Beef middles and dry cured salami question
Beef middles and dry cured salami question
This past weekend I made some dry cured hot salami. I made 5 lbs of a genoa-type salami recipe with extra red pepper flakes, Hungarian hot paprika, cayenne pepper and black peppercorns.
I used beef middles for the first time rather than the protein-lined casings. The smell from the beef middles was pretty overpowering and by the time I finished stuffing the casings I had had my fill of the beef middle smell.
I`m wondering if the smell from the beef middles will alter the salami flavor later on? Anyone else work with beef middles and dry cured salamis and willing to share some insight?
Thanks
I used beef middles for the first time rather than the protein-lined casings. The smell from the beef middles was pretty overpowering and by the time I finished stuffing the casings I had had my fill of the beef middle smell.
I`m wondering if the smell from the beef middles will alter the salami flavor later on? Anyone else work with beef middles and dry cured salamis and willing to share some insight?
Thanks
- Chuckwagon
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"Wheee Doggie" as Buddy Ebsen used to say. Because of their very nature, beef middles are a... mighty odoriferous undertaking! Yup, they can curl the hair inside your nose alright. Whew, I once had some that would back up a freight train and make it take a detour up a dirt road!
Channan, the answer to your question is to turn them inside out and scrape and rinse them as best you can before using them. No, the odor will not "bleed" into the meat. They'll be fine as long as they are clean.
I you happen to have a need for home security, just hang a few in the sun awhile, then bring them indoors and hang them above your living-room coffee table. Burglars will get one whiff and run away! Unfortunately, your wife may also leave.
Let us know how your project turns out.
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
Channan, the answer to your question is to turn them inside out and scrape and rinse them as best you can before using them. No, the odor will not "bleed" into the meat. They'll be fine as long as they are clean.
I you happen to have a need for home security, just hang a few in the sun awhile, then bring them indoors and hang them above your living-room coffee table. Burglars will get one whiff and run away! Unfortunately, your wife may also leave.
Let us know how your project turns out.
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill!
Channan7
I also use beef middles for a few of my projects. One suggestion I would make is, rinse the heck out of them with cold water, then once you think they are cleaned out, rinse a couple more times. I then let the beef middles set in a dish sealed in cold water over night in the fridge for at least 12 hours before use.
Hope this helps.
Wally
I also use beef middles for a few of my projects. One suggestion I would make is, rinse the heck out of them with cold water, then once you think they are cleaned out, rinse a couple more times. I then let the beef middles set in a dish sealed in cold water over night in the fridge for at least 12 hours before use.
Hope this helps.
Wally
Nick
I have shopped around for all casings of most verities and had issues with some and not with other vendors. I buy most of my casing from Buther Packer & Sausage Maker with good results. To answer your question, yes the beef middles do have a slit odor, compared to sheep or hog casings, but once flushed and cleaned properly, I have had good luck using them with no odor. Beef middles are strong and stuff well, the flip side is using synthetic casing, which also work well. The one thing I like about using the beef middles, they make a uniform finish to the semi cured & fermented salami.
Wally
I have shopped around for all casings of most verities and had issues with some and not with other vendors. I buy most of my casing from Buther Packer & Sausage Maker with good results. To answer your question, yes the beef middles do have a slit odor, compared to sheep or hog casings, but once flushed and cleaned properly, I have had good luck using them with no odor. Beef middles are strong and stuff well, the flip side is using synthetic casing, which also work well. The one thing I like about using the beef middles, they make a uniform finish to the semi cured & fermented salami.
Wally
They do stink a bit, but it's not so bad. You can add a glug of vinegar to the soaking water. I think they are really nice to work with apart from the smell, because they are so strong. The smell goes away pretty quickly, and does not affect the taste of the sausage. You do have to peel before eating.
I like the way they look:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
I like the way they look:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
- Chuckwagon
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Aw shucks!
I like that picture, but full disclosure - that batch spoiled! The fat went rancid, and some of the sausages never dried. At the time I didn't understand how important lots of things were - mainly incubation, temperature and humidity control. It was painful to toss it. That's when I joined this forum for help!
I like that picture, but full disclosure - that batch spoiled! The fat went rancid, and some of the sausages never dried. At the time I didn't understand how important lots of things were - mainly incubation, temperature and humidity control. It was painful to toss it. That's when I joined this forum for help!
Thanks for the info dude!uwanna61 wrote:Nick
I have shopped around for all casings of most verities and had issues with some and not with other vendors. I buy most of my casing from Buther Packer & Sausage Maker with good results. To answer your question, yes the beef middles do have a slit odor, compared to sheep or hog casings, but once flushed and cleaned properly, I have had good luck using them with no odor. Beef middles are strong and stuff well, the flip side is using synthetic casing, which also work well. The one thing I like about using the beef middles, they make a uniform finish to the semi cured & fermented salami.
Wally
-Nick
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Custom R&O Smoker
Cedar Smokehouse
Weber Performer
Weber 22.5" One Touch Gold Kettle
Weber 18" WSM
Weber Smokey Joe
Lang 84 Deluxe w/chargriller SOLD
Cinder Block Smokehouse RETIRED
- Baconologist
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Ross,
That's what I'm trying to find out. I've used the fibrous casings three times and each time I had difficulty getting the inside of the salami to dry out evenly. On my third time I almost had it but the center still needed more drying time while the outside of the salami was hardening. I used the white mold culture to spray on the casings then. I think it helped dry them more evenly.
The beef middles are more of an experiment to see how the drying process works versus the fibrous casings. I just wasn't expecting the sensory treat i got when working with the middles
Craig
That's what I'm trying to find out. I've used the fibrous casings three times and each time I had difficulty getting the inside of the salami to dry out evenly. On my third time I almost had it but the center still needed more drying time while the outside of the salami was hardening. I used the white mold culture to spray on the casings then. I think it helped dry them more evenly.
The beef middles are more of an experiment to see how the drying process works versus the fibrous casings. I just wasn't expecting the sensory treat i got when working with the middles
Craig