Salami and Chorizo

[wade]

As my latest batch of Salami and Chorizo have now been released on unsuspecting family and friends I though I would share a few photos with the group.

Left - Pork, beef and back fat for the salami

Right - Pork and back fat or the Chorizo

I am showing only two trays here but there were also another two with different spice and cure combinations.

Seasoning.jpg

• wade
• Apr 18, 2014

At this point the meat is kept chilled during the first grind.

Grinding.jpg

• wade
• Apr 18, 2014

The fermentation culture is then added to the ground meat and it is then ground for a second time.

Once the culture has been added the meat is allowed to warm to room temperature to allow the bacteria in the culture to multiply and become dominant. The purpose of the culture is to create both flavour and also acidity within the sausage to help preserve it with lower Nitrite concentrations.

Sorry but I forgot to take photos as the casings were being filled however here they are in the smoker after an initial 24 hours at room temperature.The salamis are just in the picture on the left and you can see the different spice mixes producing different  colours in the chorizos. When they have finished curing they all end up roughly the same colour.

In Smoker 1.jpg

• wade
• Apr 18, 2014

After 48 hours in the smoker you can see that they are already beginning to lose moisture and deepen in colour

After Smoking.jpg

• wade
• Apr 18, 2014

After smoking they are then hung at room temperature to air dry for 6 weeks. The smell in the smokery as they matured was divine.

Once matured they were then vac packed to prevent them fro drying further and becoming Droewors

packaged.jpg

• wade
• Apr 18, 2014

It will not be long before the next batch is under way.

 

[kc5tpy]

Hello Wade.  GREAT looking sausages.  Thanks for posting.

Danny

 

[sam3]

Great job Wade.

 

[driedstick]

Those look great - nice job.

A full smoker is a happy smoker.

 

[wade]

Sliced and ready to eat

Ready to Eat.jpg

• wade
• Apr 21, 2014

 

[foamheart]

Really impressive Wade! So how did they taste?

 

[wade]

Thanks Foamheart.

I reduced both the the chili and pepper in the Chorizo in this batch which gave it less of a firey kick. Both the Chorizo and the Salami initially have a nice soft spice flavour as you first put it in your mouth and over the next few seconds the depth of flavour really starts to develop. I am very pleased with the way that this batch turned out and will certainly use the spice blends again.

 

[earthquake5683]

WOW!  and i was so proud of my little adventure today.  Nice job.

 

[wade]

All gone now 

.

A new batch is being started this weekend and it can sit quietly, undisturbed, maturing for the 3 weeks that I am on holiday in the USA. Unfortunately it is during the first couple of weeks that the house becomes permeated with that divine smell of curing smoked salami...

 

[foamheart]

Wade, I started laughing when I read above about that 2 week holiday. You aren't going to be smuggling any wood back are you? Bring two extra suitcases and instead of smuggling booze or stolen hotel towels come home with 'em full of wood....LOL

It was just the first thing that came to mind. Standing in the customs area with and open suitcase of wood saying, that's not my bag officer!

 

[bigbob73]

where do you get your back fat?

 

[disco]

Terrific project. Thanks for posting.

Disco

 

[palladini]

 
where do you get your back fat?

You go to butcher and ask for it.

 

[wade]

 
Wade, I started laughing when I read above about that 2 week holiday. You aren't going to be smuggling any wood back are you? Bring two extra suitcases and instead of smuggling booze or stolen hotel towels come home with 'em full of wood....LOL

It was just the first thing that came to mind. Standing in the customs area with and open suitcase of wood saying, that's not my bag officer!

Don't laugh... A friend and I drove Route 66 two years ago and whilst in St Louis I bought 3 x IQ-110 from Pitmaster. They were carefully packed in my hand luggage for the flight home and we walked innocently through baggage inspection at LAX. I waited for my case to come through x-ray only to notice that it was being send through several times. As I waited the crowd of officials mustering around the x-ray screen grew larger. Suddenly I asked by a worried looking official if it was my bag, and when I said it was both me and the bag were quickly ushered into a separate area. The customs officer and another heavily armed guard stood over me as the bag was carefully opened and searched. They subsequently informed me that the 3 IQ-110 BBQ temperature regulators looked remarkably similar under x-ray to the dummy bombs that the customs guys use as part of their x-ray training. When they were satisfied what they were they suddenly became much more friendly and even joked about them  - which somewhat surprised me as from past experience I assumed US customs officials all had their ability to joke surgically removed as part of their job induction - LOL.

It was quite scary at the time but when I look back on it there was a bit of irony in the inspection process that actually worked in my favour. Whilst other passengers in front and behind me were having nail files and key-ring penknives confiscated as dangerous weapons I was allowed through carrying with 6 x 6" pin sharp stainless steel spikes (in the form of BBQ temperature probes) in hand luggage!

If any Customs officials read this and are likely to be be at my arriving airport this trip - I think you do a great job guys and I was only joking about the lack of sense of humour 

 

 

[wade]

 
where do you get your back fat?

 
You go to butcher and ask for it.

That's what I thought too Palladini. Surprisingly back fat is actually quite difficult to obtain here in the UK as most of our commercial pigs are so relatively lean that butchers do not have sufficient back fat to sell separately. What little they do get they tend to use themselves in their sausages. The good thing about getting to know your local butcher though is that mine will now save it for me over a period of time in the freezer. If I give him a weeks notice they can put aside a couple of kilos for me.

You can buy it frozen online too I think as it is often used, sliced thinly, in kitchens for making terrines - but I have not had to go down that route yet. Maybe in the US back fat is more readily available from your local butchers.

 

[bigbob73]

They tend to horde it for their sausage as well. I can get pork belly, but its kind of expensive.

 

[palladini]

 
That's what I thought too Palladini. Surprisingly back fat is actually quite difficult to obtain here in the UK as most of our commercial pigs are so relatively lean that butchers do not have sufficient back fat to sell separately. What little they do get they tend to use themselves in their sausages. The good thing about getting to know your local butcher though is that mine will now save it for me over a period of time in the freezer. If I give him a weeks notice they can put aside a couple of kilos for me.

You can buy it frozen online too I think as it is often used, sliced thinly, in kitchens for making terrines - but I have not had to go down that route yet. Maybe in the US back fat is more readily available from your local butchers.

Wade, we once got a pig processed for our freezer, when I got home, there was no back fat, or cheeks.  I phoned the butcher and asked him where these were.  His response, no body ever asks for that, but come back and we will get you some of both, for free.

 

[jp61]

 Very nice, Wade!

 

[smoking b]

Ready to Eat.jpg

• wade
• Apr 21, 2014

That looks very good man - nice job!