The salami we made back at Christmas time is ready for consumption.
After hanging in the ‘curing chamber’ for 6 weeks it was time to see what it tasted like.
The change in 6 weeks was remarkable.
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It went from soft greasy tubes of raw gray pork to firm wrinkled red salamis.
Salami curing involves just letting raw pork hang at around 55-60 degrees until it loses about 30% of its weight. You mix in bacteria to encourage the good bacteria[1] to grow as well adding curing salt to prevent spoilage. Preservatives are a good thing!
There’s no putting it off now. It’s time to slice the salami and find out if we’ve created porky deliciousness or deadly poison.
It looks good! Wholesome red color with nice chunks of fat. I like the way the pieces of fennel are visible.
A few more slices. It’s looking tasty with peppercorns and red peppers flakes visible in these slices. It smells good, like cured meats. There’s no more putting it off. Time for a taste!
There was no hospital visit and I’m still here to write about it, so it must not have fallen in “deadly poison” category. The salami was good. It tasted like, well, salami. It has a rich earthy flavor and the ratio of meat to fat is good, giving it a pleasantly unctuous mouth feel.
It was definitely a success! Now what to do with 5 pounds of salami?
1.“Good” bacteria is the kind that won’t kill you when you eat it.
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