# My first soppressata



## atomicsmoke (Feb 13, 2015)

Had experience with dried whole muscle meats and dried "basic" sausage, but not with dry cured larger sausages (especially fermented).
This was assembled after Christmas. I used tsPX culture.

After almost 7 weeks it's at 33% weight loss.

The casing is detached in spots.













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__ atomicsmoke
__ Feb 13, 2015






They are both the same colour...difference in shade is from ambient lighting.












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__ atomicsmoke
__ Feb 13, 2015





On the half stick on the right there is small area with a shade of brown. Any idea what it is?

Taste a little acidic and tangy similar to what I get from Italians.Love it.












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__ atomicsmoke
__ Feb 13, 2015


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## rgautheir20420 (Feb 13, 2015)

It's tough to see the shade of brown you're talking about due to the dettached casing on the right side piece. I don't see anything on the interior that's brown, so I'm assuming it's on the casings. It's likely some form of mold. If it's not covering a large spot just wipe it off with a vinegar water solution.  If you're done drying, you should be able to peal away the casings and store and you please now. It looks like you might have not gotten a good and tacky meat mix before stuffing. The holes in the interior of the salami is usually a sign of that. 

The grind looks great and it's got really good color. I see zero case hardening also which is a sign of a good controlled environment. It does look and I'm darn sure taste awesome! How's the texture? Is it too soft or just right for your tastes?


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## chef willie (Feb 13, 2015)

looks good to my novice eye...I'd cut out any nasty bits and call the rest good....Willie


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## atomicsmoke (Feb 13, 2015)

I stuffed right after mixing. Next time I will leave it in the fridge for a day.
Texture is great. At 33% loss I expected a little harder. 
I cropped the pic so the brown spot is easier to see. It could be caked paprika (I noticed that on my summer salami too). The Szeged paprika I use doesn't have silica in it (free flow agent).












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__ atomicsmoke
__ Feb 13, 2015


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## atomicsmoke (Feb 13, 2015)

I also used mold 600 on it. Didn't grow due to low humidity and temp in my cold room.


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## rgautheir20420 (Feb 13, 2015)

atomicsmoke said:


> I stuffed right after mixing. Next time I will leave it in the fridge for a day.
> Texture is great. At 33% loss I expected a little harder.
> I cropped the pic so the brown spot is easier to see. It could be caked paprika (I noticed that on my summer salami too). The Szeged paprika I use doesn't have silica in it (free flow agent).
> 
> ...


I sort of see what you're talking about. I think you're guess might be right on. What were the conditions in your chamber? Are beef middles? What size?

I know when I used my UMAI bags and pulled at around 32 I think, it was definitely softer than I'd expected. When the last finally got to 40% loss, it was perfect in my eyes. The taste was that much more intense.

BTW, something I like to after mixing to get that myosin bind it to form it into a ball and punch it down a few times in my bowl. I've found it helps get any extra air out of the mixture. I've never really had an issue going straight from mixing into the casings when doing it.


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## gary s (Feb 13, 2015)

Looks pretty tasty to me, But I'm not an expert on sausage making

gary


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## atomicsmoke (Feb 13, 2015)

Temperatures are below 10C and dry. I used beef middles 50/55mm. I like it on the softer side, it's just that I didn't expect...being used with whole muscles getting chewy after 30%.
Thank you and Chef W for checking it out.


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## atomicsmoke (Feb 13, 2015)

I punch dough when I make bread. I will punch the hell of out the meat too. Good tip.


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## atomicsmoke (Feb 13, 2015)

gary s said:


> Looks pretty tasty to me, But I'm not an expert on sausage making
> 
> gary


Thank you Gary.


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## rgautheir20420 (Feb 13, 2015)

That's a really nice finishing size for the 50/55 mm's. Did you use a recipe? Care to share? I have a sudden need to make salami this weekend.....


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## atomicsmoke (Feb 13, 2015)

I used Len Poli's soppressata de Calabria but didn't use wine, pepper flakes.


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## rgautheir20420 (Feb 13, 2015)

atomicsmoke said:


> I used Len Poli's soppressata de Calabria but didn't use wine, pepper flakes.


Excellent thanks!


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## cdn offroader (Feb 13, 2015)

Looks good to me!, Can't wait till mine's finished :P


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## chewmeister (Feb 13, 2015)

Looks good. I have a batch I started 5 weeks ago in Umai bags and they're at 35% to 36% loss. Tried a small sample and they too seem a little soft and plain tasting so I'll wait until they get to 40% loss and try again.


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## atomicsmoke (Feb 13, 2015)

Seems the consensus is it is getting better at 40%. I will hang a couple of sticks for further drying.


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## rgautheir20420 (Feb 13, 2015)

It's all about your tastes really. If you've got some uncut it might be a nice side by side comparison.


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## disco (Feb 16, 2015)

Looks terrific!

Disco


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## atomicsmoke (Feb 17, 2015)

Did a proper tasting with family and friends in the weekend. It was served on a board along with other charcuterie cuts. It was nice to compare with the taste of a dry sausage for instance (no culture). The fermentation takes it into a very different zone. Just outstanding.


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