Should I add sugar to my whole muscle salami recipes

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Leesel
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Should I add sugar to my whole muscle salami recipes

Post by Leesel » Sat Mar 20, 2021 21:19

Hey All,

I’ve been wanting to do more whole muscle salami recipes, so have been researching online for various recipes predominantly coppa and pancetta and I’ve ended up quite confused. All recipes have 2.5-3% salt as standard but some have 1-1.5 sugar like you would find in bacon and some don’t. I would say it’s about 50/50. I bought Ruhlmans book to get some clarity, he only seems to add salt to whole muscle, so thought that must be correct. I then checked, for further clarity, the ingredients of various brands of coppa and pancetta in my local supermarkets/farm shops and again some contained sugar some not.
Which would be correct? Is it just a matter of taste, does adding sugar do something magical to the coppa micro biologically or is it merely just to sweeten. Is there no correct answer. Any info on this would be much appreciated I feel completely confused.
Thanks
Lee
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Bob K
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Re: Should I add sugar to my whole muscle salami recipes

Post by Bob K » Sun Mar 21, 2021 13:53

There really is no correct answer as its just a matter of taste. Some may use sugar to tone down the harshness of the salt...
Leesel
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Re: Should I add sugar to my whole muscle salami recipes

Post by Leesel » Sun Mar 21, 2021 22:49

Bob K wrote:
Sun Mar 21, 2021 13:53
There really is no correct answer as its just a matter of taste. Some may use sugar to tone down the harshness of the salt...
Thanks Bob
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StefanS
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Re: Should I add sugar to my whole muscle salami recipes

Post by StefanS » Mon Mar 22, 2021 01:16

Leesel wrote:
Sat Mar 20, 2021 21:19
whole muscle salami recipes,
what is this?? it is salami OR whole muscles matured meats? You add sugar to salami for bacterial fermentation, but you do not need sugar for whole muscles staff (basically).
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redzed
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Re: Should I add sugar to my whole muscle salami recipes

Post by redzed » Mon Mar 22, 2021 07:05

Sugar is not necessary in whole muscle cuts. And as far as seeing it as an ingredient in commercial products, well just about anything you pick up at the supermarket has sugar. They also use a lot of salt because it is a preservative and the sugar tempers the salty taste.
Leesel
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Re: Should I add sugar to my whole muscle salami recipes

Post by Leesel » Mon Mar 22, 2021 12:04

redzed wrote:
Mon Mar 22, 2021 07:05
Sugar is not necessary in whole muscle cuts. And as far as seeing it as an ingredient in commercial products, well just about anything you pick up at the supermarket has sugar. They also use a lot of salt because it is a preservative and the sugar tempers the salty taste.
Thanks Redzed. So again profit wins over tradition and flavour in the commercial world. :lol:
Leesel
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Re: Should I add sugar to my whole muscle salami recipes

Post by Leesel » Mon Mar 22, 2021 12:05

StefanS wrote:
Mon Mar 22, 2021 01:16
Leesel wrote:
Sat Mar 20, 2021 21:19
whole muscle salami recipes,
what is this?? it is salami OR whole muscles matured meats? You add sugar to salami for bacterial fermentation, but you do not need sugar for whole muscles staff (basically).
Great thanks Stefan!
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