# More Calabrian Sopressata!



## indaswamp (Mar 16, 2021)

Had room inda chamber since I pulled the strolghino and the ciauscolo salami so time to make more Salami from all the meat I got off that pig!! I pulled out a 3.5kg. bag of lean meat, shoulder and loin plus some trim.... also pulled out a 1.5kg. bag of heritage pork fat trimmed off pork skin from my butcher, saved from my last run of boudin. I had 280mL of pepper paste left which I froze from when I made the calabrian fresh Italian sausage....PERFECT! Got that thawing in my ice chest last night and I moved it to my beer fridge around 2pm today. It was almost thawed...still had some ice in the middle but could pull the meat chunks apart. Got everything set up, did a once over on the meat and trimmed very little connective tissue I missed...

Once cold in the freezer, I put the fat thru the 8mm plate, lean through the 10mm plate. Mixed in the salt, seasoning, garlic infused wine and then I checked the pH...5.73.






Then I put the meat back in the freezer and did some math for the dextrose. I did not need to add very much since the bulk of the sugars come from the pepper paste, and the ground pepper powder. I came up with pH drop of 0.565 just from the sugars in the peppers. That would put me @ 5.175 without adding any dextrose or sucrose. I added wine, and it will contribute some fermentable sugars. So I settled on 1/2 a gram of dextrose per kg. of meat. The pH should end up somewhere around 5 once fermentation is complete.

Mixed in the added dextrose, starter culture, and the pepper paste..






Final mix...





And then it is time to stuff. I used (4) 60-65mm casings. This time I remembered not to over stuff them because they will be pressed...so no blowouts this time.






Notice the inverted beef middles with the fat on the outside to keep it from fusing to the salami as it dries.
Got them stuffed, strings tied, pricked and weighed. put them in the press between damp towels and applied light pressure for fermenting. I'll tighten the screws down tomorrow. I want to keep moisture in the salami for good fermentation before I press them down fully.


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## BrianGSDTexoma (Mar 17, 2021)

Nice!  You making me want to get into sausage making.


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## smokerjim (Mar 17, 2021)

Looking good, going to be some good stuff


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## indaswamp (Mar 17, 2021)

BrianGSDTexoma said:


> Nice!  You making me want to get into sausage making.


Salami making is advanced charcuterie. I would recommend starting with fresh sausages. Learn the basics, then move up to smoked sausages to become familiar with curing sausages. Then I would recommend drying some whole cuts with umai bags. Then work towards getting a chamber up and running. All the while reading and educating yourself about salumi and salami. It is a lot to take in...
Then you can do some salumi in your chamber...get use to how it works and learn how it behaves. For your first salami, I would recommend a fast ferment...something small diameter like a pepperoni or a chorizo....or a fermented snack stick. THEN...you can attempt slow fermented salami which IMO is where the magic happens with the flavor profile.......


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## Wurstmeister (Mar 17, 2021)

Thank you for the photos and guidance.   Guess I need to follow your recommendation. &  pull the trigger on some umai bags and see what I come up with.


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## indaswamp (Mar 17, 2021)

Checked the pH at the 18 hour mark and it is down to 5.05...






fermenting between75~77*F. I'll leave the sopressata in the press for a another 12 hours to ensure the shape sets then move them to the chamber. Also, the test piece warmed a little faster so I'm sure there was some lag. The extra time in the press will ensure proper pH drop.


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## indaswamp (Mar 17, 2021)

salumi before salami....whole cuts first.....that is what I recommend. If you have not made your own dry cured bacon, I'd start there first...and you don't need umai bags for that....


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## Robert H (Mar 17, 2021)

Nicely executed. Thanks for the in depth tutorial.


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## Fueling Around (Mar 17, 2021)

You are way more advanced in charcuterie than I plan to go in my time.
Sure fun to watch.
Your slab bacon is about as far I want to try.


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## chef jimmyj (Mar 17, 2021)

Nice start....JJ


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## SmokinAl (Mar 18, 2021)

Bet they will be good!
Al


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## SCBBQ (Apr 2, 2021)

Do you like SPX or 007 culture best ?


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