Hey Bear...
BTW: I know they're a bit ugly, like my Unstuffed Beef Sticks, because there isn't any skin on them to keep them smooth & pretty, but they're Darn Tasty this way!
I have to disagree...
I've done quite a few batches of beef salami, and our favorite (sweet red chicken sausage) in 2 to 3lb chubs, and the unstuffed method was really a head-turner at our family reunion last summer. The slight crust on the slices caught quite a bit of interest, and a few wondered how I made them. The unique flavor profile and differing texture of the bite and chew had one of my sisters just about going crazy over it...she'd never seen an unstuffed sausage of any kind and was really impressed with how good it was.
Personally, I find the look of the uncased ground meats coming out of the smoker to be very interesting...rather appealing, IMO, and very provoking of the salivary glands...LOL!!!
Plus, once you slice it, people don't know what it used to look like.
You seem to have a very good method for prep, mix, curing, drying, smoking, and rapid chilling, also...I studied it for a few minutes to get a picture where it was all going, and it makes perfect sense to me. And, with just an ounce of liquids per pound of meat to incorporate the cure and seasonings together for an easier and more uniform mix with the meat....nice touch on that.
You're very observant--That is the main reason for the liquid---to make it easy to distribute evenly. Only thing wrong with sticking to a plan, like I did here, was I ended up smoking this stuff during those high winds. I had already held it two nights in the fridge, after mixing, and didn't want to make it 3 nights. My old packing quilt with the plastic washers seemed to work pretty good though.
I've done my salami mix wet a couple times, but had trouble with the recipe due to crumbling after the smoke...I think I used some sherry wine in one batch and it seemed that either the acidity or too low of fat content had an adverse effect after it was cooked. Oh, yeah, I rembeber now...I tried a 93/7 ground sirloin, if I recall...way too lean to hold together...good grief, that flopped attempt was over 2 years ago. Anyway, the dry mixes I've done worked out fine with 85/15 GB or chuck, but I was using a Kitchen-Aid with a dough hook for 2-3lb batches, and it came together pretty well, but by hand would be a bit of a workout for sure.
Yup---Anything more lean than 80/20 would be a bit crumbly, especially if you slice it thin.
Interesting recipe...if I can scrounge up the anise and mustard seeds...well, if not, I can improvise...I'm pretty good at that! LOL!!!
I'm not sure what the Anise & mustard seeds do, but this recipe originated from a Morton's recipe, and they were in that recipe. I made quite a few changes, but left them in, probably because I have no idea what they add to it.
Thanks for the recipe and methods...a bit different than my salami recipes, which are good, but another flavor profile is always welcome, too.
Man, I haven't done any salami or chix sausage for..............crap, I don't even know...maybe last May, or possibly June??? OK, you can spank me now and get it over with! Jeeze, it's crazy how much stuff there is for a guy to do with curing and smoking...easy to lose track of when your last duplicate project was done, but then, I'm always trying new stuff lately, so I guess I shouldn't beat myself up too badly.
Great reminder to step back into the simpler things, for sure...thanks again, Bear!
Eric
.
