Home made starter/mold?

[Smokin' in Tokyo]

Hi all,

I live in Tokyo and can't for the life of me find anyone selling any inoculants/molds/starters for salami.

I want to do basic salami(I'm a beginner), but can't seem to find anyone who'd ship abroad.

Is it possible to use the white mold from salami I buy? I know there are a few artisanal producers here and I may be able to get my hands on a fresh(ish) one.

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance,
Ted

 

[indaswamp]

Yes, You can buy a salami and use the mold, as long as it is white mold. Simply peel the skin off the salami, cube the casing into 1" pieces, put in a vac seal bag, or a small ziplock bag and squeeze all the air out, then deep freeze. When you need to inoculate your salami, take 2-3 pieces out, place in 1/2 cup distilled chlorine free water with a pinch of dextrose, cover and let sit overnight. Brush on salami the next day. I use all the leftover inoculant water to spray the inside walls of the chamber.

As far as meat culture bacteria, This process is risky, but it will work for mold because the good mold is a warring mold and will kill off most all other harmful problem molds.

 

[daveomak]

It is possible to make basic sausage without starter cultures.... That's how it was made before the culture bacteria were isolated and factory produced....
Wedliny-Domowe is a valuable resource for home processors... The colored tabs will lead you through many resources.... Click on the link below...

Traditionally made fermented sausages

Traditionally made fermented sausages are made without starter cultures or sugar

www.meatsandsausages.com

...

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Buy some store bought salumi. Cut some up really good and make a paste from it. Add the paste into your meat mix. This is called back-slopping. It will give you culture in your mix. If you have a store bought that has white mold on it you can scrape the mold into a jar of distilled water and let it grow.

In many European countries (France, Italy and others) it is a normal occurence to see a salami with a white surface mold. This is how it has been made for hundreds of years, the mold is intentional and it contributes to the wonderful flavor of the sausage. It also protects the sausage from the effects of light and oxygen which helps to preserve color and slows down rancidity of fat. Mold covered salamis are not smoked as the smoke application will prevent molds from growing on the surface. Cold smoking sausages (below 25º C, 78º F after fermentation (after around 48 hours) will prevent mold from growing on its surface. Mold can be removed by wiping it off with a rag soaked in vinegar solution. The color of the mold should be white or off-white and not yellow, green, or black. As mold in time can grow to a considerable length it is brushed off before consumption.

Yeast and molds grow much slower than bacteria in fermented meats and sausages and they develop later in a ripening process. They utilize some of the lactic acid that was created during the fermentation stage thus increasing pH (lowering acidity) what as a result improves flavor in a slower fermented product. They don't seem to be affected by a pH drop in the fermentation stage and will grow in a vast range of temperatures (8º -25º C, 46º -78º F) as long as there is high humidity in a chamber. To ensure fast growth at the begining temperatures higher than 20º C (68º F) and humidity over 90% is required.

• Yeast - Debaromyces
• Mold - Penicillium

Nobel mold is fine white powdery (Penicillium) good mold.
Non desirable molds include black , green, brown, redish with fuzz. Green molds in the powdery state have been know to be safe.

 

[zwiller]

I remember reading similar things about this on homebrewing forums (sour beers) and the solution was to look outside of the US. I recall the Australians were cool with it and UK as well. I also thought Canada was cool. Homebrewers also culture up yeast and bugs for sour beer and I would encourage you to be a clean as you can if doing so. Sanitize gear etc. Remember other bugs ride along and can contaminate. Gets worse after a few generations. That said, some guys claim to have house yeasts and/or bugs better than you can buy.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Put your dry into vac bags and freeze, i do the same to flour, it kills the flour weevils and other bugs.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

I should mention that if you have access to a good quality sourkrout you can use the liquid for a starter. The SK liquid has plenty of LA (Lactic Acid) in it. I use 4T for 5 pounds of ground meat. You will need to decrease any other added liquid by 4 T.

 

[indaswamp]

I've always wondered about that Rick. I saw where cajuneric @ 2 guys and a cooler has used it successfully to ferment salami. What about say fermented hot peppers? Same result? Or only cabbage ferment liquid?

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Im sure any fermentable liquid will work. im thinking kimchi too.

if you have a European mkt close thats where you will find good sauerkraut in a jar. Kuehne brand

 

[zwiller]

Sauerkraut... Never thought of that! The list is GROWING: buttermilk, yogurt and now kraut and backslopping. While I have you guys... Technically, the meat is not fermenting and it is the added sugar right? Also, dextrose is used most often as it ferments 100% while other sugars do not fully ferment but that can be good thing?. Been wanting to ferment some summer sausage and want to try a few things before using a culture. I just want a medium tang. Just tried 5% saco and does not cut it for me.

 

[indaswamp]

There are a lot of processes that happen to the meat...both enzymatic and microbial breakdown of the meat and fat. Even the good white mold plays a part in creating flavor. But yes, the lacto bacteria convert the sugars into lactic acid. Simple sugars first, then complex sugars more slowly over time. There are some that use a combo of sugars so they get s quick small acid drop to help protect the meat, but not low enough to stop the flavor forming staph. bacteria from working on the meat. Over time, the pH slowly drops.

 

[indaswamp]

im thinking kimchi too.

Yeah...cajuneric has used kimchi too... Thanks for the insight, I might have to experiment with ferment liquid from making hot sauce. See if it works...

 

[BGKYSmoker]

This company is good for kraut too. i like the pickles.

 

[Smokin' in Tokyo]

Thank you all for such fantastic advice. I'll get some "freshly" made salami and use the powdery casing as well as add mushed up pieces to the grind.

I do make my own kapusta, so I'll use that too(mine is typically not very sour at all, which j guess should work well).

I've got some primal wild boar cuts arriving soon and I can't wait!

Ted

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Saco is not a fermenting agent and will not ferment as with fermento same thing

Lacto fermenting is done with Lactic Acid. Cultured buttermilk and yogurt (good quality) are good

 

[bill ace 350]

Im sure any fermentable liquid will work. im thinking kimchi too.

if you have a European mkt close thats where you will find good sauerkraut in a jar. Kuehne brand

I always wanted to try using sauerkraut. I like Kuehne brand, but the jars i buy are pasteurized.

Do you know if they make an unpasteurized kraut?

Thanks

 

[zwiller]

Yes, I am aware Saco is not active and won't ferment but hoping it would give me about half the tang of a culture but it didn't.

Not sure about that brand but the unpasteurized kraut I see is sold in bags and near the meat usually. Good point made about that too.

 

[bill ace 350]

Thank you all for such fantastic advice. I'll get some "freshly" made salami and use the powdery casing as well as add mushed up pieces to the grind.

I do make my own kapusta, so I'll use that too(mine is typically not very sour at all, which j guess should work well).

I've got some primal wild boar cuts arriving soon and I can't wait!

Ted

kapusta świetnie smakuje!