Homemade Sausage Making

Well I just finished up some genoa salami in the cure chamber right at 8 weeks I may leave some in there longer but I would like to send some to a family in the mail. Would this be safe? I read that you could vacuum seal it and it would be ok is that true ? Or what do you suggest.

bcuda wrote:Well I just finished up some genoa salami in the cure chamber right at 8 weeks I may leave some in there longer but I would like to send some to a family in the mail. Would this be safe? I read that you could vacuum seal it and it would be ok is that true ? Or what do you suggest.

Yes - I believe it should be fine.

So long as everything went to plan it should be stable now - ie if its safe to eat at all then vac packing it and putting it in the post for a few days shouldn't make any difference.

While its no problem in the winter I would hesitate shipping in the summer. Unless you want to pack in ice and overnight it.

Bob K wrote:While its no problem in the winter I would hesitate shipping in the summer. Unless you want to pack in ice and overnight it.

I guess you are right. I live in NW Europe where the temperature in summer is rarely above 25c - but in a hotter climate a package could spend many hours in a warehouse or delivery truck at 45c - which isn't going to do any favours for any food product.

Would it actually make it unsafe to eat though? If the curing process has worked and the ph levels are low enough, and the water activity is low enough, and its vac packed - would spending a few hours at 40c+ spoil it?

- reddal

I've sent vac sealed dry cured products where it took as long as 10 days to reach the destination and all was well. However, it was in in the winter months when the temp was generally cooler, so Bob has made a good point. However, if you can send your salami by expedited post, there should be no issue with spoilage. Excessive heat might soften the sausage and cause some of the fat to melt, but there should be be no health issues.