Mike, you wrote:
I'm not sure what I will try next. Any suggestions?
Why not try some
Salami di Alessanddra by Stan Marianski? It's a great salami and a good basic recipe that you could easily add a little "heat" to if you wished to spice it up a bit. Red pepper flakes and cayenne would do the job. I like the recipe because you can combine herbs and spices that go together well.
2.0 kg (4.4 lbs.) pork butt
2.0 kg (4.4 lbs.) beef chuck
1.0 kg (2.2 lbs.) pork back fat (or fat trimmings)
140 g. salt (3%)
12 g. cure #2
10 g. powdered dextrose (glucose)
15 g. sugar (3%)
15 g. white pepper
0.6 g. (1/4 tspn.) Bactoferm™ T-SPX
----- Bactoferm™ Mold 600
Optional:
Note: To make 5 kg. sausage,
about 7 g. of spices and
4 g. of herbs are needed.
120 ml. (1/2 cup) quality red burgundy or other dry red wine (Do not exceed 1/2 cup).
4 parts coriander (spice)
3 parts mace (spice)
2 parts allspice (spice)
1 part fennel (spice)
3 parts marjoram (herb)
1 part thyme (herb)
1 part basil (herb)
Instructions:
It is strongly suggested that you keep a logbook and record everything you do. Write down dates, times, measurements, etc. You`ll find yourself referring back to it several times during the process. Save your notes for the next batch. They will be invaluable. Please don`t ignore this step. It only takes a few seconds to write down the information you may really need later on.
Thaw the Bactoferm™ T-SPX following the directions on the package. Measure .6 gram (1/4 teaspoon) of the culture and mix it with a little distilled water, allowing the bacteria to "wake up". Freeze the back fat and nearly-freeze the lean meat. Freeze the grinder plate and blade (20 minutes is plenty). Cut the meat and fat into cubes.
1. Grind the pork and back fat through a 3/8" plate (10 mm). Work in small batches and refrigerate the meat and fat at every opportunity. Grind the beef using a 3/8" plate then again using a 1/8" plate.
2. Mix all the ingredients with the ground meat and develop the primary bind. Fold in the fat particles.
3. Stuff the mixture firmly into beef middles or 46-60 mm. protein-lined fibrous casings, making links about 16 to 20 inches long. (Protein-lined fibrous casings shrink with the salami as the sausage dries.)
4. Weigh each salami and record its "green weight". Keep a log book!
5. Ferment at 68°; F. (20°; C.) for 72 hours, in 85% to 90% humidity.
6. Hang the salamis in the drying chamber and mix the Mold 600 according to the directions on the package. Spray the sausages with a misting sprayer or dip them into a solution. Dry the salamis at 57°; F. (14°; C.) in 80-85% humidity for 2 to 3 months (until 30-35% weight loss is achieved).
7. The salamis are stored at (+or- 4°;) 55°; F. (13°; C.) in 75% humidity.
Process:....................Temp:......Humidity:.......Length Of Time:
Fermentation........... 68°; F........85-90%..........72 Hrs.
Drying...................... 57°; F........80-85%..........2 - 3 months
Storage.................... 55°; F........75%...............until consumed
Meat Starter Culture
Bactoferm™ T-SPX (Slow: Assists with drying a month or more)
Bactoferm™ T-SPX is a freeze-dried culture well suited for all fermented sausages where a relatively mild acidification is desired. T-SPX is particularly recommended for the production of Southern European type of sausages, low in acidity with an aromatic flavor. The culture is suitable for molded as well as smoked fermented sausages. (Semi Dry Cured)
Each 25-gram packet of Bactoferm™ T-SPX will treat 440 pounds (200 kilo) of meat. Note: Cultures must be stored in a freezer and have a shelf life of 14 days un-refrigerated and 6 months frozen.
Contains:
Pediococcus pentosaceus and
Staphylococcus xylosus
Bactoferm:Mold 600 (Previously M-EK-4)
Meat culture for production of moulded dried sausages with a white/cream colored appearance. Mold-600 is a single strain culture containing spores of
Penicillium nalgiovense in a convenient freeze-dried form.
P. nalgiovense is a fast growing, traditional white mold culture for controlling the surface flora.
Mold-600 is particularly recommended for the production of traditional sausages dried at low temperature and/or low humidity.
Mold-600 suppresses the growth of undesirable organisms such as indigenous molds, yeasts and bacteria. The culture has a positive effect on the drying process by preventing the emergence of a dry rim. Furthermore, the mold degrades lactic acid during maturation resulting in a pH increase and a less sour flavor.
Note: Cultures must be stored in freezer and has a shelf life of 14 days unrefrigerated and 6 months frozen.
Hope you give it a try Mike. If you do, be sure to take plenty of photos.
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon