Sopressata Vicentina (In the style of)

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
My wife said hey you have a small fridge in the side bay. Yeah but way to small.
Then go buy one for the shed, Naaa to hot in the summer time.

Hey how bout in the back of the RV?

Then i got this.....LOL
wml.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: HalfSmoked
Proposed recipe changes:
*reduce cinnamon to 0.12g/ Kg. - use an accurate gram scale that can weigh to 0.01 grams.
Cinnamononomon :emoji_laughing:
can really over power meat. My mom used to use it in some of her mexican food, one time she used too much...Just 1 time lol
 
Cinnamononomon :emoji_laughing:
can really over power meat. My mom used to use it in some of her mexican food, one time she used too much...Just 1 time lol
Yep...I knew that going in, but even the reduction to 50% of suggested amount was a tad too much. It certainly does not take much....0.12g cinammon is like 1/8tsp or less. It is still a good salami. Will be great for a charcuterie board with fruit and cheese.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: BGKYSmoker

Interesting - I didn't realize there was a Northern Italy version of this salami. I thought they came from Naples and lands to the south. That will be my next ferment, though not very dissimilar from my current project. The southern version uses Calabrian Pepper powder (or paste) as a major component along with crushed pepper flakes and whole peppercorns, all of which makes it pretty peppery. I'm still trying to figure out how to press the Salami under weights in my busy kitchen during the ferment stage, all while maintaining a high humidity.
 
Last edited:
The first Calabrian sopressata I made I used way too much pepper sauce. After doing some research, 4% pepper sauce and 2% pepper powders in the combination you like. Can go more sweet or more hot....
 
The first Calabrian sopressata I made I used way too much pepper sauce. After doing some research, 4% pepper sauce and 2% pepper powders in the combination you like. Can go more sweet or more hot....

That's great info - I'll put that in my notes for next time. I kept the chili powder low for the first batch - something like 2% with no pepper sauce. I was going to use smoked paprika too but I totally forgot until after the links were stuffed. Anyways, your Vincentina version looks really good too. Pretty much a perfect outcome.

RE: your meat press - You weren't messing around! You put some thought and dollars into that. I'm more likely to keep it low tech and use weight lifting 20 lb. disks on top of baking sheets. Thanks again for the ideas.
 
Do you ever have issues when you have salami and muscle cuts (salumi) curing at the same time? I am just curious, as I will be doing some salami's in near future and am on my first batch of meat in curing chamber. I know your weather is hot and humid in your area. The weather here is comparable for about four months a year, as we are surrounded by, lake Erie, lake St Clair, lake Huron and it is hot and humid as hell.
 
My chamber is inside my house so It's a pretty stable environment. 68-72*F, 40-55RH%....

When dry curing large whole muscles, it is better to dry slow as possible because moisture has a long way to travel from the center to the surface of the muscle. Generally, my RH% is higher near the floor of my chamber and lower near the ceiling. The difference in RH% runs about 5-8%RH. So I can raise or lower product depending on the RH% needed. This is one advantage of running the dehumidifier on the top shelf as opposed to on the floor of the chamber. Also, the intake vent is raised up off the floor in my new unit by about 18". There will be less air flow near the floor as well.
The temp. is a little warmer near the ceiling as well because of the dehumidifier....and warmer air will have a lower RH% because it expands...colder air contracts and increases RH%. Temp. difference is about 3-4*F.....but it is enough to give a 5-8%RH difference.
 
Two questions:
1) all things being equal, what RH% would you run your chamber if you're curing a Capicola and salami at the same time? I see several recommendations for 55 degrees and 75% humidity for the coppa, which might be a tad lower than salami though I've seen those numbers for salami too.

2) I couldn't handle the guesswork in using litmus paper to test salami pH. It didn't seem worth the downside risk. So I bought a pH meter and my first batch of salami is all good a week into drying. Is there any reason to keep the sample meat saved for pH check after the ferment is over, the numbers are fine, and the meat is in the drying chamber? I threw it out then decided to retrieve it and ask before committing to sending it to the landfill. ....again, many thanks!
 
1) all things being equal, what RH% would you run your chamber if you're curing a Capicola and salami at the same time? I see several recommendations for 55 degrees and 75% humidity for the coppa, which might be a tad lower than salami though I've seen those numbers for salami too.
True answer....it depends....
Meaning, it depends on where you are checking the RH%. 75% at the top of the chamber on top of the top shelf? No problem...that will put the RH% 80-83%RH near your Salami and Salumi.

Evan Gramm is an old member here...he posted some absolutely beautiful salumi with no case hardening. When asked, he said he runs his chamber 80-85%RH. If you drop it to 75%RH you will get case hardening.

Home chambers are imperfect. Generally the air flow in most refrigerators is too fast. This is compensated by the long rest period between cooling cycles. I've toyed around with the use of a fan on the top shelf blowing directly on the ceiling at very low CFM in order to simulate a commercial drying chamber...the blades were barely turning...still too much air flow.
Every chamber is different, so you will have to troubleshoot it...which is difficult having never done this before.

There are trade offs... if you target too low an RH% too soon, the dehumidifier will run almost constantly trying to pull the moisture out of the unit. This will raise the temp. in the chamber faster, thus the unit will run cooling cycles faster...thus in an effort to target a lower RH%, you will dry the surface faster because of too much airflow from the unit cycling too much. It is all a balancing act.

Outside of a home drying chamber, I'm sure 75%RH will work just fine, but I find it impractical as mentioned above...
 
2) I couldn't handle the guesswork in using litmus paper to test salami pH. It didn't seem worth the downside risk. So I bought a pH meter and my first batch of salami is all good a week into drying. Is there any reason to keep the sample meat saved for pH check after the ferment is over, the numbers are fine, and the meat is in the drying chamber? I threw it out then decided to retrieve it and ask before committing to sending it to the landfill. ....again, many thanks!
I too had problems with litmus paper. the range is not tight enough to get a good reading. I bought a Milwaukee 102 pH meter. It is the most accurate for this application IMO because of the temp. reading. But there are really good reviews with the new Apera models. One of the benefits is that the Apera shows the slope every time it is used to measure pH. So you know the probe is accurate and when to replace.
 
I generally just let the test samples sit on the top shelf until I pull the salamis. I use them for good mold "islands" between batches...keeping good mold growing in the chamber.......
 
I generally just let the test samples sit on the top shelf until I pull the salamis. I use them for good mold "islands" between batches...keeping good mold growing in the chamber.......

Good idea. I'll go with that.

I purchased the Apera PH60S. I was leaning towards the Hanna Pocket Probe but it seemed more fussy in maintenance. The Apera is simple to calibrate and the tip can be cleaned with warm soap/water after use. I'm very happy with it (except for the $200 price tag).
 
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Latest posts

Hot Threads

Clicky