Home made salamis

I always wish I could make salamis, using good quality meat and spices, properly slow cured for minimum 3 months.

This march, I tried to make Finocchiona, a Tuscan salami with fennel, and Chorizo, a Basque type salami with smoked paprika (pimenton) and chili.

The results are great, they look, smell and tasted excellent.

Finocchiona
Lean belly pork 1800gm
Belly pork fat 450gm

Salt 56gm (2.5%)

Whey 60gm (sieved from natural yogurt)

Brown sugar 30gm

Fennel seed toasted 12gm

Coarsely grinded toasted black pepper 24gm

Garlic minced 30gm

Red wine 150gm

freshly made Finocchiona

cured Finocchiona

Whey is added to accelerate lactic fermentation, that preserves the salami without the addition of nitrates, this is how traditionally salamis were made.

Spices are toasted first to sterilize them.

Chorizo

Lean belly pork 1750gm

Belly pork fat 450gm

Salt 43gm (2.5%)

Whey 60gm

Brown sugar 10gm

Smoked pimenton 32gm

Garlic minced 20gm

Chili powder 10gm

Red wine 100gm

freshly made Chorizo

cured Chorizo

Salamis are kept in oven at 25-30˚C for 12 hours to kick start fermentation, or at room temperature for a day. Then hang in cool, dark place with air circulation around 15 ˚C, 60-70% humidity for minimum 3 months.

salamis being cured in barn roof during winter months

After curing, salamis should loss at least 30% weight, these lost 50%.