# First Salami, with Q-View



## mneeley490 (Aug 24, 2015)

Wanted to try something easy for my first time so I bought a Salami kit from High Mountain. I realize this isn't the "real" way of curing, but for a first time, it'll do. 

Started with a 13+ lb. packer brisket. After trimming all the fat and sinew, it came to a measly 8+ lbs.













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Still some trimming to go.













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Diced in some pork cushion meat and pork fat, plus 2 lbs of ground chuck, for a total of over 16 lbs.













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This little Kitchenaid grinder attachment worked pretty darned well. It'll do until I need a real grinder.













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Spice and cure packets mixed in.













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Next night, mixed in encapsulated citric acid, and into the LEM stuffer. This particular stick (and 2 others) had high-temp cheddar cheese added.













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Filled 9 and 3/4 casings.













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Next morning, into the smoker with alder pellets in the AMNPS.













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 I got a late start, and didn't get these in until 11am. The instructions said to start at 120°, then to bump it up 20° every hour until you hit 180°. Then get the IT to 156. This took a lot longer than I thought it would. I pulled them out at almost midnight.

But here is the result:













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They are now in a wine fridge at 55°, with humidity around 70%. Each was weighed in grams, and tagged. Will see how they're doing in a week or two.













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## dirtsailor2003 (Aug 25, 2015)

I'll be standing by for the finished product!


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## crazymoon (Aug 25, 2015)

MN490, I am  confused but it seems like you are trying to dry cure this product. You have cooked it to a safe IT already so it is  safe to eat now . Dry cures  have  a starter culture to help prevent spoilage in raw meat, your kit probably used cure #1 only.Try your salami as it is ready now.


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## mneeley490 (Aug 25, 2015)

CrazyMoon said:


> MN490, I am  confused but it seems like you are trying to dry cure this product. You have cooked it to a safe IT already so it is  safe to eat now . Dry cures  have  a starter culture to help prevent spoilage in raw meat, your kit probably used cure #1 only.Try your salami as it is ready now.


I am following the kit instructions that said to hang in a cool environment until they have lost 25% in weight, after cooking.


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## tropics (Aug 25, 2015)

I'll be watching


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## dougmays (Aug 25, 2015)

Watching also :)


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## driedstick (Aug 25, 2015)

Yeppers me too 

DS


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## eh1bbq (Aug 25, 2015)

Watching and waiting....


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## disco (Aug 25, 2015)

I'm in!

Disco


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## crazymoon (Aug 25, 2015)

mneeley490 said:


> I am following the kit instructions that said to hang in a cool environment until they have lost 25% in weight, after cooking.


MN490, sorry sir !
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  I deserve it.


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## mneeley490 (Aug 25, 2015)

No problem. Here's all I had to go by: http://www.himtnjerky.com/instructions/Instr.Salami.pdf

It isn't as detailed as I would like. I didn't do the 2nd grind, as I wanted a coarser, chunkier meat in the casing. I have no idea what kind of "cure" is used; the package didn't say.


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## crazymoon (Aug 25, 2015)

mneeley490 said:


> No problem. Here's all I had to go by: http://www.himtnjerky.com/instructions/Instr.Salami.pdf
> 
> It isn't as detailed as I would like. I didn't do the 2nd grind, as I wanted a coarser, chunkier meat in the casing. I have no idea what kind of "cure" is used; the package didn't say.


I'm in for the money shot and your take on the texture/taste !


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## boykjo (Aug 26, 2015)

salami's are looking good....
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





     you did the right thing adding the encapsulated citric acid then stuffing. The directions state

*• Add citric acid to the meat mixture and mix well. Run seasoned meat back through the grinder using the coarse or fine blade.*

encapsulated citric acid should be processed using heat............If you followed the directions that should have made the meat mushy...... There should be no need to run the smoker over 180. The sausage is already cooked and cured and all that is happening now is its being dried. Same as drying some snack stick in a paper bag in the fridge.... You can lower the humidity.

Cant wait to see how it turns out







Joe


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## oregon smoker (Aug 26, 2015)

You have my undivided attention...
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Tom


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## mneeley490 (Aug 26, 2015)

boykjo said:


> salami's are looking good....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


As to lowering the humidity, tonight I put in about a cup of uncooked rice in a bowl. We'll see if that works. Sure smells good in there!













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Temp went up a little when I opened the door. Humidity has started going down. An hour after I took this pic, it's at 62%













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## boykjo (Aug 27, 2015)

It is looking good


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## driedstick (Sep 3, 2015)

How they coming along?? 

DS


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## mneeley490 (Sep 4, 2015)

They look fine, but I've been concerned about mold. The bad kind. Before I put them in the cooler, I did clean it out carefully, first with Lysol, then soap and water. But it still nags at me.

I'm told it's not really necessary, but tonight I wiped them down with a solution of 2 cups of water, 3 T. sea salt, and 1/4 c. of white vinegar. That should keep them safe, I hope.

Weighed them while I was at it. They have lost about 12-15% of their weight so far. Probably need another week or two.


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## boykjo (Sep 4, 2015)

What did the bad mold look like.....white mold is ok. green mold is bad... if you have green/white fuzzy mold you need to re-think eating this...


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## mneeley490 (Sep 4, 2015)

boykjo said:


> What did the bad mold look like.....white mold is ok. green mold is bad... if you have green/white fuzzy mold you need to re-think eating this...


I want to reiterate, there was _*no*_  mold. I just didn't want to take the chance that some mold might grow. And I don't have the commercial culture to make the white mold on this go round.


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## mneeley490 (Sep 19, 2015)

Still not down to 25% loss yet, but I couldn't wait. Cut into the small chub last weekend to check things out. This happened to be one of the three that I added high temp cheddar.

The numbers are the weight in grams that it started out with, and what it needs to be at, at 75%. This one was still about 410 gr. when I cut into it.













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Interior shot.













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Tasted like salami. This is my buddy testing some at an open air Mark Knopfler concert that night.













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## b-one (Sep 19, 2015)

That is looking tasty!


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## DanMcG (Sep 20, 2015)

Well, how does it taste? Don't worry about the amount of weight loss, as long as it tastes good.


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## mneeley490 (Sep 20, 2015)

Seems to taste fine. Though I've never had high-temp cheese before, so I'm sure about that.


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## siege (Sep 21, 2015)

Great looking meat, wish I was there to try some. I‘d bet that would taste especially good with a cold beverage while watching football :-)


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## boykjo (Sep 21, 2015)

Great looking salami mneeley.............  I like to use 5% cheese in sausages








Joe


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## mneeley490 (Sep 27, 2015)

Well gents and ladies, the proof is in the pudding. Five of the chubs? rolls? (What the heck _do_  you call a length of salami?)  reached their goal weight today. I sliced a few inches off of one to test it. The verdict?   
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Looks like the time was worth it, and the payoff is sweet! I know I'm biased, but I think this was as good as any hard salami I've ever bought. The perfect balance of sweet meat and salty/peppery spices. Good, firm texture. Looks like store-bought bacon isn't the only thing of the past.

Here are the final shots: As they came out of the wine fridge...













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I again wiped them with the water, salt and vinegar mixture, just to be sure, before I sealed.













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The first cut is the deepest.













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Vac'd.













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Sliced and paired with a little Colby cheese. In retrospect, a red plate probably wasn't the most photogenic I could have used.













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I have two questions for the more knowledgeable:

1. Are they shelf stable, or do they need refrigeration? The instructions didn't say. I put them in the fridge for now, to be on the safe side.

2. And, how long do you think they'll stay good vacuum sealed and in refrigeration?


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## boykjo (Sep 27, 2015)

No they are not shelf stable. From experience I refrigerate for up to 3 months vacuum sealed. After that I have found them to get a slick film. Vacuum sealed and in the freezer up to 3 years

From the usda

*Cooked and/or Smoked Sausages*
Cooked and/or smoked sausages are made of one or more different kinds of chopped or ground meats which have been seasoned, cooked and/or smoked. Meat byproducts may be used. Included in this category are:

liverwurst
hot dogs
bologna
knockwurst
cooked bratwurst
braunschweiger
cooked Thuringer
cooked salami*
*Cooked Salami (not dry) is made from fresh meats which are cured, stuffed into casings and cooked in a smokehouse at high temperature. It may be air dried for a short time. It has a softer texture than dry and semi-dry sausages and must be refrigerated.


*Sausage Storage Chart* *Type of Sausage**Refrigerator - Unopened**Refrigerator - After Opening*FreezerFresh Sausage, uncooked1 to 2 days unopened or opened1 to 2 days unopened or opened1 to 2 monthsFresh Sausage, after cooking by consumer(not applicable)3 to 4 days2 to 3 monthsHard/Dry SausageWhole, 6 weeks in pantry; indefinitely in refrigerator.3 weeks1 to 2 monthsHot Dogs and other Cooked Sausage2 weeks7 days1 to 2 monthsLuncheon Meats2 weeks3 to 5 days1 to 2 monthsSummer Sausage (Semi-dry)3 months3 weeks1 to 2 months

Last Modified Aug 06, 2013


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## dirtsailor2003 (Sep 27, 2015)

Nice smoke! POINTS!


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## mneeley490 (Sep 27, 2015)

Thanks, Boykjo!  

These are about 15" long, so after thinking about it, I'm probably going to slice thin and repackage them into smaller servings. That way I can give some out, and there won't be any waste.


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## mneeley490 (Oct 5, 2015)

Ok, the unbiased results are in. Sliced one and passed around to my friends during an impromptu Oktoberfest last Saturday. Both the regular and the cheese got rave reviews. That's very encouraging.

Next up will be some dry-aged coppa, I think.


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