Just Did a Ten Pound Batch of Tuscan Salami, Incubating Right Now

[anderson5420]

My batch of Tuscan Salami (Charcuterie, p 183) is incubating right now in a room with a little electric heater to hold it at 85 degrees F, will hang tomorrow in the back of our daylight basement in another little room with a natural 61 degree F temperature and thanks to a Target humidifier with a 60 percent RH (was at 29 percent a week ago before getting the humidifier!).

8 lbs pork shoulder
2 lbs back fat
1/2 cup kosher salt
2 tsp cure #2
6 tbsp sugar (regular cane sugar, had no dextrose)
3 tbsp coarse ground black pepper
3 tbsp toasted cracked fennel seed
2 tbsp minced garlic
8 oz red wine
1/2 cup soy protein (had no dry milk solids)
Bactoferm F-RM-52 in 1/2 cup water

Hand diced the back fat, spinkled mixed salt and cure over pork shoulder and ground through a medium plate (Maverick MM5501, makes life a LOT easier!).  Hand mixed back fat , spices, wine and Bactoferm and into ground pork shoulder, and stuffed into 24" long by 3.5" diameter clear protein lined casings, got two and a half casings stuffed - a LOT of salami!  it is incubating right now, will hang tomorrow morning.  Likely it will hang for 2-3 months before we slice and vacuum pack.

Now, in the old days, they did not have Bactoferm.  Anybody make this some other way not using Bactoferm?  Fermento? Cultured buttermilk solids? Nothing?

[Habanero Smoker]

I use Bactoferm F-RM-52. It is expensive, but you don't have to use as much as the recipe calls for. On the other hand if you only make a batch of salami occasionally, then use the entire package, its shelf life is rated to 6 months in the freezer, less if you keep it in the refrigerator.

The old days they relied on natural bacteria, until sausage makers learned what bacterias were flavoring and protecting their sausages. Once they isolated the particular bacteria in their region, they began to grow it and add it to their sausages. But you don't want to rely on a particular bacteria being present while you grind the meat. The other substitutes you mentioned will work, as will encapsulated citric acid, but you need to know the right amounts to add to lower the ph to a particular level and give it that familiar tang. Also the tang will be more pungent when you use any of the substitutes.