Aging salami in a vacuum pack bag?

Post Reply
Fishhead
Beginner
Beginner
Posts: 16
Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2016 17:01
Location: State of Jefferson

Aging salami in a vacuum pack bag?

Post by Fishhead » Fri Jun 16, 2017 22:24

This may have been discussed in the past but a quick search did not find anything. But what is the general thought of aging salami in a vacuum pack? Maintaining a cool and high humidity environment is difficult through the summer months. My refer sucks the humidity out of the are but keeps things cold. I can keep the humidity up, but then the temperature is too warm.

So I wonder about sealing whole salamis in bags and keeping them in the refer.
Bumper
Beginner
Beginner
Posts: 50
Joined: Tue May 09, 2017 22:56
Location: Australia

Post by Bumper » Fri Jun 16, 2017 23:57

Hi Fishhead

In a regular vac pack bag you would just be curing but not ageing - no weight loss would be possible. Ideally you need to be able to control both temperature and humidity and air flow to do this. If you aren't in a position to control the temp and humidity using controllers with a chamber, perhaps have a look at the umai bag threads on this site.

I haven't used them myself, but from a quick read you do an initial fermentation and then simply put them in the fridge for ageing until they achieve the desired weight loss. I believe you are likely to get a bit of case hardening, but otherwise good salami out of them. Lots of info on here to trawl through - sometimes in threads on making particular things.

You could also look into making more in the cooler months if the temps are more controllable then?

Cheers

B
Fishhead
Beginner
Beginner
Posts: 16
Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2016 17:01
Location: State of Jefferson

Post by Fishhead » Sat Jun 17, 2017 00:19

Bumper, thanks for the reply. Looking back at my post I now realize that I should have provided a little more info.

My salami is now been drying for 8 weeks. I have lost 40% of it green weight. It taste great. But I and my family are not about to eat 10 lbs of salami very quickly, so I wish to continue to simply let it age with no further weight loss. I used T-spx culture so the bacteria should continue to do their thing during aging.

If I keep it in my refer at 50' F the humidity will drop to 40-50% which will cause further weight loss. If turn the humidifier on, it will effective start to rain in my refer.

What I am unclear on is whether the salami needs to "breathe" during aging. If this is the case then vacuum sealing would not be a good thing. But if the bacteria can continue to do their thing in a vacuum then that may be the way to go.
Bumper
Beginner
Beginner
Posts: 50
Joined: Tue May 09, 2017 22:56
Location: Australia

Post by Bumper » Sat Jun 17, 2017 00:50

Aha! I did wonder whether you were referring to storing or not. I was looking into this a while back - consensus on here and on reddit where I asked the question about storing seems to be vac pack is beneficial to smooth the flavours and to store for product not immediately to be consumed. vac pack and keep in the fridge. This thread is helpful:

http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?t=6727
User avatar
Bob K
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 2232
Joined: Sun Jun 02, 2013 15:16
Location: Northwest Ct

Post by Bob K » Sat Jun 17, 2017 12:45

At a 40% loss your sausage is shelf stable. This is due to a low aW value which prevents any further bacterial growth, which includes both beneficial and spoilage types, so vac packing is is not preventing the further growth of the flavor/color forming bacteria, which pretty much stopped working when they ran out of sugar some time ago anyways.

Probably the best strategy is to vac seal and refrigerate. Vac sealing prevents the loss or gain of water, so the texture will remain as is.
Any enzymatic or other beneficial activity will continue to work at refrigerator temps, just at a slower pace.
User avatar
Butterbean
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 1955
Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2012 04:10
Location: South Georgia

Post by Butterbean » Sat Jun 17, 2017 21:47

If your salami has mold on it you might find it more aesthetically pleasing to remove the casing before vac-sealing because that pretty white mold turns an ugly color once vac-packed. Nothing wrong with it but its pretty ugly to those not in the know.
User avatar
redzed
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 3852
Joined: Fri Apr 20, 2012 06:29
Location: Vancouver Island

Post by redzed » Sun Jun 18, 2017 15:58

Butterbean wrote:If your salami has mold on it you might find it more aesthetically pleasing to remove the casing before vac-sealing because that pretty white mold turns an ugly color once vac-packed. Nothing wrong with it but its pretty ugly to those not in the know.
Good point. You have to remove the mould before vac sealing and its not only for aesthetic reasons. Mould is a fungus and like a mushroom it needs air to grow. Without oxygen it dies and degrades so you will end up with rotten mushroom on your salami. I simply remove the casings, seal and throw in the fridge, where it can stay for months on end, a year, or even longer. Great to have a supply on hand when company arrives. If you don't want to, or can't remove the casing, take a stiff brush and clean the mould off the surface then seal.
Divey
Beginner
Beginner
Posts: 48
Joined: Wed May 29, 2013 22:15
Location: Sydney

Post by Divey » Wed Jun 21, 2017 07:06

If you are going to remove mold before Vacuum packing your Salami make sure that you allow the Salami to air dry before vacuuming. Last year I wiped over the Salami with white vinegar and vacuumed them straight away. The bloody mold grew back on the Salami. I had to re-vacuum all the Salami after cleaning the mold off once again and allowing to air dry.
User avatar
Butterbean
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 1955
Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2012 04:10
Location: South Georgia

Post by Butterbean » Wed Jun 21, 2017 20:42

Are you sure the growth was mold? I thought mold needs air to grow.
Post Reply