[Olly398]

MiriMaran - what kind of environment did you hang the salamis in, temperature-wise? Green mould is pretty normal, but gooey = bad
Just stuffed this year's batch - see my blog.
21 kilos pork (not my pigs, I'm in Brixton!) gave 54 chorizo and 63 salami.



I used acidophilus as a starter culture, and a little nitrite to be on safe side. They will ferment at more or less room temp and a little extra humidity (bowls of water underneath) for 3-4 days then down in my cool draughty cellar for 6-8 weeks to 9 months dependin on how quickly I (and all my friends - funny how they all start to call) get through them. 

[Eve]

and all my friends - funny how they all start to call

We had people who gave us some rotten apples and then seemed to expect a roast in return! 


Our stuff all takes a bit longer to dry out, as the loft isn't exactly draughty - dont' think hubby would appreciate it if I suggested to take some tiles off the roof! 

[Hilarysmum]

What about running a fan or fan heater on cold for a few hours per day for the first week or so or would this be too expensive?

[Eve]

I suggested that, but hubby's weary of leaving something electrical on out of sight and it would need to go on a long lead (light but no electrical sockets in that spider-ridden loft, so eight-legged monsters would be able to escape ). I've got the electricians coming soon, I'll ask them to put a socket in the loft and put a fan on a timer. If we get a fire, well.. that'll be smoked salami, then! 

[Eve]

Well, that's just typical! I tell hubby that the electricians are coming on Tuesday for a quote, and suddenly it turns out we already have a socket up in the loft! The fan is on, now, on a timer! Funny how he suddenly remembers things when I've just arranged them! 

[Olly398]

So, lemme get this right, you have salami in the loft, with a fan heater to keep the temp up a little? Sounds good - what it the temp in there (roughly)? And how long have they been there?

These are mine now, hanging in the (messy) cellar. It is about 15 degrees down there, slightly damp but good airflow. They dry v.slowly.

I made the hanging rack out of an old clothes horse nailed to the ceiling...   waste not, want not   

[Eve]

Grin, grin, we're off the make-it-yourself kind, too - our hams are in pillow cases hanging from a clothing rail...

The fan is for the air circulation, as the loft never has a breeze in it and drying takes ages, especially the hams. It's about fridge tempterature up there this time of year. The salami's have been up two or three weeks and are shrinking slowly but surely, and are getting some white dry mould on them since the first week. Can't wait! 

We're getting a garage partially converted in the next few months to store our pork-filled freezers, so for the next lot of salami's we'll have a slightly warmer place that's also easier to get to (as the loft has a wonky ladder plus is full of spiders!  )

Good idea to suspend them from the ceiling -we're both 6 foot 2 so reaching the ceiling isn't a problem! 

[Greenerlife]

...and there was me thinking that the 6 salamis I made at the weekend were far too many for the two of us!    Inspired by you lot to make more now!  Chorizo...yum...I've got lots of paprika I bought back from Spain...mmmm

[Eve]

6 salami's...
That's one for eating straight away because you can't wait
Another two you'll slice whenever friends, family, postman, amazon delivery guy etc come around 'cause you're so proud you want to boast to whoever may walk passed your house
Number four will get used up in just one week's sandwiches
The fifth you'll eat a bit more sowly because you're starting to realise that in absolutely no time you've already used most of your supply
The 6th one... you'll eat really slowly, cut all superfine slices in halves and quarters to make them last and spread them out on your slices of bread, and curse yourself that you ever gave anything away in the first place! 

[Olly398]

Hallo all. I have just written up the last bit of the salami and chorizo story on the blog. Yawn! bed now 

[Greenerlife]

Wow!  They look delicious!  sadly I think my ones haven't worked.  They are in a very cold garage, and I don't think they warmed up initially at all.  Glad to see yours are mouldy a bit on the outside thoughh - because so are mine!  Mine smell yummy, but they haven't dried prperly.  Do you think they should be OK?  i am a bit scared to trythem in case I die!

[Eve]

We put ours in a very cold loft, but with a fan on for air circulation. We don't get that much mould on them, but then again they dry out very quickly as they're in sausage skins (so are much thinner).

Weigh the salami's, they should have lost 1/3 of their weight before they're ready, or more. If they smell fine, they should be ok.

Excellent blog, Olly!

 

[Olly398]

Thanks guys 

Greenerlife, did you use any nitrate/saltpetre/curing salt? If so, the chances of them developing dangerous bacteria are small. Perhaps sample a small skinned section? Have 999 on speed-dial?  God forbid shouldn't even joke  As far as I know, the warm "fermentation" stage is not essential to producing an edible product.

[Greenerlife]

I used Bessastart, so I presume I wont die if I try some?  Perhaps, if you don't see a post from me within a few days - could you contact the police?   . The pork ones seem the better than the buffalo ones, they are a bit slimy.

[Eve]

Slimy doesn't sound good but the pork ones sound be fine. I never used buffalo, though, and the only time a cured meat went wrong was with a buffalo relative (beef) so I stick to our -very plentiful- pork. 

If you're not sure if meat is safe to eat, try giving a bit to a pampered pet dog (not a working dog, the working dogs I know eat everything!) - if it's off, the pampered pets won't eat it.
The pork salami's sound fine, though, post me a bit and I'll try it