Salame Strolghino
Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2020 07:12
This is my first attempt at creating this simple but interesting salame. Strolghino originates in Zibello, the home of Culatello and is made with trimmings from the preparation of that particular specialty. It is a narrow gauge sausage and is eaten when still young and soft, usually within three to four weeks of drying. It was considered as the first test of the taste and quality of the Culatello which usually ripened for a year or a bit longer. In fact, the name comes from the root word "strolga", (fortune-teller), because it would reveal the taste of the salumi of the future. Other than salt, pepper and honey, no other spices were used. For safety reasons, I added potassium nitrate and substituted raw honey with granulated honey. The Strolghino was made with lean meat with no connective tissue from the leg and quality back fat. I fermented at a temperature of 20C for 72 hours. Because no starter culture was used, it took longer to activate the indigenous lactic bacteria in the meat. After 24 hours the pH only dropped from 5.73 to 5.65, after 48 hours it was 5.35 and when I transferred it to the curing chamber after 72 hours the pH measured 5.15. I pulled the salame after 33 days, and probably should have done so a week earlier. Everything worked out well, the texture, sliceability and only a hint of dry rim. Taste is very good, clean slightly peppery, and mould flavoured.
Salame Strolghino
800g lean pork from leg, no fat or connective tissue
200g hard back fat
(Original made from pork leg trimmings with varied amounts of fat)
Ingredients per 1000g (1 kg) of meat
Fine sea salt, 25 g
KNO3 (potassium nitrate), 0.5g
Granulated honey, 4g
White pepper, 3g
Instructions
1. Cube the lean meat and back fat, keeping separate.
2. Partially freeze the lean meat and freeze the fat completely.
3. Combine the lean meat and back fat, add the KNO3 into the salt, mix and grind using the 6mm plate.
4. Add the honey and pepper to the ground meat and mix well. Make sure that the batter stays very cold, and don't over mix to avoid fat smearing.
5. Stuff firmly into 36-42mm hog casings. Lacing with string or netting the sausage will prevent it from tearing and falling after hanging.
6. Ferment at 20-21C, 90% RH, until pH drops to 5.3 or slightly less.
7. Inoculate with a mould starter.
8. Dry for 3-4 weeks at 12-15° C (54-59° F), 75-80% humidity.
Salame Strolghino
800g lean pork from leg, no fat or connective tissue
200g hard back fat
(Original made from pork leg trimmings with varied amounts of fat)
Ingredients per 1000g (1 kg) of meat
Fine sea salt, 25 g
KNO3 (potassium nitrate), 0.5g
Granulated honey, 4g
White pepper, 3g
Instructions
1. Cube the lean meat and back fat, keeping separate.
2. Partially freeze the lean meat and freeze the fat completely.
3. Combine the lean meat and back fat, add the KNO3 into the salt, mix and grind using the 6mm plate.
4. Add the honey and pepper to the ground meat and mix well. Make sure that the batter stays very cold, and don't over mix to avoid fat smearing.
5. Stuff firmly into 36-42mm hog casings. Lacing with string or netting the sausage will prevent it from tearing and falling after hanging.
6. Ferment at 20-21C, 90% RH, until pH drops to 5.3 or slightly less.
7. Inoculate with a mould starter.
8. Dry for 3-4 weeks at 12-15° C (54-59° F), 75-80% humidity.