-some of them contain acids for shelf stability. Be certain you are buying pepper pastes intended for use in salami! There only a few brands and they only contain peppers and a little salt. These pastes are pasteurized after canning for shelf stability. The Craft Butchers Pantry is a great source for pepper pastes....both hot and sweet.