Finocchio very slow to firm up

[ThomasLake]

Hey guys, I am a little concerned about a batch of salami I made recently. It was the first I made in a series of three and has been curing for the longest yet has not firmed up significantly despite me following the same practice as the others. It actually has slightly less fat than the other two batches, one being a chorizo and the other a sobrasada.

The meat was very fresh and I believe my stuffing etc was done correctly. I used TSP X culture but no Mold 600 as my chamber seems to have a lively population already. The sausages I fermented in a sous vide bath set at 20C. I used a Hanna ph meter and took them out of the water bath to hang when the ph hit 5.3.

They have been losing weight at a reasonable rate and are at 20% now but the chorizo and the sobrasada which have been hanging for a considerably shorter time have firmed up far more and one of them is ready to eat. I tested the final ph of the chorizo out of interest and it read 5.2. I snipped a little of the soft Finocchio and it was fractionally over 5.3.

I am concerned that I pulled them too early from the fermentation period based on one reading, would that cause them not to firm up? They smell absolutely fine but I haven't tasted as it still seems very soft.

At a bit of a loss to explain it so any advice would be much appreciated.

Here is my recipe.

Pork shoulder 80%
Back fat 20%

Salt - 2.5%
Cure 2 - 0.25%
Dextrose - 0.3%
Castor Sugar - 0.3%
W. Pepper - 0.2%
B. Pepper - 0.4%
Fennel Seeds - 0.3%
Garlic - 0.2%
Chianti - 2.5%
T SPX

Stuffed into beef middles and fermented at 20C until (I believe) ph 5.3.

Picture attached of salami at present, no slime, light mold, just very soft.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Taabr1g523wmnKha2

Thanks so much for any insight!

[Bob K]

How long have they been drying?
What size and type casings are the chorizo and sobrasada stuffed into?
Really no reason for concern about the Ph

Salami looks great!

[ThomasLake]

Thanks for the response Bob. They have been hanging for about 3 weeks now. What concerns me is that the other sausages were also hung in the same casings, just firmed up much quicker.

[StefanS]

At this stage firmness of salami depend mainly on pH - soluble proteins start to gelating at pH 5.2 and lower. At T-SPX and pH 5.3 firmness depends on long drying period.. but... Second reason is smearing of fat. it is main headache of salami maker. In this case - salami never dry, and always can be soft.