190mm Genoa Salami Starts drying today

[cajuneric]

Just started the process of drying a 7.5 inch Genoa Salami. Curious as to how long this bad boy might take to finish. I used a cheese mold and lined it with a collagen sheet from the sausage maker. 20 hours of fermenting (pH 4.97) and just placed it in a 55F and 80% humidity chamber.

As this project advances I'll keep you posted. I'm thinking that flipping it each day will help with even drying... Any thoughts?

[bluc]

Looks like its going to be tasty. What recipe did you use?. I agree flipping but weekly prob be enough but am total newb..

[bluc]

Did you compress this like sopressa? Sopprasatta?

[cajuneric]

Looks like its going to be tasty. What recipe did you use?.

It's Genoa Salami. An adaptation of a Marianski Recipe: http://twoguysandacooler.com/italian-ge ... tructions/

Did you compress this like sopressa? Sopprasatta?

I didn't compress it, but In the picture it looks like it. It's a perfect 7.5 inch circle (6 inches tall). Weighs just under 10 pounds..

[bluc]

Watching with interest

[redzed]

Hey Eric that is a neat looking sausage! Pressing large diameter salami will prevent cavities from formings and possible spoilage. It was a good idea to use a cheese mould. Difficult to say how long it will take to mature, probably 2 to three months. I made a 3.3kg calabrese in a beef bung last week and expect it to dry in my chamber for 8-9 weeks. A while back I made a Spaniata Romana weighing 13lbs and it reached a 38% weight loss in 11 weeks. viewtopic.php?f=5&t=7652&hilit=spaniata+Romana

I'm just curious about that uber fast and low pH after only 20 hours. Usually large diameter salami take longer for the pH to drop, because it takes longer for it to warm up to a fermentable temperature. But 20 hours is fast even for a 40mm salami. I also have read studies that found that the final pH in large diameter sausages was higher than the pH in smaller salami. Both were made with the same meat batter and cultures. Did you actually test the salami in the pic or a sample from the stuffer leftovers? How much carbohydrate did you use and what was the fermentation temp?

[cajuneric]

Thank you. BTW Great looking Spaniata. Very nice... I've been having really nice consistent results with Flavor of Italy starter Culture (Flora Italia). Depending on the recipe when I add .2% dextrose I get to 4.9 - 5.0 pH in 20-24 hours at 80F. Originally I thought it was a random occurrence but after extensive testing (30 different recipes) it seems this particular starter likes to boogey.

When I tested the salami, I tested a sample I had left over from the stuffing horn. The thought didn't even cross my mind to test the large salami. As soon as I read your comment though I went out to test the pH of the salami in the chamber. I tested 5 points throughout the salami and it was averaging a 5.15 pH. I didn't go too deep (max was 1 inch) so maybe the center of the salami is different. I hope not.

In this 10 pound recipe I used 1 tsp of Flavor of Italy starter in 1/4 cup of distilled water. I used .2% dextrose and .2% turbinado sugar. Fermented at 80F

Starting weight was 4383g and now 7 days later I am at 4132 (drying in 55F and 80% humidity)