Salumi Update - Due Finito y Due Progesso
I deemed my Saucisson Sec to be ready and consumable one week ago
after dry-curing for 30 days post-stuffing. Four of the sausages were produced.
Here is one of them before cutting:
Here it is at first cut:
Here it is sliced for consumption:
As you can see there were some interior gaps - don't know why - improper stuffing?
Found it to be quite tasty, but a little chewy. Not really any case hardening,
but probably went a little too long in the curing chamber.
I will have to confess to indulging in the acquisition of a good slicing machine.
I just could not imagine mangling a lovingly nurtured product with an uneven hand
cut no matter what quality of knife used.
Here are some pics of the beast:
Besides, I have another product in the works that absolutely demands paper
thin delivery to be enjoyed.
Today (Sunday - November 15), it became apparent that the Tuscan salami
were ready. They were quite firm and some very small beads of fat tears started
to appear. So....finito.
Here they are before cutting:
Tuscan salami ready for tasting:
VERY tasty product - the lactic acid tanginess is quite different from what
the Saucisson Sec presents.
That leaves two products that still PROGRESSO (pardon my Italian) in the
dry curing chamber:
Voila:
One, of course, is the two Genoa salami which now
have a good coat of white mold and look like this at three weeks:
The other is a 1.3 lb piece of pork belly that I started on October 28 using
the recipe in the book on page 201.
I cured it in a quart size Ziploc under a brick for 10 days:
After curing, and before going into dry-curing chamber:
It has been dry curing for 8 days an now looks like this:
It was very noticeably firmer after the time in the Ziploc cure, and is
even more firm now. I hope to try it on my guinea pig Thanksgiving
guests 11 days from now.....PAPER THIN!
They will have to suffer through proud presentation of Saucisson Sec,
Tuscan Salami, Dry-Cured Pork Belly, and some home cured/cold-smoked
Loch Duart Salmon that turned out quite well (again using the recipe from
the book)....home made Hickory Smoked mixed nuts (treated with gourmet
soy sauce, salt, and a pinch of cayenne) for the squeamish or unadventurous.
