Homemade Sausage Making

Hey Partycook,
I was just going to answer your photo post (Project A) when "poof"... it disappeared.
Hmmmm... ghosts? aliens? I know it looked good, but did they have to eat the photo too?

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Jan
I`m glad to share salami making tips. This is what I enjoy about the WD site, knowledge and great tips from all folk around the world!
I agree outside temperatures can be a challenge. Our weather is turning here in Vermont and the temperatures are ideal for salami making. Stay cool friend!

Chow
Wally

Wow Wally,
I've been going over your last post on the last page (dry-curing tips and procedure). There is some really good info there. I hope folks appreciate the experience in those tips. We really appreciate you putting all that info together. Nice going Uwanna!

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

I watched a video today of some Italian folks making salami. While I don't pretend to read or speak Italian, I'm pretty sure they were making salami. They packed their casings VERY loosely, then tied and hung.

The process I watched got mt to think about how I packed my casing for my salami project and how they are very slow to dry. I packed them TIGHT!. Is there a relationship between how tightly the salami is packed in the casing and how long it takes to dry. Seems like there is to me.

Dave

Dave Zac wrote:I watched a video today of some Italian folks making salami. While I don't pretend to read or speak Italian, I'm pretty sure they were making salami. They packed their casings VERY loosely, then tied and hung.

The process I watched got mt to think about how I packed my casing for my salami project and how they are very slow to dry. I packed them TIGHT!. Is there a relationship between how tightly the salami is packed in the casing and how long it takes to dry. Seems like there is to me.

Dave

Definitely so. The tighter you pack the sausage, the more difficult it will be for air to flow through the sausage. Another factor might be the fat content or even the size of the fat particles since they contain less water than lean meat, which causes a sausage to dry faster. Another factor could be how finely the sausage is ground. The finer the grind - the more dips and turns the moisture will need to travel in order to escape through the surface

We have a newly opened supermarket here that has a whole lot of everything including dried sausage and meat in abundance and great variety. Some of the most expensive items are small, short, shriveled, moldy pieces that I am certain are very good but outrageously expensive. That is understandable considering that they may already be a year old. This is the first time that I have seen examles of quality old world sausage.

Fellow sausage makers,
Hi Dave, I see your point as far as loosely packing salami, would this allow more air (oxygen) into the product thus increasing a chance of spoilage? Or could they be using a higher percentage of salt ? Some of the examples (photos) in our project show small air pockets . One of the reasons I am questioning this is because when we make summer sausage the first place spoilage occurs is where air voids are present ,usually caused by loose packing.

John

Hi fellow project "A" pals,
Well, it has been a year since we all ground, stuffed, and started "Project A". I am about to "lock" the topic to further comment. Due to the high number of "views" this project has invited, I'll leave it in the sticky section open to reading for all interested viewers.
Project A started as a learning tool for about 350 WD members with only 9 participants. However, with the very valuable knowledge gained through members' experience, the topic has had nearly 20,000 hits in less that a year! Unbelievable! Congratulations my fellows, in posting a most valuable learning resource to the sausage-making public. Your experiences, failures, and successes have paid off remarkably in knowledge gained. I'm sure I speak for many, many, others in saying "Thank you VERY much for your unselfish contributions". Well done WD!

Most Sincerely... (with best wishes of course),
Chuckwagon