Some Salamis are finishing...

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There is also a school of thought for mixing the salt and cure in 24 hours prior to grinding. The meat becomes firmer, and you can get the meat colder before it freezes solid, for excellent particle definition upon grinding and minimal fat smearing. You also utilize the grinding action for protein extraction upon grinding....it works the meat over pretty good and squeezes proteins out. I have not tried that method yet....
 
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The Finocchiona is finished. I took it down to 37% weight loss. Flavors developed really good. I like it!

Cross cut:
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And here is the patched salami...
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The patch casing dried and stuck to the salami casing very well...no mold growth underneath...
 
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I been playing with the grind on the fat and meat. For this one, the fat was through 10mm plate, the meat trough 6mm plate. You can see how pronounced the fat grind is after drying....
 
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Yep, some case hardening... knew that would happen though when I put the fan and ice in the chamber when it went out. I have both the Pistachio & Lemon and the Fennel vac sealed for equalization in the fridge. I'll let them go for at least a month before checking them.
 
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Updated chamber pic....
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Pepperoni on the right has great mold coverage and is drying nicely, already @16% weight loss. Strolghino in the middle should be finished in about 2 weeks. Caiuscolo are the short chubs, finished last round of cold smoking last night with pitmaster's choice pellet dust and crushed juniper berries. Those will finish fast as well, only needing to lose 20% because of the high fat content. All the way to the left in the back there is the Vicentina, it is at 35.5% weight loss and I'm going to let it keep drying until it firms up a little more to the touch.

Front left corner is half a stick of finocchiona I have been eating on. One of my favorites so far....can't stop eating it! LOL! It's a great mid afternoon snack with a little brioche bread and some honey.
 
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The Vicentina is finished. Brought it down to 37% weight loss.
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Without flash..
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The finished flavor profile is different than what the spice profile smells like when I initially mixed it up. The cinnamon comes through the strongest, almost overpowering the other spices...even with the reduced percentages I used...I can't imagine how awfully strong it would be if I had used it at full percentage recommended! The clove is barely noticeable. The Rosemary is right on the money. If I make this one again, I will dial back the cinnamon even more and bump up the clove.

Peeling the casings and vac sealing today. Will see if the cinnamon fades as it ages...

Over all, I'm happy with this one for my first attempt at this salami. Texture is good, acid is mild, flavor is acceptable, just not the 'knock your socks off' l was striving for. It may take me a few attempts to dial this one in. The next time I make it, I will likely take the 5kg. mince and break it down into 1kg. batches to adjust the spice profile in each one to dial in the spice profile. I'll make 5 salamis, 1kg each.
 
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Wow, just a great job. Hope I can replicate the results you are getting.
Thanks.
Attention to detail...patience....and following the guidelines for safe practices. I check my salamis daily, and weigh them daily. I hope to catch any problems when they first appear so I can correct them easier by adjusting drying parameters. Or if bad mold or yeast starts, that is information that the humidity is probably too high and needs adjusting....but if you don't look...you won't know! I rather nip problems in the bud....this is how I caught that my chamber had a coolant leak, by checking every day. I would hate for all that work cutting meat, mixing, stuffing, trussing....(not to mention the time involved)....to go to waste because I was not on top of things.
 
I agree completely. I will be putting my lonza in my chamber tomorrow, so I am pretty excited to start learning how the chamber will perform.
 
Very nice salami - it's got a lot of eye appeal - I see no flaws whatsoever. Looks like it is straight out of Italy. Nice job!

I started a Calabrian style salami this morning. Hopefully it will turn out somewhat close to your results. Doubtful, though one can hope.
 
Updated chamber pic...

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3 Calabrian hot Coppas back right, The Campania Salami in the front (look at how orange it turned!), and the Fiocco I added tonight back left. I'll add the Culatello in the next 7-10 days.
 
BTW - How long is it taking to go start to finish on your (what appears to be about 2") gorgeous salami - fermentation plus drying time? I'm trying to gauge how my chamber is doing. I think I'm in the ballpark - it looks that my first batch stuffed into 50 - 55 mm beef middle casings will likely be done at four weeks. Thanks!
 
BTW - How long is it taking to go start to finish on your (what appears to be about 2") gorgeous salami - fermentation plus drying time? I'm trying to gauge how my chamber is doing. I think I'm in the ballpark - it looks that my first batch stuffed into 50 - 55 mm beef middle casings will likely be done at four weeks. Thanks!
It depends on the acid drop and salt concentration, fat content and grind size, but usually between 35-45 days for 50-55mm beef middles.
 
It depends on the acid drop and salt concentration, fat content and grind size, but usually between 35-45 days for 50-55mm beef middles.
Thanks. I'll think about the acid drop relationship to drying time for awhile. Cogitation is good for my old brain.
 
Thanks. I'll think about the acid drop relationship to drying time for awhile. Cogitation is good for my old brain.

Acid drop generally relies on the ferment you add.... Fast, med or slow... The temperature, humidity and the amount of dextrose, required for the first day or so, to get the ferment working properly... Acidification should happen relatively fast to stop bacterial growth...
Then the drying process at ~55F and ~80% RH for the duration..
 
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Thanks. I'll think about the acid drop relationship to drying time for awhile. Cogitation is good for my old brain.
The lower the pH drop (more acidic) the easier it is for the meat to lose water. Down around pH 4.6 is the isoelectric point of meat where the meat molecules just can't electrically bond with water molecules because of the interference with all the H+ ions. Thus, it is easier for the salami to dry. This is why fast fermented products generally dry about 1/3 faster than slow fermented salami that never drop below pH 5.3...

Also, it takes 25% longer for a salami with 2.5% salt to dry than a salami with 3% salt (at the same pH; pH has a larger influence on drying than salt concentration).
 
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