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Salami Making – Another Skill in the Bag

August 8, 2014 @ 05:00 By Gavin Webber 14 Comments

I love learning new skills, especially traditional methods of making and preserving food.  Just like cheese making, salami falls into that category.

I mentioned this a while ago to my two lovely daughters that it would be nice to attend a Salami making course, so with Kim’s help, they found a course that was being held not too far away from where we live.  It was a very thoughtful birthday present to their old dad!

So to that end, I attended a Secrets in Salami Making master class.

It was held at Cellars Plus in North Melbourne, just across the road from Queen Victoria Markets.  If you are interested in attending the course, you can find it at sausagesmadesimple.com.au

As I was traveling to the venue, I thought to myself that it would be fantastic if I could take photos of all the steps so that I could write-up a fairly comprehensive blog post to share with you all.

Alas, it was not to be.  Would you believe that we had to sign a waiver to agreed to not take photos whilst on the premises.  I don’t know the reasoning behind this, but I was a bit miffed about that to say the least.

Salami label

Always label your salami so you know when it is ready to eat.

We had to bring a few utensils, like a sharp knife, chopping board, apron, and a notebook and pen.  Also I took a large container in which to transport the salami home in.  I didn’t really think about this too much, and took a small knife, that I sharpened on our knife steel.  More about that later.

Anyway, I won’t be sharing any recipe, but I will tell you what we did.

Firstly we had to cut the pork shoulder, and separate it from the skin.  It had to be in 1cm (½ inch) cubes.  There also needed to be at least 25% of fat mixed in with the meat.  My knife was not up to the job.  Next time I will use my largest and sharpest knife in my knife block.  It took ages to cut through all that pork.

Salami close up

You can see the fat marbling through the casing

Then we ground about 1.1kg (2.4lbs) of pork shoulder meat using an electric grinder.  The mince was quite coarse and I believe that we used a size 12 cutting blade.

Next we had to measure out the salt, ground pepper, fennel seeds, chilli flakes, and spicy pepper paste.  I was surprised to find that this recipe did not have any sodium nitrate added.

After I thoroughly mixed all the dry ingredients into the mince, we then scooped the sausage mixture into the filling machine.  We used manufactured collagen casings, which need to be soaked in water.  These were then tied in a knot at one end, tied off again with red twine, and then pulled the casing over the funnel of the filling machine.  I then pricked the end with the pricking tool, to let a little bit of air out of the casing.

Salami label attached to bottom

Salami label attached to bottom

I then asked a classmate to carefully cranked the handle to fill the casing whilst holding the casing with the other.  A bit tricky, but after the second salami, I was a natural!

The teacher then checked for firmness (minds above the belt please).  My salami was firm enough, so I didn’t need to tie a string around the middle to firm it up.

Then all that was left to do was leave about 7cm (2.7 inches), tie it off with red twine in a double knot, and slide netting over the salami using a salami tube.  All very cool.

Salami ends tied off with loop

Salami ends tied off with loop for hanging.

We then had to check for any air pockets and prick them out with a pricking tool.

After washing our hands, the teacher then let us sample a few types of salami on some french loaf.  There was a fennel style just like we had made, but without chilli flakes.  Also we tried a chilli flavoured salami, which was equally delicious.

All I had to do then was wash up my utensils, pack away my salami, and travel home.

Once home, I showed Kim my two salami (why show her one, when a man has two!).  She was mightily impressed with the size and firmness of my creation.  The salami had to rest horizontally for the evening, so I placed them on a clean chopping board and put a cheese cloth over them.

Ben was also very impressed, and his first thought was of putting them on pizza.  I suppose I could whip up a batch of mozzarella to go with it!

Salami by Gav

Salami with chilli. Big boys aren’t they?

Tonight when I got home, I hung them up in the laundry on the drying rack, where they will stay for about four weeks while they cure.  We were told that the environment needed to be about 70% humidity, 13-15°C (55-59F), and it must have airflow to prevent mould growth.

I was hoping to hang them in my cheese fridge, but the last one condition knocked that on the head.  Besides, they were too long to fix in the fridge anyway!  If it does grow any mould, I have been told to wipe it off using a dry cloth with a little olive oil.

Salami hanging in laundry

Salami hanging in laundry

Once cured, we will vac pack for storage in the normal refrigerator at 4°C.

Looking forward to Wednesday 3rd of September to try this delightful creation.

The great news is that my friend Stacey has offered me her seldom used Sausage machine for a small fee.  I am very excited of making a few more smallgoods like this one.   I will get a kit from Cellar Plus, and try to whip up some more cured meat using my newly learnt skills.  I will also try and source the meat locally, and biodynamic if I can get it.

With all the cheese and the salami around here, the laundry looks like a deli counter at Queen Vic Markets!

Where will I find the time?

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Related

Filed Under: Preserving, skills Tagged With: Salami

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About Gavin Webber

Gavin Webber's daily goal is to live a more sustainable lifestyle, in an effort to reduce his family's environmental footprint so we can all make a difference for our children & future generations to come.

Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

Comments

  1. Kathy says

    August 8, 2014 at 07:10

    They look great Gavin and I love doing courses where you learn something that you are so interested about. That reminds me I should make some mozzarella and I’ve made it once with my sisters at Christmas. I think the more you make it the easier it will be to make it again. Have a good weekend. Regards Kathy A, Brisbane

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      August 8, 2014 at 09:12

      Go for it Kathy! Mozzarella is one of my favourite cheeses to make. All done and dusted in 30 minutes!

      Enjoy your weekend. x

      Reply
  2. Melindi says

    August 8, 2014 at 07:45

    Looks great! How did your presentation to Melton Council go on Tuesday or Wednesday?

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      August 8, 2014 at 09:11

      Cheers Melindi. The presso went very well. Full post mortem in a blog post soon. x

      Reply
  3. rabidlittlehippy says

    August 8, 2014 at 09:14

    You will MAKE the time Gav, I know you well enough to now nothing much gets in the way of the important things in life for you. Family time, cheese making, gardening and now curing meat. I’ll see you on September 3rd! 😉

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      August 8, 2014 at 09:17

      True Jess. Kim wonders how I fit it all in. I think that Ben might be interested in helping me, as he just loves salami! x

      Reply
      • rabidlittlehippy says

        August 8, 2014 at 09:23

        What better way to get salami made than get the one who loves it the most to make it. Jas makes quiche in our house and makes the best quiche I’ve ever eaten too. 🙂

  4. Lynda D says

    August 8, 2014 at 10:31

    Gav, if you want to do that step by step then go visit Craig from Edible Gardens here in Werribee for his salami class. I did a step by step over 3 posts when i did his Feta class. Gosh, i could get really down and dirty with this post but im not going to except to say how awesome is your family. Doing so much together. Ill be with Jess on Sept 3, we’ll bring wine since you have everything else covered.

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      August 8, 2014 at 10:44

      Hi Lynda. Next time that I make it, I will do the step by step. Lots more research to do before I write it though, as well a bit of practice.

      I did write some of the post with tongue firmly in cheek. Glad you picked up on it 😉

      Reply
      • Lynda D says

        August 9, 2014 at 10:45

        You’d have to be a brick not to have picked up on your subtle innuendos. Such fun!

  5. Lindsay (treadingmyownpath) says

    August 8, 2014 at 11:16

    I don’t really like salami (plus I don’t eat meat) but I LOVE learning new skills too, especially when they are food-related! The workshop sounds very cool..shame you couldn’t take photos. But I expect you’ll try it at home sometime? I think next year I’m going to dedicate a bit more of my time to courses… There’s so much that needs to be learnt! : )

    Reply
  6. Paul - Pip Magazine says

    August 9, 2014 at 19:19

    You made it all sound so simple. Certainly something I wish to give a shot. Can’t find anybody that runs classes in Adelaide though. Cheese making on the other hand…

    We’ve an article on chorizo making in the upcoming issue of Pip Magazine that you’ll have to check out.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Homemade Salami Taste Test - The Greening of Gavin says:
    September 4, 2014 at 22:59

    […] today was the big day, and I am still alive!  It was time to taste my homemade salami that I made in early […]

    Reply
  2. 9 Ways to Preserve Your Excess Produce - The Greening of Gavin says:
    July 8, 2015 at 20:50

    […] have cured salami and olives using salt as the […]

    Reply

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