I smoked some "salami" today, made using the recipe on the Morton site: http://www.mortonsalt.com/recipes/recipeex.asp?recipeid=115. It was promptly declared "delicious" and "a winner" by the Ms, who normally wouldn't buy or eat salami from the market. The only change I'd suggest would be to substitute 1-2 teaspoons of your favorite BBQ rub/# of meat instead of the tsp of table salt called for in the recipe. I tried that and it turned out well. Doubled the recipe and used 2# of ground beef, combining ingredients in a kitchenaid stand mixer. Smoked it with 7 maple pucks followed by 4 hickory, because I was doing Canadian bacon at the same time (but only had 7 maple pucks). You could probably do 'em faster by cranking the temp higher - I kept mine < 210 all the way. Took 'em out when the center temp got around 160. Amazing flavor - tasted like you'd expect salami to taste. Highly recommended - we will definitely do this again. Thought I'd post this since I've asked twice whether anyone has tried this recipe and got no positive responses. I'd also be interested in other salami recipes any of you might have tried.
Best regards to all,
Good Job asa!!!
I have not tried the Morton recipe. I have always used premix from High Mountain or Eastman Outdoors. The nice thing about a recipe like you used, anyone can make it. There is no need to wait for an order to arrive. I would stick with what works and just tweek it like you already have.
Do you have any pics to post of the finished product?
Would you say this is like a cotto salami?
When you say you followed the Morton's recipe, did you only make your salami 1 1/2" in diameter. I'm putting in a 3" diameter one today along with two pepperoni sticks.
I'd be interested to know how the smoking time would be affected by 1 1/2 inch diameter casings vs 3 inch.
There are no casings with this recipe.
For a comparison, you will have to stay tuned. While smoking the pepperoni, salami and individual meatloaves, I got involve in a home repair project, and a problem in the smoker developed (aluminum foil was involved). I didn't catch it until much latter into the cooking; though the food was salvageable, it wasn't the best. One thing I know I will be adding to the salami recipe is cracked or whole peppercorns.
Quote from: jaeger on September 16, 2006, 09:48:48 PM
Good Job asa!!!
.................Do you have any pics to post of the finished product?
Thanks jaeger. No, I didn't do any photos. Will try to next time. I did this in between trips and just didn't have the time.
Quote from: Oldman on September 16, 2006, 10:58:24 PM
Would you say this is like a cotto salami?
No, I don't think so. Looked up cotto on the net and found that it is frequently not smoked, and usually contains pork and garlic, in addition to beef. From recipetips.com: " An uncooked dry sausage that is highly seasoned with garlic, salt, pepper, and sugar and is most often made of beef and pork. It is a soft or semi-soft air-dried sausage that is not smoked. There are a variety of salamis produced that are pre-cooked and if cooked, are not considered to be a dry sausage."
On the other hand, several other recipes, including one on Emeril's site, call for smoking it.
And from Epicurious: "The name applied to a family of sausages similar to CERVELATS. Both styles are uncooked but safe to eat without heating because they've been preserved by curing. Salamis, however, tend to be more boldly seasoned (particularly with garlic), coarser, drier and, unlike cervelats, rarely smoked. Salamis are usually air-dried and vary in size, shape, seasoning and curing process. Though they're usually made from a mixture of beef and pork, the KOSHER versions are strictly beef. Among the best-known Italian salamis are Genoa (rich, fatty and studded with white peppercorns) and cotto (studded with black peppercorns). The nonpork kosher salamis are cooked and semisoft. Italian-American favorites include Alesandri and Alpino. FRIZZES and PEPPERONI are also salami-type sausages. With the casing uncut, whole dry salamis will keep for several years."
Haven't had time to look into it further. If you're familiar with sausages, Olds, why don't you take a look at the recipe and let us know what it most closely resembles. It seems like a very basic and simple recipe for a cured and smoked beef product. Think next time I'll definitely add some garlic and perhaps some peppercorns. With those ingredients plus my "whoa momma barkaboo rub," maybe I can call it Chapel Hill salami, eh?
Quote from: Habanero Smoker on September 17, 2006, 03:24:31 AM
When you say you followed the Morton's recipe, did you only make your salami 1 1/2" in diameter. I'm putting in a 3" diameter one today along with two pepperoni sticks.
I think mine were about 2" in diameter. They shrunk down a little with smoking/cooking. I'll be interested to hear how yours turned out.
Addendum: --- ooops. Just noticed your subsequent post. Sorry for the mishap. Better luck next time. Let's keep in touch re further experimentation with this food-form.
Quote from: Smudge on September 17, 2006, 06:17:18 PM
I'd be interested to know how the smoking time would be affected by 1 1/2 inch diameter casings vs 3 inch.
Smudge: I didn't use casings - just rolled them out with a technique that Alton Brown has demonstrated on his show. Put a glob of the ground meat mixed with salt and spices onto waxed paper, roll back and forth to get a sort of cylinder, and then put the edge of a baking sheet down on the waxed paper right in front of the roll so that you can pull the free edge (now under your baking sheet) while maintaining pressure in the crease in front of the salami, which is being rolled toward you in the paper. Stop it when you have the cylinder you want, gently reshape the ends with your hands, and then roll up in the paper to store in the fridge overnight. I used this technique because I've never used casings and didn't have the supplies on hand.
QuoteOlds, why don't you take a look at the recipe and let us know what it most closely resembles.
Im going to wait until Hab reports on this before I get into it.
The first batch was in the smoker too long for me to judge the recipe, but I can say that the 3" salami was evenly cook throughout. I'm going to give it another try on Friday, without aluminum foil in the smoker. ;D but for the next couple of days I'll be smoking chicken thighs, wings, and whole chickens.
Anyone here have pics of this stuff.Thanks ;D
Hab, I'm interested to know how you did your pepperoni. What meat, cure, spices, casings or no casings. Thanks
Quote from: mws on September 20, 2006, 09:54:07 AM
Hab, I'm interested to know how you did your pepperoni. What meat, cure, spices, casings or no casings. Thanks
I just followed the recipe on the Morton Salt site (leaving out the liquid smoke). No casings are required for this recipe. As Asa stated it will shrink in diameter after smoking/cooking. You will have to adapt the cooking part for use in the BS.
http://www.mortonsalt.com/recipes/recipeex.asp?recipeid=46
Other then being some what dehydrated, it did taste like pepperoni, but the texture was not the same. I would suggest adding more red pepper flakes. The salami came out the same way, some what tasting very similar to salami, but a bit salty for my taste. I have to agree with Olds; after searching the web other then a difference in a few ingredients, I would have to classify this as cotto salami, due to the way it is prepared.
Also I did find a smoke cotto salami recipe so I am going to use those smoking/cooking techniques; and the Morton recipe recipe next time. The smoking/cooking procedure was to apply the smoke at 110°F; then gradually raise the cabinet temperature until the internal temperature of the salami is 150°F; (but I figure after smoking at 110°F I might just raise the cabinet temperature to 165°F-185°F). Take it out of the smoker, shower it with cold water until an internal temperature of 120°F-130°F is reach. Allow to dry at room temperature, then refrigerate.
I'll take pictures next time.
Texture can be tough to duplicate in sausage w/o casing. Packing the meat tightly ala summer sausage or pepperoni is necessary to get that dense product. The good news is it means another cool toy in a sausage stuffer. I will make breakfast sausage bulk w/o casing but not much else. (Chez alert) Mouth feel, or bite is important to me second only to taste.
mld
Naw,
It's not any fun if you know it's already anticipated it! ;D ;D ;D
Kirk
Quote from: winemakers on September 20, 2006, 11:49:03 AM
Texture can be tough to duplicate in sausage w/o casing. Packing the meat tightly ala summer sausage or pepperoni is necessary to get that dense product. The good news is it means another cool toy in a sausage stuffer. mld
Hey, thanks! That's all the justification I need for a new toy! But on second thought, can I use the Kitchenaid for this?
I have a Kitchenaid grinder with the stuffer that I have used with some success, however, in the next breath I will admit to having a dedicated stuffer which does a much better job. Far easier to control the tightness of the sausage, etc. I bought one from sausagemaker dot com but I have seen what appears to be a similar unit at of all places, Grizzly.com. Fun to start with the kitchenaid, get addicted, then spend the bucks for a stuffer.
mld
You can use the Kitchenaid but once you use a regular stuffer you'll never go back. They work a lot better and don't get all the air in the casing like the grinder/stuffer combos. You can stuff 15 lbs. of casing in minutes with them and get them as tight as you need to with little effort. Don't get the horn type. They make more of a mess than anything else. Have fun! ;)
Here is the most recent beef salami experiment. What a treat, to be able to have a couple of slices of this with some cheese before dinner every night.
(http://www.susanminor.org/users/asa/Salami%20Oct%202006%28edited%29.JPG)
Those little yellow specks are the mustard seed - seems to be a common ingredient, along with nutmeg (of all things). For this one I used 4# of ground beef (2 were 20% fat and 2 were 7% fat) and the ingredients posted previously. Product texture is very lean - OK, with really good flavor, but you wouldn't want it too much drier. Next time, using all 80% beef might be better. Or mix some pork in with it as many recipes recommend. But this combo is good for those interested in less fat. I might even try it all with the 97% lean beef, and add a little more liquid to the mix - that is something I've not been very careful to do and will pay more attention to in the future. This time I added a splash of sweet & sour mix because I believe that lemon/citrus "brightens the flavor" of many things I cook. It wasn't detectable, so it certainly wasn't too much. May try a little more next time as my secret ingredient. I'm interested in anyone else's experiments with salami or similar sausage recipes.
75% / 25% has been a good combo for me on salami and summer sausage. Add pork if you want but it changes flavor. Hard back fat makes a difference also. Final temp and quick cool down can make or break texture also. Citric acid adds a great punch but be careful or it can turn the meat to mush real fast. What you made looks dynomite!!! :P What plate size are you using on your grinder?
Quote from: iceman on October 06, 2006, 08:11:09 PM
75% / 25% has been a good combo for me on salami and summer sausage. Add pork if you want but it changes flavor. Hard back fat makes a difference also. Final temp and quick cool down can make or break texture also. Citric acid adds a great punch but be careful or it can turn the meat to mush real fast. What you made looks dynomite!!! :P What plate size are you using on your grinder?
Thanks for the comments. Sounds like sticking with no leaner than 80/20 would be best. I haven't tried grinding my own yet - this was just store bought pre-ground beef. Then I mixed it with spices in the kitchenaid and that will change the texture, depending on how long I mix. I've been mixing a fairly long time, until there is a certain smooth homogeneity to the mix. This has produced salami that has a texture like I expected. I imagine if I took the store bought grind and didn't mix it as much, it would come out more like a coarse sausage. Do you use a fine or coarse grind for your salami and summer sausage?
Also, are you suggesting a quick cool-down for best texture? And what final temps do you aim for?