truffle salami

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Bumper
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truffle salami

Post by Bumper » Sun Jul 02, 2017 10:19

The cacciatore should be ready next weekend, so I am planning my next batch. It is truffle season here, and I am thinking about a nice truffle salami. We get great local black truffles.

Not sure how much per kg or whether I need to treat the raw truffle before I use it, and would be grateful for any advice. I have found commercial salami available here all seem to be made with truffle essence and oil rather than fresh truffle. I can definitely go this route, but have no idea about quantity per kg?

I found 1 recipe for fresh truffle sausages that used 100g per kg, which is, well insane unless you grow truffles or stopped counting money some time ago, as the cost is prohibitive at $3 per gram.

I was thinking about using this salami brianza as a base - the white wine and garlic should complement the truffle nicely.

salame brianza
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redzed
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Post by redzed » Sun Jul 02, 2017 15:57

Good question. I have made salami with chanterelles, porcini and mixed fungi, but never with truffles. A couple of years ago we tried a saucisson sec with truffles in France, and it was still soft and young, had a delicate truffle hint and was delicious (and expensive). Many of the recipes by hobbyists use truffle oil or truffle salt, and there would not be that much actual truffle content in either, and yet they claim that the flavour comes through. In the end it depends on the truffle itself, the Italian ones having the reputation as being the best. 100g/kg is way too much, I would start with only 1 or 2%, and experiment. Be careful not to include large amounts of other dominating spices or aromatics. The Brianza recipe should work, and Ruhlman and Polcyn also have a truffle recipe using oil in their book and you might want to take a look at that as well. If you don't have the book, I can copy the recipe for you.
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Post by Butterbean » Sun Jul 02, 2017 16:28

By coincidence, I received a call yesterday from a guy who is getting ready to train some truffle dogs and he asked if I'd be willing to let him train his dogs in some old pecan orchards I have on the property. Being ignorant I didn't realize truffles grew in this part of the world but I learned there is such a thing as a pecan truffle. They don't do well in working pecan groves because of the fungicides sprayed but my orchards aren't sprayed with insecticides because the pecan varieties I have are no longer in favor in today's market. Thinking back, I remember seeing some odd gall looking things on the roots of one of my trees when I was removing it. Don't know this to be fact but they sure looked like the images I googled.

With all this in mind I believe I might "let" him train his puppies on my property and I think half the booty would be more than fair. :mrgreen:
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Post by Bumper » Sun Jul 02, 2017 23:41

Oohh chanterelles and porcini sound equally delicious. Did you use dried or fresh?

Thinking this through, truffle aroma is pungent and permeating. We usually buy one each year at 30g to make a simple pasta with cream, white wine, a little garlic and parmesan. This much truffle also lightly flavours a dozen eggs with ease in a couple of days prior in a container. 1% sounds like a good starting point or even 0.5% for aroma - I am still after a balanced salami at the end.

I will make a 3kg batch of brianza with 1% truffle. Expensive, but only making it once a year.
When shaved fine, this much will get through all of the mix well. I hope to have many years in this hobby, so I can work on the recipe annually to dial it in. I will be very surprised if the aroma doesn't come through strongly at this ratio curing for 4-6 weeks, but the flavour is the question. The batch size may get smaller next year if I need more :wink: I will have a look at the garlic and black pepper ratios too and perhaps dial them back just a fraction. I'll keep adding to this thread with the recipe and some photos of the mix. Assuming the cacciatore are at 40% which they are on track to be at mid week, I'll gear up for it this coming weekend.

Red - I have their book 'Charcuterie', but not their 'Italian Salami' which is where I am assuming the recipe it is coming from - is it worth picking up? I have all the marianksi books and Hector Kent's 'drying pork' so far.

Butterbean - it sounds like you are sitting on a gold mine in smoking wood, pecan pies and truffles!! Never heard of a pecan truffle before, I will have to google.
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Post by Bumper » Mon Jul 03, 2017 02:21

Butterbean - I googled after morning chores - $300 US a pound seems to be the going rate and they sound uniquely delicious - truffles that have a hint of pecan flavour coming through.
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Post by BriCan » Mon Jul 03, 2017 03:05

At the moment I am working on a Black Truffle Salame recipe with a friend in Kiev-- the amount of truffle to be used is 1.5% to 1.75% -- the latter being my preference
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Post by Bumper » Mon Jul 03, 2017 03:48

BriCan wrote:At the moment I am working on a Black Truffle Salame recipe with a friend in Kiev-- the amount of truffle to be used is 1.5% to 1.75% -- the latter being my preference
Thanks BriCan, that's awesome. Any chance you could devolve the recipe or is it commercial-in-confidence? How forward is the truffle flavour at 1.5 vs 1.75%?
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Post by nuynai » Mon Jul 03, 2017 11:05

Here's a book I found years ago but never followed up on.

natruffling.org/tfg.htm

http://natruffling.org/tfg.htm
Last edited by nuynai on Mon Jul 03, 2017 11:43, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by BriCan » Tue Jul 04, 2017 10:18

Bumper wrote:
BriCan wrote:At the moment I am working on a Black Truffle Salame recipe with a friend in Kiev-- the amount of truffle to be used is 1.5% to 1.75% -- the latter being my preference
Thanks BriCan, that's awesome. Any chance you could devolve the recipe or is it commercial-in-confidence? How forward is the truffle flavour at 1.5 vs 1.75%?
Sorry, at this time no as it is still in the production stages and is not finished yet

All I will say for now other than salt and cure keep things (as) simple as posable otherwise you will muddy the waters
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Post by Butterbean » Tue Jul 04, 2017 17:09

Bumper wrote:Butterbean - I googled after morning chores - $300 US a pound seems to be the going rate and they sound uniquely delicious - truffles that have a hint of pecan flavour coming through.
Sounds delicious doesn't it? I hope Bill raises some cracker truffle dogs and to be honest 10% of his find would be plenty fair in my book. It would just be nice to reap something out of these old trees besides wood to smoke meat with. :mrgreen:
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Post by Bumper » Tue Jul 04, 2017 22:59

Butterbean wrote: Sounds delicious doesn't it? I hope Bill raises some cracker truffle dogs and to be honest 10% of his find would be plenty fair in my book. It would just be nice to reap something out of these old trees besides wood to smoke meat with. :mrgreen:
Keep us posted if it happens. The early finds could be quite spectacular if they haven't been harvested before. They train them here using small plastic balls with a piece of truffle in them, and bury them once they have fetched them a few times and get used to the scent and a new call, and then take them into the trees once they have mastered that. It will be fun to watch and see how they go.

BriCan - no problem, all good. Taking your advice of 1.75% though it starts getting pricey here for a 3kg batch, particularly given the essence/oil truffle salami poor cousin sell locally for $9 for 250g. I might have to give the local growers a call and see if they want a few salami from their truffles and try for a better price.
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Post by BriCan » Wed Jul 05, 2017 10:18

Bumper wrote:

BriCan - no problem, all good. Taking your advice of 1.75% though it starts getting pricey here for a 3kg batch, particularly given the essence/oil truffle salami poor cousin sell locally for $9 for 250g. I might have to give the local growers a call and see if they want a few salami from their truffles and try for a better price.
Folks have been trying to talk me into using infused truffle salt or even what some call quality truffle oil.. but if something is worth doing then it is worth doing right and with me quality always comes first cost is secondary

I too have to source out truffles myself and am lucky that top Chefs (friends) here in Vancouver have given me names of people too contact
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