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Salami

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Roger Burton

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Hi chaps, an age ago I thought I’d try and make some salami, I bought these bits, I believe the Pot Nitrate is dangerous and have no instructions for the seasoning or casings, anyone any suggestions please (or should I just dump the lot)?
 
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Charcuterie is a great book. We also have it. It looks like there are directions on the seasoning mix. The potassium nitrate is also known as cure #2, which is used for dry cured products that are cured for an extended period of time, versus cure #1, which is a mixture of salts used for very quick cures and/or cooked/smoked products. Do the instructions say anything about either of the cures? I can't quite see all of the ingredients. Yes, the cures can be dangerous, but you'd have to use quite a lot. They are dyed pink so you'll know the difference between them and table salt.

You have synthetic casings. We've never used them, but I don't believe there is any prep needed for them, other than maybe wetting or soaking for a very short time before placing them on the stuffing tube.

A dry cured sausage is weighed and then hung in an area where you can control temperature and humidity within certain ranges. We used a small wine refrigerator since we live in a hot and humid pretty much year round area. The sausage is weighed periodically to measure moisture loss. PH is measured somewhere along the way though I don't remember when as it's been so long.
 
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Does your supplier not offer any information? I bought Prague Powder #2 for making bacon a few years ago. It came with comprehensive instructions. Might be worth a look on their website.
 
Roger Burton said:
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Hi chaps, an age ago I thought I’d try and make some salami, I bought these bits, I believe the Pot Nitrate is dangerous and have no instructions for the seasoning or casings, anyone any suggestions please (or should I just dump the lot)?
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The use of nitrates is a personal choice, due to it cancerous properties when consumed in high quantities and presence in processed meats and foods, when making cured meats.
Given our ancestors made salami and salume and cured meats for hundreds of years using just salt you are ok to go nitrate free if you have done your research, grind your own meat, use quality meat and work in a clean environment.

The journey in salami making is a rich and rewarding one, requiring some patience and you can actually make some interesting and easy salume without casings as well, like a Pitina. Some salume and salami can be ready in 3-4 weeks if you have a stable environment for the fermentation and curing process. I'm the UK, have made cured meats at home for 10+ years and happy to help guide you.

If you fancy an easy salami recipe - there is a good one here along with a tutorial video : How to make salami at home - Easy Salami Recipe

Or if you fancy the Pitina, which is REALLY interesting to make (and easier than salami) there is a good video here on their site as well : How to make pitina salami at home - easy recipe
 
epicuric said:
Does your supplier not offer any information? I bought Prague Powder #2 for making bacon a few years ago. It came with comprehensive instructions. Might be worth a look on their website.
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Most important think when using curing salts/prague powders is VERY accurate measurement - typically you need to measure to X.XXg unless doing massive batches.
 
Thanks ‘Flawed’, excellent I will certainly follow those links, I’m also uk based, I dumped all the stuff in the image though I did buy some new Prague powder #1 (for corned beef).
 
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